...are also sharing an incredible amount of insight, opinions and knowledge. They're two steps ahead of brands. And, they have the upper hand in influencing sales while creating trends instead of following them. The tables have turned in marketing-consumer relations, and its hurting older companies slow to adapt. Hello-sharing economy. Technology and innovation are at an all-time high, consumers have gobs of information at their disposal, and the economy has been sluggish. This trifecta created what is now heating up to be a real way of doing business known as The Collaborative Economy, which argues that sharing is in full swing. The movement is questioning the ways of traditional businesses like car rentals, hotel stays, bike riding and buying clothing. Consumers don't have to go through large corporations to get what they need. They're going through a network to rent a neighbor's parking spot, they're finding dog sitters online and investing money in great ideas on their own. People are turning to each other for what they need rather than brands they know and once loved because of cost, convenience and overall quality of service. Wearable tech knows. I recently downloaded Saga, a life-logging app that helps me predict my next move by passively checking me into places and attaching photos to my experiences -- giving me a personal stream of where I've been. The app seeks patterns in human behavior, such as how much time someone spends at home. Based on this information, the...
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...Executive Summary As a maker of the revolutionary wearable technology, Thalmic Labs wishes to change the way humans interact with computers through the innovative product, the Myo armband. A key problem is that there are too many uses for the Myo, and not a clear link for how gesture control technology can solve major problems for consumers. Users acknowledge that the product has potential, but feel that it is still underdeveloped and indicate that it does not always work. The recommendation is to specialize in the B2B market, so that research and development can be directed to changing the product to solve actual problems for businesses. Stakeholders to keep in mind are Thalmic employees, investors, retailers, third-party developers and partner organizations. Thalmic operates in a high uncertainty environment, due to the unstable nature of the tech industry, high turnover rates, and a demanding market sector. Thalmic has a collaborative organizational culture, demonstrated through its open concept office. Thalmic has integrated the horizontal coordination model successfully, but there lacks an apparent need for Myo which has a huge impact on sustaining growth. To implement the recommendation, Thalmic will be switching to a focused differentiation strategy. Thalmic must communicate that B2C sales will continue to exist, in order to satisfy retailers and third-party developers. The company must focus on attracting a new salesforce and better engineering talent so that the R&D...
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...The wearable computing market: a global analysis By Jody Ranck CONNECTED CONSUMER Table of contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION HISTORY FITNESS AND WELLNESS DEVICES European sector Other areas of fitness WEARABLES IN THE ENTERPRISE ENVIRONMENT OPTICAL WARE SKIN SENSORS DISABILITY TECHNOLOGIES FASHION AND ALTERNATIVE PARADIGMS FOR COMPUTING THE INTERSECTION OF WEARABLES, GAMING AND ENTERTAINMENT AUGMENTED REALITY AND WEARABLE TECHNOLOGIES TRENDS COMPANIES TO WATCH KEY TAKEAWAYS ABOUT JODY RANCK ABOUT GIGAOM PRO FURTHER READING 3 4 6 7 8 9 9 10 12 13 15 17 18 19 22 24 25 25 26 The wearable computing market: a global analysis July 2012 -2 - CONNECTED CONSUMER Executive summary “During a Formula 1 race a driver experiences wrenching forces of more than 4.5G. His heart rate may exceed 180 beats per minute and his blood pressure could rise by half. With soaring temperatures inside the cramped cockpit he will also dehydrate, typically losing 2–3 litres of water during the race. Yet the driver must concentrate well enough to achieve lap times that might vary by just a tenth of a second. This is tough, on both mind and body. Hence it is not just the performance of the car itself which an array of sensors keeps an eye on, wirelessly transmitting data about the engine, suspension and so on to the pit crews. The drivers’ own vital signs are constantly monitored, too.” —Economist, Nov. 3, 2011 Wearable computing, or wearables, has recently moved from the realm...
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...Word Count: 1036 Wearable Technology - Fitness Trackers Advancements in smart technology open possibilities of innovation with the recent production of miniature devices. These devices are attached to body parts and clothes, thus the wearable technology industry. This technology is revolutionising smart technology whereby applications are integrated into small, light and convenient devices such as smart watches, fitness trackers, sports watches, head-mounted displays, smart clothing and smart jewellery. Wearable technology devices serve the purpose of monitoring and providing convenience in situations where actual handling of smart phones is impossible, as handled by fitness trackers. Data handling is managed by the wearable technology system and synchronised with smart phones. The trackers’ applications allows users to record their fitness schedules and monitor their progress based on the data-captured workouts. As exemplified by the Nike+ FuelBand in the United States, innovation, production and use of fitness trackers derive positive effects through design and data integration whilst conflicting with the environment from resultant waste management after use. Product description The Nike+ FuelBand is a water-resistant fitness-tracking wearable device that is worn around the wrist. The tracker is fitted with an in-built display and standby battery of up to 4 hours in active sessions. It houses a rechargeable battery and an indicator to alert user on power consumption...
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...Future Trends in Health Care Schell D. Caradine HCS 533 March 3, 2014 Suzanne Paone Future Trends in Health Care Long ago patients relied on their doctor to provide them with information about his or her health condition. The patient took what the doctor told him or her at face value. When doctors began to implement computer systems in their offices, they would print off medical information for the patient to take home to read in order to have a better understanding of the diagnosis given by the doctor. Most times the doctor will have pamphlets that he or she provided to the patient. However, that is mostly a thing of the past. Patients are already armed with tons of information they obtained from the internet. Health care has changed drastically over the years. Advancements in technology played and continue to play a huge role in the ever-evolving delivery of health care. The internet empowers patients in many ways. Sites such as the Mayo clinic allows patients to research their symptoms and even find a specialist. Many health care organizations have patient portals that allow the patient to book appointments and communicate with their physician. However, it is not just patients who use the Internet for health care purposes. Health care organizations use websites and social media such as Facebook to connect with a large demographic of potential patients. Health care organizations can advertise new treatment programs they have available by using Twitter,...
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...Applications and Smart Wearable Devices Paul Kenneth Travers Instructor: Janet Durgin Course: ISSC640 American Military University September 20, 2015 Topic: The topic of this paper will be about Internet applications and wearable smart devices. Thesis: Smart wearable devices have become very popular over the last few years and being able to connect to the Internet with these devices has been very appealing. Although smart wearable devices have applications that connect to the Internet or other devices to communicate, the devices that are being made have proprietary functions that force buyers to stay with one brand and the hope that this trend continue as web-enabled applications continue to be developed. Introduction The Internet is basically a bunch of networks interconnected to make information available in one location so that anyone can view. The Internet allows devices that have wireless capabilities to connect with applications to share information. Wearable devices are currently a hot topic and being able to connect to the network and share statistics collected by the devices has been a great deal for consumers. Wearable devices have changed the technology world by giving the consumer access to Internet based applications right from their wrist. These applications are making it possible for wearable devices to send information over the Internet to websites for consumers to track goals and health statistics for popular health apps and have GPS tracking...
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...Team 1 : Product Development Work Plan Smart Technology: Fitness Apparel [pic] Karene Brown Phillip Bryant Adran Reid Derek Terrell Danyelle Thomas Teri Wiltcher Executive Summary Acquity Consulting Group set out to assist our client, Athos Technology, with increasing their market share in the fitness industry. Athos Technology has developed wearable smart clothing with the distinct ability to measure muscle activity through the use of EMG sensors embedded in the clothing. The company currently offers a limited number of items in its men’s and women’s lines. Through analysis of the fitness apparel and wearable technology markets, we found that there was a clear void in the market that Athos would be uniquely positioned to fill. We found that the wearable technology market is on the rise, with profits expected to reach over $11bn by 2020. Taking a closer look at what drove sales in the fitness apparel industry, we concluded that our client could see increased sales if they introduced a line of full-length compression smart pants. Additionally, given the role that the fusion of fashion and function has played in the growth of the fitness apparel market, we recommended that our client pay particularly attention to the design of the leggings for both male and female consumers. Interviews and surveys were conducted to ascertain an appropriate price point for this product and it was determined that Athos should price the leggings at $175...
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...States, it is a common knowledge that "the delivery of health care is primarily driven by the medical model, which emphasizes illness rather than wellness” (Shi & Singh, 2015, p. 73). Faced with issues like chronic illnesses, fragmentation, and population of baby boomers that affect the challenges of cost, access, and quality of care; it can be argued that the use of health information devices has positive impact on the delivery of healthcare. Since “the future of healthcare technology is now” (Glandon, Smaltz, & Slovensky, 2014, p. 27), developments in the production of healthcare information devices have been on the increase, popular, and widely used by patients and providers. Some of these devices, which include smart phones, computers, smart glasses like Google glasses, activities trackers, and wearable devices, have impacted and transformed the delivery of healthcare in ways that include cost of healthcare, access to healthcare, and quality of the care delivered. Introduction It is a common knowledge that developments in technology is continually changing, is responsible for globalization, helps with effective evaluation of business and decision-making, and enables the growth of information technology. Similarly, the areas of information technology and healthcare delivery are also presently active, developing, and constantly changing. As a result, the management of health information technology is currently enabling versatility in the delivery of healthcare...
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...Mobile and Wearable Devices IT/200 Wearable Devices The use of wearable technology has increased massively within the last few years, from smartwatches, pedometers, activity trackers etc, there has been a demand for wearable technology so that consumers to be able to keep up with information that is important to them. In the past wearable technology were limited to one or two functions, whether you wanted to count your calories for the day or how many steps you have walked, now wearable technology are able to check your text messages, emails, and keep you updated with your fitness. Lets take a look at a few wearable devices. Apple Watch Released in 2015 the Apple Watch is one of the most popular wearable devices to date. The Apple watch is an all in one smartwatch that connects to a users Iphone and syncs important information such as text messages emails and photos. Users are able not only able to respond to their text messages from the watch, they can also use their voice to record an audio message to send as a reply and also the audio can be converted into text. Users are also able to download applications on the Apple Watch that they frequent use on their Iphones for easy use. With the watch connected to your smartphone by Bluetooth any notifications that are received on the Iphone will also be accessible from the watch, this great feature allows the user to never miss a call or message. The Apple Watch is also a health and fitness...
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...Instructor: Date: Healthcare Monitoring Using Sensor Technology Background/Motivation: Health related issues as well as complications are a major cause of concern among each and every population (Klapow and Pruitt, 13). Monitoring one’s health is a way of detecting any medical concerns before they get out of hand. If detected early enough, any slack in healthy living is stopped or corrected. The problem with the world today is that we are always on the fast lane and nobody stops for anything even when their health is at risk (Welk, 17). The culture of most people has been to seek curative services whereas preventive healthcare is much easier and cheaper. Assumptions about a person’s health can lead to serious miscalculations and consequences. By looking at someone we can tell whether they are fat or thin or tall or short but physical appearance is not the best basis for telling if someone is healthy (Welk, 23). There are aspects such as measurement of a person’s BMI (Body Mass Index) in order to establish the state of their health and the risks associated with the outcomes (Klapow and Pruitt, 50). Furthermore, it is absurd and appalling to see how careless the lifestyles of people have become. Indulgence in alcohol and habits like smoking are a common feature in the society despite health warnings plastered all over such products and even on the media. In addition to drug substances, there are other health scares such as industrial gases and chemical emissions into...
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...Wearable Computers EEE 439 What is a Wearable Computer? As we continue to integrate computers into our everyday lives at an ever faster rate, the idea that a static desktop, or even a portable laptop can fulfill all of our computing needs is becoming increasingly more ridiculous. The integration of technology constantly creates situations in which we pause and think, “If only I had a computer,” The wearable computer does this. It goes where you go, it does what you do. Its there when you want to use it, unobtrusive when you don’t. So what is a wearable computer? Why don’t we just put our laptops on a sling? In 1998, Steve Mann gave a keynote address at the International Conference on Wearable Computing in which he explained the operational modes of wearable computers and six defining traits of a true wearable computer. According to Mr. Mann, the wearable computer creates three new modes of interaction between human and computer which have not existed before. These three new modes of operation are Constancy, Augmentation, and Mediation (Mann, 1998). Constancy means that the computer is always on and available for use by the user; traditional devices are turned off and closed when not in use. Augmentation is the idea that wearable computers will augment the user’s abilities instead of merely providing computing power on demand. Mann splits Mediation into two different areas; Solitude – the ability to cut oneself off from material, and Privacy – the ability to block or modify...
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...Will 2015 be the year of wearable technology? * Article * Wearable technology = smart watches (Apple), use a headset to participate in virtual worlds (Oculus Rift), pay for purchases using a heartbeat reading wristband (Nymi which uses heartbeat as a password), & controlling the computer communicating with a wave from an armband (Myo to use arm gestures to flip through presentations, play games, or music players) * Eventually, headsets will allow sensors to connect to other parts of the body as well * Entering in access codes or passwords wastes time, creates bad experiences, & indulge in wasted energy trying to keep up with different passwords & pins or replacing them * Could lead to poorer controls * Technology is changing to tend to our needs by providing a more natural experience * Focus more on useful, entertaining & personal experiences * Very intuitive, easy & natural for people * User friendly, will tend to older generations that aren’t capable of knowing the ways of technology, as well as for mentally or physically impaired individuals * http://www.wired.com/2013/12/wearable-computers/all/ * Wearable technology replaces the power of smartphone by increasing accessibility, without the hardships of taking your smartphone out of your pocket or stopping you while doing activities (bicycle, swimming, hiking, skiing) * Wearable revolution could take faster...
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...vast topic and the report wasn’t just kind of all over the place. I decided to go in the direction of just simply covering one specific example of a few types of SMART technologies that exist today. First of all, what is SMART technology? According to TechTerms.com, SMART stands for, “Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology.” It is often times used to protect and prevent errors in hard drives. Put more simply, it’s basically technology that is dynamic, economical (most of the time), and engages in multiple long term solutions towards the health of humans and the productivity, through interactive multisensory technology, action based learning, and brain-body integrated exercise. This type of technology can be used through the use of SMART bands, or wearable equipment, such as the Garmin Vivofit or the Adidas Fit Smart: Fitness tracker, video game based systems such as the Wii Fit or XBOX Kinect, Personalized Apps that can be downloaded onto your smart phone, and even built-in to large workout equipment, like treadmills and ellipticals. One major type of this product is a multisensory fitness suite of products by Multisensory Products. One of the proprietary technologies within MultiSensory Fitness Inc., SMART is Multisensory Brain-Body Fitness Training, a leading technology. This type of technology is designed to create a unique workout that can be used by people of all ages and abilities. Their products combine brain and body fitness, that are designed to improve...
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...Wearable Computing: The Next Big Thing in Smart Technology? Prepared for Edward Moss, Instructor ENGW 3304 Northeastern University Prepared by Varun Kukreja Northeastern University February 13, 2014 INTRODUCTION Ever since the development and introduction of wearable devices to consumers, much debate has evolved around its use compared to smartphones and other smart technology products. Dave Evans (2013) pointed out that while consumers begin to adapt to wearable technology, personal computing is getting even more personal, with electronic products and chipsets being attached to “clothing, jewelry, shoes, glasses, watches, and even on your skin” (Stedmon et al., 1999). Developments in wearable technology have indeed suggested that it is possible to fully integrate both physical and functional aspects of smart devices, thereby increasing their operational efficiency. These findings suggest that wearable technology has the potential to be far better than the smartphone...
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...OPPORTUNITY Q4 2014 OVE RVI E W Quantified Self (QS) is an emerging area of technology that allows consumers to use a variety of digital tools to collect data and learn about their behaviors and habits of everyday life. The increasing number QS digital tools available today includes smartwatches, wearable fitness trackers, apps, and websites. As consumers continue to integrate these new QS digital tools into their lives, the data collected by these tools presents new opportunities for CPG marketers to learn more about consumers’ behavior and better reach their target audiences. To better understand this new technology trend and assess its impact on the future of digital media for CPG marketers, Rocket Fuel conducted a custom primary research study among consumers in the U.S. to: • Understand consumers’ interest in using health and fitness QS tools • Gauge current usage of health and fitness QS tools • Understand the impact of health and fitness QS tools on consumer behavior • Evaluate consumers’ openness to sharing their QS data with CPG advertisers STUDY DETAILS This survey was conducted online using a trusted third-party research vendor and fielded from December 3 – 10, 2014, among 1,262 total respondents who live in the U.S., use a computer regularly, and either currently use a Quantified Self tool to track their health and fitness or who are interested in using a Quantified Self tool to track their health and fitness. 56% of U.S. consumers qualified for our study. All market-sizing...
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