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....