At CES in recent years, wearables were a surprise hit, with sophisticated fitness bands, fashion-forward bracelets and necklaces, smart fabric and watches. At CES 2018, at the Sands, about 50 manufacturers held court in the Wearables Marketplace, that featured wearables both tried-and-true and somewhat new. If nothing seemed to catch fire, it’s a reflection of what the 2018 CTA Consumer Tech Industry Forecast already revealed: wearables are flat, with a mere 1 percent growth in revenues over the last year. Continue reading Wearables at CES: Formerly Hot Sector Having Growing Pains

At last year’s CES, wearables were a viable category but had lost a bit of the luster of previous years, as consumers were deluged with competing fitness bands, smartwatches and even smart fabrics and jewelry. Although many of the entrants were intriguing, nothing popped out as revealing the path forward. CES 2018 promises to be similar, with some notable exceptions. Shipments in the wearables market are at an all-time high, but few manufacturers think wearables will have a significant impact on their bottom line in 2018. Continue reading Smartwatches, Fitness Bands Still Dominate Wearables Sector

Researchers in Tokyo have developed a way to print electrodes directly onto material, featuring highly conductive elastic ink that could be used to measure heart rates and report vital statistics. If researchers can make the technology robust and washable, then stretchable, sensor-loaded clothing could become a future trend in commercial wearables. Sportswear, for example, is one area that could benefit. Google’s Project Jacquard, NTT DoCoMo and chemical company Toray Industries are among those developing smart fabric technology. Continue reading Next Wearables Could Use Smart Fabric with Conductive Ink