Health and Wellness

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01 Feb The convergence of smart technologies in one wearable phone

  The smartphone market is still in its infancy, and yet with each passing year, new and more powerful mobile devices are released that outshine previous generations. In fact, smartphone technology has progressed to the point where it rivals the desktop and portable devices with enough memory and computer power to support complex work applications. Simultaneously, smart wearable technology is emerging at lightning speed. The Fitbit launched just over 2 years ago in May 2013. In March 2015, market research firm GfK reported 17.6 million smartwatches and health and fitness trackers (HFT) bought worldwide in 2014, and that number continues to grow exponentially. [1] But, it is impractical to wear single- and dual-use devices such as health and fitness monitors and “smart watches” that are dependent on the user carrying a handheld smartphone for most functionality to even work -- including networking, applications, and interfacing. The future is wearable smartphones. It free users entirely from handheld phones, watches, and scores of wrist-based monitors. Companies like ours are designing new wearable products and technologies that will replace handheld phones and Internet-connected devices as the primary wireless communications. OEMs will be able to drive the future of the mobile industry with new 3D interface, display, and biometric identification systems and capture more of the market. For the incumbent smartphone OEM looking to create breakout products in a rapidly commoditizing market, there is opportunity in licensing products and technologies that can be incorporated into generations of mobile devices. [1]http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gfk-forecasts-51-million-wearables-bought-globally-in-2015-294678211.html...

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12 Oct Connected Health and Safety: The Wearable Smartwatch as a Lifeline

  In an emergency, few people are going to think about grabbing their cell phone and opening an app to get help. For a wearable device to really be a lifeline, it needs to autonomously text or call family, friends, doctors or emergency services with real-time location and health data providing potentially life-saving information in an emergency.  We know that continuously monitoring your vital signs can recognize an abnormal heartbeat, temperature, seizure or fall. It has been proven that connected health delivers clear benefits. Doctors can remotely monitor a patient’s health status outside of office hours with bio-sensing wearables.  In fact, this is proving to be very helpful in supporting older adults that want to age in place. With the advancements in sensors and software and the innovations in wearables, your smartwatch can become more than a monitoring device --- it can be your lifeline. Think of a wearable smartphone as a medical assistant capable of continuously monitoring a wearer's health and in case of an emergency autonomously contacting a medical professional or emergency responder with real-time medical and location data and instructions without user input. A wearable with advanced sensors is extremely valuable when it can provide wearer verification, safety and security. In 2015, 39.5 million U.S. adults 18 and over used wearable devices, including smartwatches and fitness trackers — an increase of 57.7 percent over 2014, according to eMarketer. Sadly, today’s wearable market is filled with accessories, including health and fitness monitors that are dependent on handheld smartphones for most functionality including networking, applications, and interfacing.  It is time to eliminate the need for handheld phones to get the most out of a wearable. “There is demand for a more sophisticated class of activity tracker that supports GPS and heart rate monitoring while also being a little more rugged and waterproof. And while we see the simpler fitness trackers potentially hitting a wall, these advanced devices will continue to drive adoption,” said Eddie Hold, vice president, Connected Intelligence. eyeCam’s focus is to deliver products and services with the appropriate set of features that uniquely address how humans interface with mobile technology. For example, eyeHand’s sensor hub and 3D interface projected onto the hand frees users entirely from handheld phones. Your hand and fingers become your display, touchscreen, gesture interface, and command center.      ...

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16 Aug The Evolution of Wearables: From Pedometers to Smartwatches and Beyond

Legend has it that Thomas Jefferson invented the first pedometer, but in truth, Leonardo Da Vinci envisioned the pedometer as a tool for the military. Using the pedometer as a tool for fitness and weight control was introduced in the 1960’s in Japan.  Finnish inventor, Professor Seppo Säynäjäkangas, came up with the first portable heart rate monitor in a watch format in the 1970’s. Fast forward to the 21st Century: The Fitbit was introduced in 2008 at TechCrunch50 to much acclaim.  The first product tracked the intensity of activity, calories burned, distance travelled, the number of steps taken, and sleep patterns. Eight years later, eyeHand has developed the technology for a full body mapping system that enables athletes to map their body motion and improve their game in real-time. Operating as a sensor hub, eyeHand networks with micro-sensors worn, attached, or embedded in clothing or sporting equipment to generate a 3D map of your body for full body motion capture throughout a game or training session. Imagine the incredible new opportunities for live-action sports and gaming (live indoor/outdoor video gaming with athletes and friends on the field, the court or on the move).  eyeHand technology can let you play with a professional athlete remotely from your living room or stream your power serve on the tennis court to your friend’s game console, in real-time. All of this is possible today thanks to the amazing advancements in sensor technologies and the dramatic acceptance and adoption of wearable devices. TechNavio, a research and advisory firm, announced they expect the global demand for sensors for mobile devices to reach over $52B in revenue by 2020. According to the global information provider, The NPD Group, annual 2015 dollar and unit sales of connected activity trackers experienced respective growth of 110 percent and 85 percent versus 2014, despite the average selling price (ASP) increasing from $96 to $109. “Despite slightly lower overall awareness of the fitness tracker category, fitness trackers are still showing strong sales and ownership, which shows that the category still has more headroom for growth, while strong awareness has not yet translated into more robust sales for smartwatches,” said Weston Henderek, Director of NPD Connected Intelligence. We see tremendous opportunity for OEMs. With eyeCam’s reference design kits, they can license, acquire and rapidly introduce groundbreaking new sports and fitness products to market, secure a faster ROI, and have the ability to add features/services in the future that drive and maximize ongoing revenue....

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eyeHand - Health monitor

06 Apr Connected Health and Safety: The Wearable Smartwatch as a Lifeline

In an emergency, few people are going to think about grabbing their cell phone and opening an app to get help. For a wearable device to really be a lifeline, it needs to autonomously text or call family, friends, doctors or emergency services with real-time location and health data providing potentially life-saving information in an emergency.  We know that continuously monitoring your vital signs can recognize an abnormal heartbeat, temperature, seizure or fall. It has been proven that connected health delivers clear benefits. Doctors can remotely monitor a patient’s health status outside of office hours with bio-sensing wearables.  In fact, this is proving to be very helpful in supporting older adults that want to age in place. With the advancements in sensors and software and the innovations in wearables, your smartwatch can become more than a monitoring device --- it can be your lifeline. Think of a wearable smartphone as a medical assistant capable of continuously monitoring a wearer's health and in case of an emergency autonomously contacting a medical professional or emergency responder with real-time medical and location data and instructions without user input. A wearable with advanced sensors is extremely valuable when it can provide wearer verification, safety and security. In 2015, 39.5 million U.S. adults 18 and over used wearable devices, including smartwatches and fitness trackers — an increase of 57.7 percent over 2014, according to eMarketer. Sadly, today’s wearable market is filled with accessories, including health and fitness monitors that are dependent on handheld smartphones for most functionality including networking, applications, and interfacing.  It is time to eliminate the need for handheld phones to get the most out of a wearable. “There is demand for a more sophisticated class of activity tracker that supports GPS and heart rate monitoring while also being a little more rugged and waterproof. And while we see the simpler fitness trackers potentially hitting a wall, these advanced devices will continue to drive adoption,” said Eddie Hold, vice president, Connected Intelligence. eyeCam’s focus is to deliver products and services with the appropriate set of features that uniquely address how humans interface with mobile technology. For example, eyeHand’s sensor hub and 3D interface projected onto the hand frees users entirely from handheld phones. Your hand and fingers become your display, touchscreen, gesture interface, and command center.    ...

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