Wearable Sensors: Technology Trends and Challenges

In this article, we outline some of the current opportunities, trends and challenges with sensors for wearable applications in a “roundtable” discussion format.  Wearable Sensors and Electronics 2014 conference and exhibition will take place on November 12-13, 2014 in Santa Clara, California to further explore this topic.  For more information about the event, please go to: http://bit.ly/WSE2014PR.
 
Huge opportunity for sensor makers
 
“This is a great time for sensor makers working in the wearable segment,” says Mike Pinelis, CEO of MEMS Journal, the event organizer and producer.  “The marketplace for wearable devices is still very fragmented, and there are lots of opportunities for new startups and products to emerge. And while there is lots of competition, the winners will be those companies that can focus on specific applications, and also ensure that their devices will be robust and reliable.”   
 
“Wearables represent an exciting market space with a five year projected compound annual growth around 70%,” says Doug Bogia, Lead Architect at Intel.  “Many opportunities exist for innovation and novel product offerings.  This upcoming wearable sensors conference represents an excellent opportunity to make connections with organizations working in the wearables field.”
 
“The global demand for wearable devices, such as smart watches, fitness and activity trackers, and smart glasses, is growing rapidly, and is widely expected to be the next driver of semiconductor demand,” says Markus Lutz, Founder and Executive Vice President at SiTime.  “Tiny, low power MEMS devices such as accelerometers, magnetometers, and timing solutions, are crucial to the success of the wearables industry. We expect that the innovation and roadmap of MEMS components will drive the functionality, growth and mass-market adoption of wearables.”

“After a few years of hype, the wearables space is finally beginning to crystallize, with new entrants, such as Apple, driving standardization in areas like the user interface, force and touch sensors, and health monitoring,” says Ian Campbell, Founder and CEO of NextInput.  “Ever smaller, more capable MEMS sensors will be mainstays in the wearables space.  Together with the coming Internet of Things, the wearables market will drive a new explosion of growth in sensors and sensor platforms for a range of applications.  These applications will include force sensitive touch interfaces, health monitoring, motion tracking, environmental sensing, communication, and more.”
 
Medical and health applications are key drivers
 
“This is very exciting time.  There is more use of advanced sensors, such as heart rate monitoring that is combined with in-depth processing,” according to Joni Kettunen, CEO at Firstbeat Technologies.  “These new capabilities are channeled to produce meaningful information for the specific health context, and therefore we are talking about the next wave that is much more meaningful for the mainstream.”
 
“The medical and consumer wearable markets are converging rapidly, with many device applications blurring the boundaries,” explains John McNulty, Principal Engineer at Exponent.  “However, while there is lots of excitement and opportunities within this rapidly growing application segment, smaller companies and start-ups in these markets should be cognizant of the wide range of reliability and safety challenges specific to such devices.”
 
“Medical applications are a major opportunity for wearable technologies, and this does not only include the somewhat primitive health motion trackers,” Pinelis adds.  “There is a much larger opportunity for wearables in the truly clinical settings.  All of the key stakeholders stand to benefit, including the patients, physicians, health systems, and insurance companies.  It’s a win-win scenario for everyone involved.”
 
Main challenges are power, reliability and security
 
“Wearable electronics is an exciting market with enormous potential, ranging from critical health monitoring, to fitness tracking, to social connections and communication.  However, device reliability is one of the main areas that needs our attention,” says Cheryl Tulkoff, Senior Technical Member at DfR Solutions.  “Exposure to sweat, heat, UV radiation, drops, and shocks are among the many challenges faced by these products. Better understanding and designing around the common failure modes helps reduce warranty costs, eliminate advisory notices, and ultimately results in satisfied customers.”
 
“Power is a major problem.  Ideally, users want to use wearable devices that never need to be charged”, explains Pinelis.  “Companies are tackling this problem by developing ultra-low power technologies that extend battery life.  Also, energy harvesting offers exciting possibilities for perpetually powered devices.”
 
“The proliferation and future ubiquity of wearable devices means that, as an industry, we must be careful to build comprehensive security strategies now rather than waiting for the inherent vulnerabilities to be exploited,” says Ray Potter, CEO of SafeLogic.  “The opportunity is huge for developers, entrepreneurs, and manufacturers, and consumers will reap massive benefits, but hackers also stand to benefit greatly from the market growth unless we take precautions immediately.”
 
About Wearable Sensors and Electronics 2014

Wearable Sensors and Electronics 2014 conference and exhibition will take place on November 12-13, 2014 in Santa Clara, California.  This unique event has an exclusive focus on sensors and electronics for wearable applications.  Following the PC and smartphone waves of development, wearables are the “next big thing”.  And what makes various wearable designs unique is the ability to pack advanced sensors and electronics into very small form factors.  Sensors are truly the enabling technology for these applications -- wearables simply cannot exist without sensors. 
 
Confirmed participants already include individuals from companies such as Apple, QuickLogic, ASE, Knowles, Honeywell, ASE, MIT, Bosch, Texas Instruments, Intel, NXP, NextInput, ARM, SiTime, Google, Misfit Wearables, Clothing+, Exponent, Argus Insights, SafeLogic, Globant, MIPI Alliance, HZO, Maxim, InvenSense, Samsung, Sensirion, Adesto Technologies, Stratos, Firstbeat Technologies, Trimble, EV Group, Jabil, Qualcomm, Care Innovations, Cactus Semiconductor, Valtronic, High Speed Interconnects, Rohm Semiconductors, Biogen Idec, Corning, NuSil, HP, Wearable Sensing, Nanium, IHS, and others. 
 
For more information about the event, please go to: http://bit.ly/WSE2014PR.

Contact Information

Mike Pinelis

President and CEO

MEMS Journal, Inc.

Contact via E-mail