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TERM PAPER ON

Wearable Technology

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Acknowledgement

It is my pleasure to be indebted to various people, who directly or indirectly

contributed in the development of this work and who influenced my thinking,

behavior, and acts during the course of the study. Firstly I thank the Almighty

God for giving me the strength and opportunity to undertake this project. I

express my sincere gratitude to amity university Dubai for giving me the

opportunity and facilities to complete the project. I am thankful to Mr. Vinod

Shukla for his support, cooperation, and suggestions provided to me in the course

of the project for constant inspiration, presence and blessings. Lastly, I would

like to thank my parents for their moral, social and other sort of support, my

friends who gave me suggestions that improved my quality of work.

Shareen Nickshitha Castelino

Bachelors of Business Administration

AUD 0804

GUIDE: Mr. Vinod Shukla

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INDEX

SERIAL NO: TOPIC

1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

2. INTRODUCTION

3. ABSTRACT

4. MORE ON WEARABLES

5. MARKET VIEW

6. PRODUCTS

7. CHALLENGES

8. CONCLUSION

9. REFERENCES

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Abstract

As technology becomes more sophisticated and we usher in the realm of Internet of Things (IoT), some

technology pundits predict that wearable technology (WT) will play a defining role. With the onset of

personal products like smart watches and augmented reality glasses, we are perhaps seeing the harbingers of

the future. As everyone rushes to introduce the next cool WT product it would behoove the engineering

community to ensure the basic manufacturing and reliability requirements are not sacrificed on the altar of

speed. Industry-wide standardization, ecosystem nurturing and pre-competitive collaborations are strongly

encouraged to sustain the growth of this budding technology.

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Introduction:

Wearable products have been around for decades, but it is only recently that they are becoming vogue and

fashionable. The term was coined in the nineties and popular in the medical field for a long time, with

products like wearable hearing aids and pacemakers. Wearable devices have generally been trendy within

the academic community. One of the earlier companies to make a move in the wearable space was Adidas.

In 2008, they acquired Textronics and introduced a personal coaching system by collecting relevant data

like heart rate from embedded sensors in sports bras and vests.

The current burgeoning wearable market led by industry giants like Google, Samsung and Nike is capturing

the attention of a wider mass of professionals and technocrats, and promising to be a critical game changer

in the technology landscape. It has garnered attention within the mobile ecosystem, incentivizing

Smartphone vendors, application developers, content creators and entrepreneurs. This promising technology

has evolved beyond the proof of concept stage to veritable products worn by consumers. Some of the

products include augmented reality eyeglasses, headbands for monitoring brain activity, concussion sensors

nestled within a helmet, sensor-guided canes for the blind and smart t-shirts for soldiers in the battle field.

Current wearable products tend to be more integrated, seamless, transparent, comfortable, useful, reliable

and practical compared to earlier versions. Wearable technology is on a relentless track toward ubiquity. We

may be witnessing the dawning of a new technology era - products like the Nike Fuel Band, the Samsung

Galaxy Gear and the widely rumored iWatch from Apple may just be heralds of the future.

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Definition:

The term “wearable device” may be defined as an application-enabled computing device which accepts and

processes inputs. This device is generally a fashion accessory usually worn or attached to the body. The

device could work independently or be tethered to a smart phone allowing some kind of meaningful

interaction with the user. The wearable product could be on the body (like a smart patch), around the body

(like a wristwatch or a headband) or in the body (like an identification sensor embedded under the skin or a

sensor attached to the heart monitoring cardiac aberrations). Wearable is a rather broad term, and can cover

a number of different products like patches, bandages, diapers, glasses, rings, watches, socks, shoes, and

hats, undergarments, jewelry, tattoos, ties, scarves, apparels and many others. Research has shown that most

American and British consumers would prefer the wearable device to be on the apparel (29%) or around the

wrist (28%). To find sustainable market success, smart wearables must offer consumers a compelling value

proposition beyond just posing as a fashionable technology gadget.

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More on Wearable’s:

Fitness Technologies: Tools of Brand Engagement

“It’s a product, it’s a platform for services, it’s an ongoing dialogue with our consumers, and it’s a rapidly

growing community that crosses categories, gender, age, and geography.”

-Mark Parker (CEO of Nike) on Nike+

Wearable technologies in the apparel space have seen the broadest early adoption from fitness vendors, with

products designed to monitor, track and record physical activity. While early initiatives were led by

technology-oriented firms (Garmin, Suunto, Polar), more recent product introductions have come from

global athletic brands like Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour, who are utilizing these technologies as tools to

increase consumer engagement with their brands, and not necessarily generate incremental profit. To that

end, price points are competitive, product is heavily branded and marketed, and the online analysis tools are

often highly integrated into brand narratives and ecommerce sites.

Nike Plus

Nike has been one of the earliest adopters of Wearable technologies, beginning with the 2006 introduction

of the Nike+iPod Sports Kit, which consisted of a pedometer and small transmitter device that

communicated with various iPod products to store elapsed time, distance, pace and calories burned during a

workout. The product line has since expanded to include iOS and Android apps, a multi-functional GPS

watch, and the Nike FuelBand, an accelerometer-based activity monitoring tool. In total, Nike now has over

10 million members on its run logging site, Nike+, making it the largest running community in the

WORLD.

Adidas miCoach

Adidas has been a late mover, with its fitness tracker introduced in 2010 as a three part system that includes

an accelerometer-based sensor (speed, distance, pace), a heart rate monitor, and a receiver that

communicates with the user to highlight time remaining, and provided pacing instructions (speed up/slow

down etc.). The system has also been integrated with Smartphone apps and an exercise game (Xbox and

PlayStation).

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Under Armour Armour39

In February of 2013, Under Armour announced its Armour39 tracking system, which consists of a Wearable

chest strap that records heart rate, calories burned and communicates with smart phones via Bluetooth. The

system costs $149.99 and can also be upgraded with a $199.99 watch that provides real-time feedback.

Watch Industry

We see some risk in that increasing adoption of Wearable technologies will shift spending dollars away

from global watch sales as these technologies have the potential to: (1) replace watch functionality, (2) take

up scarce wrist real estate, and (3) become watch-alternative status objects for consumers. We see particular

exposure for sub-$500 fashion watches, which has been one of the fastest growing categories in the global

watch market in recent years. This would add particular risk for companies like Fossil (FOSL) who have

specialized in this market niche.

The global watch market is expected to top $56bn in CY13E, with 66% of the market quartz and 34%

mechanical – 15% of quartz watches are digital (digital represents 10% of global watch sales). The overall

watch market has grown at a 6.0% CAGR since CY07 with mechanical outgrowing quartz (+7.7% vs.

+5.2% CAGR), and quartz analog outgrowing quartz digital (+5.5% vs. +3.7% CAGR). The US is expected

to represent 13.3% of the global watch market by sales: 15.9% of the mechanical market.

Market:

A 2013 report from Beecham depicts a very helpful approach to understand the vastness of the WT market.

The report points out five key sectors benefitting from the WT boom: Security/Safety, Medical, Wellness,

Sports/Fitness/Lifestyle Computing and Communications & Glamor. The report also cites the importance of

blending function with style.

The WT market is considered by some a vital component of the wireless accessories market, and it’s already

enjoying substantive deployments in the health and fitness arena. We now have key influential players such

as Google, Apple, Samsung, Nike, Qualcomm and Microsoft making strategic moves within the WT sector.

This augurs well for smarter, more sophisticated WT products and most importantly for the development of

a robust supply chain ecosystem. If current developments are any indication for the future, it appears that

the WT segment is going to be a crowded landscape with strong competition.

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ABI Research estimates the global market for WT in health and fitness is the largest component of WT

products shipped today –this sector alone could reach 170 million devices by 2017. It is estimated that 60%

of the WT market can be attributed to sport and activity trackers in 2013. Juniper Research predicts global

smart glass shipments to cross 10 million units per year by 2018, along with substantially lower prices.

Various reports suggest that first generation applications for smart glasses would include video

documentation, but the true potential of this technology would shine when diagnostics, surgical assistance

and monitoring are enabled. Different reports support varying numbers - for example, the Credit Suisse

report expects a WT market of approximately $40B by 2016. Research analyst firm Berg Insight predicts a

CAGR (compounded annual growth rate) of ~ 50% for WT devices by 2018. Juniper Research forecasts that

the retail revenue from smart wearable devices, including smart watches and glasses, will reach $19 billion

by 2018 compared to $1.4 billion this year.

Global Smart Wearable’s Hardware Revenue ($M) Split by 8 Key Regions: $19 Billion

by 2018

SOURCE: JUNIPER RESEARCH

■ Key Conclusions: A rapidly growing installed base of mobile computing devices and a confluence of

hardware/component innovation, software ecosystem maturation and emerging business models should

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drive significant growth in “Wearable’s” (smart watches, glasses, monitors etc.) over the next several years

from an estimated $3-5bn in 2013 to what could be well over $42bn in the next 3-5 years – assuming

15%/25% attach rates to Smartphone installed base/shipments and $100 ASPs; this would represent 6% our

expected CE spend. While it is still too early to assess how much of the spend on “Wearable’s” will be

incremental versus cannibalistic, the Credit Suisse TMT and Retail Research Teams have identified the

following key trends: (1) Hardware/component innovation: Low power connectivity and processing,

sensors, and touch and voice interfaces could represent a greater than $5-8bn semi TAM over time, (2)

Software Ecosystem: The dominance of Android and iOS place GOOG and AAPL in the pole position to

leverage this new opportunity – for example we estimate that an AAPL iWatch could generate $10bn/$3.30

rev/EPS assuming 25% attach rates at a $250 ASP, (3) Business Model Leverage: Multiple permutations

including deeper customer engagement (Nike, Under Armour), new applications, mobile payments, medical

monitoring, e-commerce, location based service and big data evolution from unstructured to un-captured

data. Wearable’s will have the potential to add context to location – greatly deepening our understanding of

how we interact with our surroundings. While trends are still early – we have identified three clear winners:

AAPL, GOOG and BRCM.

■ Why Now: Right Time, Right Place. Wearable’s are not new – they can trace their history back to the

15th Century when Peter Henlein first crafted ornamental time pieces worn as pendants. Five hundred years

later, in 1968, the Hamilton Watch Company designed the first digital watch for Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A

Space Odyssey” and in 1975 both Hamilton and Hewlett Packard introduced the first calculator watches.

Over the last decade, incremental functionality has been added including altimeters, thermometers,

barometers, pulse and head-mounted displays mainly for the enthusiast market. We currently count over 50+

“Wearable’s” in the market today including products from Nike, Jawbone, Motorola, Sony, BodyMedia,

FitBit, GoPro, and others. We see an extremely fertile environment for a significant leap in “Wearable’s”

over the next several years from what has been limited function/connectivity, to what is going to be truly

smart/aware devices with ubiquitous connectivity. The foundation of this Wearable’s revolution is the

rapidly growing installed base of Smartphone’s (from 1.1bn to >3.0bn units in 3-5 years) combined with

significant improvements in low power connectivity, sensors, battery life, interfaces and displays. Along

with Google Glass and the much rumored AAPL iWatch, we see multiple entrants including: Samsung, LG,

Metawatch, Misfit, Martian, Allerta, I’m Spa and CooKoo, among others.

■ Sizing the Opportunity – It’s Bigger than You Think. The Consumer Electronics market is

approximately $690bn, of which compute (PCs, Tablets, Smartphone) is approximately $380bn. Looking at

markets tangential to Wearable’s, the current watch market is approximately $56bn, while the current

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market for sunglasses is $20bn. Looking at the CE Wearable’s market to date, we estimate that Nike has

sold between 1-2 mm FuelBands and we estimate the entire fitness/health Wearable’s market to be between

approximately $2-3bn. Sizing the Wearable’s market over the next 3-5 years is not easy – new

applications/functionality or business models are as likely to push attach rates up, and disappointing

applications are likely to drive attach rates down – of note we estimate that BT headsets have less than a

15% attach rate to handset shipments. Our methodology in estimating the size of the market assumes attach

rates around Smartphone installed base/shipments and corresponding ASPs – reflecting our view that

Smartphone will become the “personal cloud” for Wearable’s compute, dictated by size constraints on

battery life – hence our view that low power connectivity is a key enabling technology for the Wearable’s

market. Our analysis suggests that a 15%/25% attach rates of Wearable’s to Smartphone installed

base/shipments would yield a $42.5bn TAM over the next 3-5 years. Further, assuming that semiconductors

tend to represent 18-22% of BOM in CE devices, would generate a chip market that could be $5bn-$8bn

TAM.

■ Retail and Internet – Wearable’s Increasing Engagement. Apparel has been an early adopter of

Wearable technology – first in the form of the wristwatch, but more recently with fitness monitors like the

Fuelband and FitBit. The primary purpose to date has been to increase customer engagement with

athletic/fitness brands with the potential to begin to cannibalize the $56bn watch market. We would

highlight Nike, Adidas and Under Armour as early adopters who have leveraged Wearable’s to enhance the

fitness experience/efficacy of their product. For internet providers, Wearable’s increase the number of

channels through which providers can deliver content and services. While not unlike the mobile experience,

Wearable’s also provide an incrementally more granular profile of the user and offers the ability to more

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seamlessly integrate services in the normal flow of the users daily activity. We would highlight Google

Now, Yelp Monocle, and eBay Milo as use cases that would significantly benefit from a proliferation of the

Wearable’s market.

■ A Brave New World – Adding Context to Location. While it is unlikely that the Wearable’s market

will move the dial in the next 6 months, our TMT and Retail Research Teams see the potential for a sizable

and consequential market over the next 3-5 years. The unintended consequences or yet-to-be envisioned

opportunities are perhaps even more exciting than the tangible, easy to define opportunities. While we live

in a more connected world today than we did yesterday, connectivity is still mainly one dimensional – it has

the ability to say where the user is, but not what the user is doing – the next wave of Wearable’s will be able

to add context to location – providing a deeper understanding of how we interact with our surroundings. In

addition, we see a significant broadening of the sphere of influence Wearable’s could have on the economy

– take for example the health potential for the Wearable’s market or insurance implications (i.e. Progressive

Snapshot Discount) or mobile payments as a few incremental examples. Wearables could also provide the

backbone for the next evolution of Big Data Analytics from unstructured data to un-captured data. It was not

the intent of this report to explore all the facets of this market, as much as lay a foundation for future

discussion. As Bill Gates once said – “We tend to overestimate the next three years, and underestimate the

next five.”

PRODUCTS:

Current WT products in the market are creative and interesting, but they are far from leveraging the full

impact of this technology. Google Glass demonstrates a number of applications, such as doctors streaming

live surgery to different locations or displaying schematics to engineers. Smart watches represent the biggest

hype for the current WT market. There are many offerings in the market, including one from Nissan, but

they are mostly on the bulkier side and lack aesthetic touches. Innovators have not fully exploited the salient

advantages that can be offered by WT. Both Sony and Samsung have launched watches using OLED

displays, but we have yet to see a genuine wraparound product.

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GOOGLE GLASS FITBIT FORCE, PEBBLE, SAMSUNG GALAXY

CREDIT: GOOGLE CREDIT: SARAH TEW/ CNET

The watches of today have evolved from being gears and cogs to devices powered by lithium batteries and

fashionable items with expensive brands. Research shows that people are comfortable wearing WT products

in a watch manifestation. However, experts point out that a WT product will succeed in the market if the

following caveats are respected:

Comfort: The addition of a WT device should be comfortable, seamless and transparent.

It should not draw attention, especially for monitoring systems for an at-risk group.

Value: More meaningful and accessible data conveniently collected and analyzed

allowing users to make informed decisions regarding their health and activity schedule.

Integrating various types of sensors (temperature, pressure, oximetry, ECG and EEG

monitors, gases, pollutants, allergens etc.), printed chargeable batteries and energy

harvesting features are just the beginning. Like any other product, cost sensitivity and

robust reliability are key requirements for long term success.

Portability: Smart portability allowing regular twenty-four hour access. Minimized charging time.

Fashion: The WT should ideally be fashionable in addition to being a valuable

monitoring device. Small devices with an extended battery life would be well received.

They need to make the wearer look and feel good. Fashion designers and manufacturers

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should work together.

It is not coincidental that the CEO of Burberry, Angela Ahrendts, will be joining Apple

soon, reporting directly to Tim Cook. The happy marriage of fashion and WT is crucial to

the success of WT. Fashioning a vibrant and sustainable WT market will depend upon

how well we integrate fashion in the WT devices. After all, a WT is a wearable device,

and anything we wear is a personal fashion statement.

Multiple-Functionality: Leveraging WT to augment special features to existing products

is an excellent idea. Plantronics is a maker of hearing aids (also a WT product). They

have added a gyroscope system that permits the monitoring of “free fall” suffered

generally by senior citizens, which enables immediate notification to a care giver. They

are also envisaging the use of sensors to warn drivers if they fall asleep on the wheel.

Lux Research highlights the significant opportunities for WT in healthcare. The report accentuates

opportunities for flexible electronics to participate in the $300 billion healthcare market, pointing out that

diabetic monitoring is expected to reach a $10 billion yearly turnover. Boston-based MC10 is developing

small conformal patches and plasters which, when applied on the skin, provide a source of data collection.

They have also looked at dissolvable patches that could be strategically positioned near the heart or brain to

provide valuable diagnostics during surgery and then would dissolve innocuously after the operation. Other

opportunities include skin adhesion sensors and electronic treatments like photodynamic therapy (PDT)

where light is targeted on light sensitive drugs applied on localized skin areas. PDT is also used to clean up

acne- causing bacteria in the skin. Nuubo from Spain has developed digitized vests for patients to monitor

their health.

These vests can offer medical quality cardiograms and heart activity monitoring. The bracelets from Nymi

compare the wearer’s unique electro cardiogram rhythms for identity validation. Developers are also using

near-field communication (NFC) chips on rings and wristbands for seamless identification to pay for items

or unlock doors. It is critical to note that WT market opportunities in healthcare will be based upon reliable

technologies that also offer patient comfort.

Challenges:

Key product challenges include smaller device sizes, non-invasiveness, and ability to monitor multiple

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parameters while providing automated feedback for improving user behavior. This translates into

integrating multiple sensors, different connectivity protocols and minimized power consumption. If

garments and apparels are going to be electronized, the robustness of the electronics will need to be

improved and the garments will need to be able to handle a minimal amount of washability.

Flexible OLED displays are still not ready for the market. In the interim, companies like Samsung are using

curved displays which require rigidity and glass covers. Flexible batteries will enable more comfortable

mobile sensors for health care and a better understanding of piezoelectric will enable garments that could be

easily charged. Fitbit has learned that their customers want to interact with their devices on demand and do

not like waiting for syncing.

As personal devices start becoming ubiquitous, data storage and data privacy will become key areas of

concern. The data collected by WT devices could become part of a Human Cloud system, hosting and

analyzing customer patterns to improve services offered by companies and public organizations. We may

have to develop cloud infrastructure to support the massive volume of generated data. It is evident that cloud

computing is a strong enabler for the WT market. However, there are data privacy concerns. A recent survey

revealed that over 50% of the respondents cited data privacy as a barrier to WT adoption. Legal issues like

taking a video of a movie or photographing people stealthily may need to be solved as time evolves.

To overcome some of the challenges faced by WT, there has to be a mind-set that is informed by various

disciplines like hardware, software, design, human behavior and fashion. There is an inordinate amount of

fixation on the hardware which should be questioned. WT should be able to make the user’s life smarter,

richer and less complicated. WT should generate an improvement, otherwise it has failed. This area offers a

lot of opportunity for meaningful progress. Data analysis needs to improve. It is one thing for a consumer to

know how many steps they have taken during the day and a completely different story as to which days and

which hours of the day they take the most steps. Is their walking trending better or worse? How does the

quantity of steps relate to their weight variation? Can they receive automated reminders if they have not

walked enough by a certain pre-set time, prompting activity to make up activity lost by taking an extra

walk? Are rewards and admonishments?

Medical insurance companies are already encouraging and rewarding their participants for using health

improvement WT devices. Generally that is a very good idea but it has room for potential mishandling and

abuse of the data collected. There are many such legal challenges that need not be solved, not now, but later

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on when WT gets popular with mainstream.

As WT products get smaller and offer increased functionality, the battery will start becoming a critical

differentiator. That is one of the reasons why printable battery suppliers like Imprint Energy are able to

garner strong industry interest. Power will remain a challenge for a while. The Google Glass is powered by

a bulky battery behind the right ear, which is well hidden in the promotional pictures. There is progress

being made in this field with promises of enhanced energy densities, longer cell lives and minimized

charging times. Printable batteries and flexible batteries are also being developed using leading edge

technologies. Competition is offering the cultivation of a diverse and strong supply chain eco-system.

Connectivity is another challenge worth considering. Currently, the WT devices are tethered to the

smartphone using Bluetooth connectivity. This may be fine for now but eventually, we might want to have

our WT device independent of our smart phones.

Manufacturing Challenges: Manufacturing WT devices demands a different paradigm for best results. WT involves working with new

supply chain ecosystems and multiple technologies like flexible substrates, fine lines and spaces ink

deposition technologies, materials expertise, encapsulation technologies, low temperature interconnects,

embedding technologies and bio compatible materials. WT requires mastery over multiple industry

disciplines like garment making, printing, consumer goods, medical devices, semiconductors, sensors,

power management, SMT, flex substrates, microelectronic packaging, software, displays and much more.

WT is generally a very integrated and complex design, with components coming in from disparate

industries, requiring reliable assembly in a cost effective manner.

Very sophisticated tools and a high degree of specialization in multiple disciplines are required to design,

prototype and manufacture WT products. A streamlined product development process and a manufacturing

process flow is a prerequisite to deliver on schedule and within the established cost targets. Manufacturing

engineering needs to pull in established processes from a very wide range of manufacturing technologies,

and modify and appropriate them successfully. Manufacturing will also have to work with stringent

governmental regulations, especially when working on WT with medical features. Fashion and functionality

needs to be designed in right from the beginning.

Cost will also be a significant manufacturing challenge. To gain mass popularity, the cost will have to be

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trimmed down substantially while valuable functionality and improved reliability are added. The current

industry mode seems to believe it is acceptable to sacrifice cost to obtain a first mover advantage. This may

attract earlier enthusiasts to buy the WT devices, but real mass adoption will only come with affordable

pricing strategies. Manufacturing will have to closely evaluate cost pain points like power, connectivity and

displays.

Material science will play a critical role as WT advances. The ability to use proper materials for the wrist

bands, for the flexible substrates, for the stretchable conductive inks, adhesives and encapsulants, for

example, will be essential for success. Mastery of diverse manufacturing processes, like developing the flex

substrates, fine line printing, die attach and component attach capabilities, embedding and encapsulation,

will be of significant value. The ability to develop new methodologies and equipment for reliability testing

the WT devices will be essential.

Designing and manufacturing effective power solutions will likely boost demand for WT devices. Wireless

technology for long distance charging needs to be explored and other approaches carefully considered. Ideas

like energy harvesting, solar cells, printable batteries need to be fully exploited. Manufacturing WT devices

with effective power solutions would make this technology more desirable.

WT manufacturing involves the integration of a myriad of different components and sensors which are

generally new to the market. The development of a unified manufacturing process flow is critical to ensure

that all mechanical, thermal and electrical issues are properly addressed to guarantee a streamlined process

flow. DFX mentality is critical to success and issues like cost, testability, yields and reliability; all of which

need to be addressed persistently. Automated manufacturing processes should be developed, where

meaningful, because successful WT requires high volume manufacturing (HVM). Materials and process

development go hand in hand with automation to ensure success.

Since WT is a nascent industry, unlike the semiconductor or SMT market, common test methodologies and

approved Industry Reliability Standards are often not available. Smart wrist bands designed to sense and

monitor heart beats, pulse rates and the amount of plaque within an artery are constantly in touch with the

human skin. The encapsulant material used on these products needs to be aesthetic, non-abrasive and bio

compatible. It must also be able to handle human salinity and must be bendable. There are no international

standards available to define an acceptable bend ability for wrist bands. For example, the number of bends,

the bend radius, and the mandrel diameter around which the bending taking place all need to be agreed upon

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by the industry. The same is true for stretch ability - the minimum acceptable percentage of stretch that

would still maintain an effective electrical connection. For example, “What is the quantitative definition of

minimal effective electrical connections?" There are many such manufacturing and reliability issues that

need to be addressed collectively.

Conclusion:

The WT market is growing at a significant CAGR with many different products entering the market. The

Google Glass, Nike Fuel Band and Samsung Galaxy Gear are some of the many examples. There is a strong

competition in the market to introduce products quickly and gain the first mover advantage. In the process,

manufacturing, cost and reliability issues are sometimes not given appropriate consideration due to timeline

compression. There is an urgent need in the market for pre-competitive collaboration to develop standards

and specifications for WT.