Enthusiasm around 5G focuses on commercial launches by the four largest U.S. mobile operators. By the end of 2022, 24% of connections in North America will be on 5G networks, rising to 46% by 2025 — equivalent to 200 million 5G connections — according to a new GSMA study on North America’s global 5G leadership.

5G enables intelligent connectivity that will enhance all industries. Imagine a digitalized society where 5G radically re-engineers how we perform nearly any task thanks to its capacity to instantaneously meet the needs of any application.

While progress is being made in data throughputs, video streaming latency, data reliability and voice-call setup and drops, backend work still needs to be done on the infrastructure side.

The Evolving Road To 5G

“Verizon is well on its way to 5G,” says Sanyogita Shamsunder, VP of the 5G Labs and Innovation at Verizon. Connectivity and the use of the cloud and computing at the edge in a rapid, real-time manner will create new opportunities.

Verizon Business CEO Tami Erwin says the company’s recent restructure is sending a strong signal of its ambition to be a leader in 5G. “It is clear to us and a growing number of customers that 5G will fundamentally change businesses’ transformational journey,” she says. “This technology will give companies new tools to serve their customers and enable companies to gain efficiencies in their own operations.”

Among early 5G applications is retail, with 5G offering enhanced shopping experiences that impact operations and logistics, including 3D cataloging of inventory and manufacturing for intelligent asset management. AR and VR glasses are not only for entertainment, but for training, education, operations and remote collaboration. Similarly, public safety for emergency responders is another early use-case. “Verizon is testing an infrared mask that can see through smoke,” Shamsunder says

This technology will give companies new tools to serve their customers and enable companies to gain efficiencies in their own operations.

Tami Erwin Verizon Business CEO

Gaming in 5G also offers the potential for “exponential growth.” Lynn McMahon, Accenture’s Media and Entertainment says, “the business model is already in place and consumers are used to, and willing to, subscribe and pay for content.” She adds, “What starts as a pretty cool concept in peer-to-peer playing platforms ends up being taken into the health care industry or automotive and manufacturing.”

Verizon recently launched the “Built on 5G Challenge” with 10 finalists vying to increase business efficiency, improve immersive experiences and solve their customers’ challenging problems to win cash prizes. One of the 5G ideas presented was Loro, a companion app that uses hands-free and eye-tracking technology to help those with accessibility challenges take advantage of smart home devices. There is also Mobcrush, who is working on a B2C live streaming platform for gaming creators and Garou, a VR experience aimed at building communi ties where users can share VR content and interact with others for real estate purposes or recreational exploration.

Hype or Reality?

It seems to be both — although there are signs that 2020 could be a tipping-point. Challenges remain as regulators consider how to level the playing field. On a global basis, there needs to be more spectrum for operators at a reasonable cost. However, the transformative potential of 5G is unrivaled as new ways to monetize assets unfold and new use-models are created to solve real challenges.

Data platforms are underpinning the next generation of digital sports products, capturing real-time metrics for player analysis and performance evaluations for actionable behavior changes. They provide detailed insights about form, performance and specifics to improve performance. Innovative startups are transforming the way products collect, analyze and share athletic data

Tennis Tech is Here

Golf

Practice, observation and analysis of your golf swing is vital to improve. An accessory called GameGolf Live Tracking System offers GPS shot tracking, a range finder that measures the precise distance to the green and offers online challenges with golfers worldwide. The SmartGolf Club offers in-depth analysis/replay with its 3D-avatar system. Built-in advanced motion sensors and transmitters in the grip and club head measures the exact swing, and then sends the data to the SmartGolf app.

Tennis

Professional tennis players have used video analysis to view every stroke in slow-motion detail for years. Now consumers can access that capability, by retrofitting their racket with a sensor that communicates with an app via Bluetooth. Companies like Sony and Champion offer smart tennis sensors that fit on the racquet to capture every shot — to alert the player what needs work. QLIPP Tennis Sensor Enhanced, Zepp Tennis 2 Swing & Match Analyzer offer racquet sensors from Wilson, Babolat, Head, Prince and Yonex.

Indoor Cycling

Peloton put a new spin on the mundane indoor stationary exercise bike by making the bike smart. Peloton’s large screen and its growing library of instructor-led, live or on-demand studio classes have created a community around its app that makes you forget how hard you’re exercising.

Matternet drones are perfect for smart stadium technology

Sports Stadiums

Stadiums are transforming thanks to developments such as live event holograms, computer vision for ticketing and security, blockchain-based betting, and paying concessions using biometric identifiers. Teams are investing in smart stadiums featuring robots and drones from Matternet, Starship and Mythic; real-time crowd sentiment analysis from companies like Affectiva or CrowdOptic;

And real-time player insights from Komodo, Hexoskin, Athos and Signal. Connecting sports gear and stadiums with advanced tech is enhancing and improving experiences for athletes and fans alike.

C4 Trends Senior Editor/Analyst Susan Schreiner can be reached at susan@c4trends.com.

The global market for wearable devices is forecast to reach 222.9 million units in 2019, growing to 302.3 million units in 2023 according to International Data Corp.’s (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker. As wearables expand, new revenue opportunities are emerging, as well as greater efficiencies for consumers. Here are a few examples

Wearable Tech Form Factors

New materials are changing the form factors of wearables. BeBop Sensors is creating wearable smart fabric sensor solutions for OEMs and brands. Its wearable technology is enhancing training and simulations, as well as applications including virtual reality, gaming, automotive, industrial and health. This smart sensor fabric is transforming clothing, shoe insoles and helmets by being able to understand force, location, size, weight and the shape of impacts. It’s also capturing data for actionable insights and interventions.

BeBop Senors’ Forte Wireless Data Glove is the first affordable one-size-fits-all wireless data glove that incorporates haptics and super accurate rapid sensing for 15-hours of wireless use. Keith McMillen, BeBop founder and CEO says, “We’re finding that data gloves are useful for more immersive experiences as well as training and education.” He adds, “There’s a lot of useful data we can get from this glove with our one-to-one mapping of your hands and environment.”

Smartwatches and Audio Devices

Smartwatches and ear-worn devices will account for more than 70% of all wearable shipments by 2023, according to IDC.

Smartwatches: “Close to half of all watches will connect to a cellular network by 2023,” says Jitesh Ubrani, research manager for IDC’s Mobile Device Trackers. Smartwatches as health tech wearables give consumers a real-time glimpse into their health information. While Samsung’s Galaxy smartwatch is a lifestyle and wellness product, Samsung is also piloting a device with HSBC Bank in its flagship retail “branch of the future” in New York City. Staff use 4G LTE-enabled Gear S3 smartwatches with a built-in speaker and microphone to stay connected while away from their desks, enabling hands-free interactions with customers. A cloud-based Gear S3 application with preset text messages allows employees to send requests to colleagues.

Audio for Sports: People want to live healthier lifestyles, and AfterShokz headphones with its proprietary audio bone conduction technology makes it a favorite for runners, bikers, athletes and fitness enthusiasts. AfterShokz recently introduced its Aeropex open ear listening headphones, with its bone conduction technology. This technology transmits audio waves to the inner ears through the skull. The headphones sit on the cheekbones, leaving ear canals unobstructed and allowing users to remain aware of ambient sounds, teammates, coaches and training partners while enjoying their music. Aeropex Bluetooth connectivity also eliminates wires, using dual noise-cancelling mics that exclude surrounding noise, and allow users to make and receive crystal clear phone calls. The device has a sleek compact design and is durable and waterproof.

Pain Reduction without Meds

The opioid crisis is generating awareness of the easy availability of painkillers. In response, tech companies are developing drug-free methods for pain management. Enter Oska Wellness with its Oska Pulse, a non-invasive wearable for pain management. This Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields (PEMF) device works at the cellular level at the source of pain instead of masking symptoms. It accelerates the body’s natural anti-inflammatory response, speeds tissue recovery, increases circulation and improves mobility by repairing injured cells to relieve minor to chronic pain, muscle recovery, joint pain and muscle stiffness without drugs. The Oska Pulse is FDA registered. New wearables are reshaping consumer experiences from leisure activities to solving problems in health tech, enterprise and vertical markets.

Retailers are responding by leveraging artificial intelligence with sensors, automation, machine vision, beacons, voicebots and AR/VR to create new in-store experiences. Robots are found across the retail ecosystem from warehousing to delivery to automated inventory of merchandise. The goal is to make shopping more convenient, experiential and personalized to improve customer engagement.

The New Salesperson

Imagine being greeted by a humanoid robot in a store who provides directions, answers questions and hands out samples. SoftBank’s humanoid robot Pepper is a powerful touchpoint for creating more personalized in-store experiences. Pepper can also play music, light up, dance and take selfies with shoppers.

While Pepper is popular in Japan, SoftBank wants to bring Pepper to America. In a 2016 pilot at a Palo Alto tech shop (B8ta), the retail store claimed a 70% increase in traffic during the week Pepper worked there. A second pilot at a Santa Monica retail outlet claimed a 13% revenue increase. Shopper’s curiosity about Pepper, along with its responsiveness and engagement, made for a memorable in-store experience. Robots can also help to alleviate consumer frustration by helping them easily find a product.

Home improvement retailer Lowe’s Innovation Lab has experimented with the LoweBot from Fellow Robot — a rolling kiosk where consumers can look up products and other information. In a collaboration with Google, it also has experimented with a GPS-style navigation app to help customers find merchandise using detailed floor maps.

Using Robots to Manage Stores

Robots help stores manage inventory, restock shelves, address worker shortages and automatically manage logistics. Target is working with Simbe Robotics’ Tally robot to track product inventory on shelves. Meanwhile, Walmart is shifting more mundane tasks to robots to maximize time associates can engage with customers by adding 300 new shelf scanners, aka “Auto-S” to roam the aisles to ensure product availability, correct shelf location and price accuracy.

Walmart is also pioneering new robotic technologies with Bossa Nova Robotics. This “friendly” robot has a small display screen and lighting on its small body. Walmart plans to continue to use automation to build on the chain’s omnichannel initiatives by adding 900 automated pickup towers.

Automating Tasks

Amazon’s fleet of nearly 45,000 robots fulfill orders at its warehouses. Walmart’s commitment to automation extends throughout its ecosystem. It ordered 1,200 FAST Unloaders that automatically scan, and sort items unloaded from trucks based on priority and department. Data sharing between the shelf scanner and the FAST Unloader allows for inventory to efficiently move to the sales floor.

Recently, Best Buy decreased shipping time by three days after overhauling three strategically located regional e-commerce fulfillment centers in San Francisco, Atlanta and Findlay, Ohio, by adding bins and robots. Best Buy worked with logistics system integrator Bastian Solutions and AutoStore — a storage system in which bins are vertically stacked in a grid and retrieved by robots. The process took 12 months to implement.

The drone industry is moving beyond novelty and into industry adoption with greater functionality, scale production and applications. Adoption of aerial drones and drone technology will monitor agricultural operations, oil and gas inspection, and be used in industries such as insurance, utilities, telecommunications, construction and survey engineering.

Drones are also used for search and rescue, disaster management and the delivery of medical supplies. Companies like Zipline International, which runs a medical drone operation in Rwanda and Ghana, is delivering blood, drugs and vaccines to remote areas. Aeryon Labs’ Skyranger Drones are being deployed after hurricanes or fires by executing autonomous aerial searches to deliver live drone data for first responders.

Drone technological developments are also focused on flight endurance for expanded commercial applications, improved battery life/power, as well as more energy efficient machines. A 2018 article in Nature Communications concluded that drones like a DJI Phantom would generate less carbon emissions than a delivery truck — even one that’s electric — for short distances and deliveries of packages of under 1.1 pounds.

In his CES 2019 keynote, Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg said 5G will transform technology, including commercial drones. He introduced Mariah Scott, president of enterprise drone software developer Skyward, who noted Verizon’s commitment to be the first to connect one million drone flights on its 5G network. Verizon acquired Skyward in 2017.

Technology such as new imaging sensor integration including smaller, more lightweight LiDAR, and the entry of more aerial imaging, geofencing, computer vision, tracking and GIS data integration is expected this year. 2019 might just unleash a new era in transportation, delivery and safety.

Drones at CES 2019

• The Bell Nexus, a flying taxi captivated CES 2019 attendees. Bell is partnering with Uber Elevate to use the Nexus for its flying taxi service Uber Air, scheduled to launch in Dallas-Fort Worth and Los Angeles, starting by 2023. Nexus weighs 6,500 pounds and has a range of 150 miles, with speeds reaching up to 150 mph. This full-scaled, six-rotor vehicle can take off and land vertically and uses hybrid-electric propulsion to power efficient air travel. Bell says the craft will initially be piloted, but like a self-driving automobile, may eventually operate by itself.
• DJI announced AirSense, a feature in the DJI Pilot application that displays warnings to its Mavic 2 Enterprise or Matrice 200 Series pilots when a signal from a nearby airplane or helicopter is detected. FLIR and DJI also announced a new partnership. The Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual is equipped with the smallest, dual-sensor, 4k and thermal micro-camera from FLIR. DJI also introduced a powerful, smart remote controller with built-in full HD resolution monitor, compatible with its newest imaging drones: the Mavic 2 Zoom and Mavic 2 Pro.
• Sunflower Labs Home Security Drone is a home security system that includes an autonomous camera drone called Bee. Sunflower sensors learn your property’s routine and alert the user to any unusual activity. If the security system detects something amiss, it sends Bee to the scene to capture precisely what’s happening. Bee then returns to its Hive — the self-charging, weatherproof home for the drone.
• The PowerVision Marine Drone is a new lifestyle robot for water sports, photography and fishing and can help scientists explore marine life. Equipped with an intelligent sonar device and GPS waypoint function, drawing underwater topographic maps is a first in the marine drone industry.

Big innovation trends like IoT, AR/VR, AI, low-power wireless technologies, nano-technologies and smart textiles are reshaping the wearables market for the next chapter in its evolution. These technologies are unleashing a new era for digital wearables across sectors including fashion, entertainment, fitness, sports performance, and enterprise and productivity, as well as healthcare. Do we need to change our way of looking at wearables?

Beyond stylish form factors and design, the future for more sophisticated wearables will be reliant on increasing consumer expectations of actionable feedback based on the new ‘gold’ – data. It is the growing ability to accurately and effectively analyze this data, and provide an action, insight or diagnosis that is starting to change the wearables landscape, and holds the key to disruption. At the back end, hidden under the hood, this involves Big Data Analytics, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence and Predictive Analysis. This is the ‘magic sauce’ that is underpinning this next generation of wearables.

Opportunities

What will be measured? Will it be sports performance, fitness or just plain activity? Will it be parameters associated with wellness or health, such as chronic disease, illness or pain management? Will wearables increase worker engagement, motivation or squeeze greater productivity and efficiencies in the workplace? If I purchase a device, do I pay, or will it be reimbursed?

Every one of these questions represents an opportunity for the channel. From a business strategy perspective, the channel may want to consider identifying four local or regional metrics, and then mapping products/categories against them. Parameters might include:

1. Demographics: Age, gender – which age groups are trending larger
2. Local sports activities and teams, including at schools and colleges
3. Proximity of institutions like clinics, rehab and assisted-living facilities as well as physicians and gerontologists
4. Other work-related environments including, for example, manufacturing and enterprises.

Aside from products that are fads and are less sustainable, the wellness and health sectors merit closer scrutiny by channels. They represent what’s here as well as future opportunities. Stores like Best Buy are developing categories within their physical and virtual stores that showcase this ever-growing category – particularly with the consumerization of health.

People are catching on that the monitoring of exercise, weight, and heart rate can lead to making healthier decisions. It’s like having a personal assistant who tracks and monitors your health and then encourages you to make decisions that improve your overall quality of life.

The use of wearable devices by consumers has nearly quadrupled in the past four years, from just nine percent in 2014 to 33 percent today, according to Accenture. Roughly three-fourths of health consumers view wearables — such as those that monitor glucose, heart rate, physical activity and sleep — as beneficial to understanding their health condition (75 percent), engaging with their health (73 percent), and monitoring the health of a loved one (73 percent).

Longer Lifespans

People are living longer lifespans, and boomers want to stay healthy as long as possible. With the Baby Boomer generation comes technological shifts and an ever-increasing role for wearables, because they are always on a person.

The aging tech-savvy Baby Boomers want to retain control over their own health, and also plan to live independently for as long as possible. Companies are addressing the elderly and aging as a separate and lucrative market with its own needs – and for channels this represents an emerging, burgeoning market. Empowering people to ‘age in place’ usually has better outcomes, higher quality of life, and is cost-reducing for already overloaded medical institutions. In a recent poll, 90 percent of older Americans were said to prefer to live in their own home as they age.

These wearables and devices support a higher degree of convenience, security, and assistance to this population. Sensors in wearables can detect abnormal activity such as falls, change of habits, and altered sleep. They also act as health monitors that can help the user achieve the care they need by recording and tracking their condition for them, and then easily sharing this information with a doctor or caretaker.

Increasingly, wearables will also bridge the gap between patients and the care they need, even when they are not in the same room or building as a provider or doctor. They will also offer faster response to emergencies and medical issues, as they arise. Exhibits and discussions at CES 2018, HIMSS 2018 (the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society’s IT show and conference) and other events have centered around new models for care in which wearable devices are becoming part of the healthcare delivery team.

Apple and Samsung

Entrepreneurs, analysts, researchers, investors and major technology players like Apple, Amazon, Google and Samsung, among others, are busy discussing how wearables are going to impact healthcare in a more significant manner and are working to develop new health-focused solutions.

A new generation of smartwatches, led by Apple Watch and Android Weardevices, threaten to render simpler fitness trackers obsolete. Improved motion sensors and fitness apps on phones could also be used to track walks or runs without a dedicated fitness tracker.

Apple, with its iOS as well as its HealthKit and CareKit platforms, is building an ecosystem including third parties that are generating products and services that cover the spectrum from provider to patient and consumer. By working with innovative medical, health and other companies, Apple is broadening its reach into the healthcare industry and helping to support digital solutions that improve quality of care and the patient experience throughout all stages of care.

The AliveCor KardiaBand watch strap with sensor, compatible with the Apple Watch, is the world’s first FDA-cleared EKG with Artificial Intelligence. It allows the wearer to check in with his heart on-the-go, track data over time or email medical-grade recordings directly to a doctor for review. Companies like Belkin, for instance, with its Fitness Armbands makes various versions of the Apple iPhone a wearable.

Similarly, Samsung is also aiming to be player in wearables, and it is leveraging its VR headset and various models of the Gear smartwatch for meaningful health. Built into Samsung hardware and software is Samsung’s Knox Tizen SDK platform. The Tizen OS and Knox security features include authentication controls and encryption, as well as how data is transmitted and stored. The SDK also allows for app and device management, customization and more.

At CES 2018 and then at HIMSS, Samsung Electronics and MobileHelp, a maker of home and wearable medical alert devices, announced a collaboration that would bring mobile personal emergency response capabilities to Samsung Gear S3 smartwatches. Called MobileHelp Smart, the devices integrate MobileHelp’s platform into a modified version of Samsung’s watch, taking advantage of its fitness-monitoring features, GPS, cell capabilities, and 24/7 emergency help responsiveness. It even has a Fall Button, which automatically detects a fall and signals for help even if the wearer can’t.

Reemo Health’s remote monitoring platform compatible with Samsung Gear watches was also introduced at CES and then at HIMSS. It is aimed at senior care, home health and post-acute monitoring. It enables tracking the user’s movement, heart rate and location, and enables one-button 911 calls. It also records the wearer’s quality of movement, sleep patterns and other relevant health data and uploads it to the cloud, so that care providers and family members can spot negative health trends on a dashboard, and intervene before there’s an emergency. It is now also working with personal safety and security company ADT and analytics company Teradata. The partnership will allow seniors to access ADT’s help line by tapping a Samsung Gear smartwatch.

Wellness, Health, Boomers & More

Fitbit is shifting from its wristband perch into niche markets and is now particularly focused on wellness and health. It’s developing a new ecosystem with features like the App Gallery, Fitbit Pay, its subscription-based Fitbit Coach trainer, and is working to integrate its recent acquisition of Twine Health’s cloud-based health platform into its Fitbit. This spring it will launch the Fitbit Ace, a tracker for kids 8 years and up, as well as the much-anticipated new smartwatch, the Fitbit Versa. The Fitbit Ace will track steps, sleep, activity minutes, and can connect to a smartphone. It also comes with an adjustable, showerproof wristband in two bright colors. The Ace encourages kids to stay active by giving them a buzz on their wrist, which reminds them to walk 250 steps each hour, and it also gives kids feedback with celebratory messages and collectible badges.

Employer Wellness Programs with Incentives

Early in March at HIMSS, the UnitedHealthcare Motion programannounced that it was adding Apple Watch to its employee wellness program, in addition to Fitbit, Garmin and Samsung devices. UHC Motion, which is powered by Qualcomm Life’s 2net platform, is an employer-sponsored wellness program that launched in March 2016. Participants can earn up to $4 per day in credits by achieving one or more of their goals on each arm of the F.I.T. (frequency, intensity, and tenacity) program. Altogether, participants can earn up to $1,500 in Health Savings Account or Health Reimbursement Account credits per year.

Participants in the program will be able to get Apple Watches nearly for free, paying only taxes and shipping. They can then apply earnings from the program toward purchase of the device, owning it in as little as six months.

United Healthcare follows in the footsteps of Aetna, which has been offering some members free Apple Watches since September 2016.

AR/VR

Virtual reality is changing entertainment as well as gaming – and more content is becoming available. There are headsets from Sony, HTC, Acer, Lenovo, Oculus and others.

One of the more intriguing uses of VR is as the new painkiller or drug-free alternative for managing pain and anxiety – helping patients to “escape” from painful medical procedures or scary hospital stays. Leaders in this new area are Cedars-Sinai and AppliedVR, among others.

Dr. Brennan Spiegel and his team at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles introduced VR worlds to patients to help them release stress and reduce pain. Applied VR is a clinically validated content platform, compatible with Samsung’s Gear VR that is transforming patient experiences in hospitals, senior care facilities, exam rooms and more. Its easy-to-use VR content platform enables a patient to escape from the hospital and visit amazing landscapes in Iceland, participate in the work of an art studio, or swim with whales. By reducing stress and pain, the length of a patient’s stay or the amount of resources utilized can both be decreased, according to Spiegel.

“Therapeutic VR is not just creating distraction. We’ve found that, neurochemically, there is something going on,” said Dr. David Rhew, chief medical officer, Samsung Electronics America, at HIMSS 2018.

At the beginning of March, Travelers Insurance, Cedars-Sinai, Samsung Electronics America, Bayer and AppliedVR announced a collaboration to explore the effectiveness of a digital pain-reduction kit that uses therapeutic VR and wearable technology (the Gear VR and Gear Fit) as a non-pharmacological supplement to managing pain associated with acute orthopedic injuries of the lower back and extremities, resulting from workplace injuries, for example. In this era of the opioid epidemic, this type of digital therapeutic might alleviate the need for an injured employee to turn to drugs to mask pain. There’s an opportunity for channels to explore new and/or upcoming sales opportunities with medical, rehabilitation and other facilities in their local or regional communities.

New-Baby Gadgets & Hearables

Perhaps no group is as tuned into data as new parents of their first-born. From the hour their baby is born, they are continually monitoring how long the baby sleeps, how many diapers are changed, how much and how often the baby eats, what the baby weighs, and the list goes on and on. If the baby is sick, add in more data points to worry about, like temperature, medication and fluids.

It’s not surprising that the latest wave of consumer data products targets worried new parents trying to get some peace of mind. Recently, a national baby goods superstore sent a sales email including a baby sock with a built-in pulse oximeter. It tracks the baby’s heart rate and oxygen levels and sends a signal to the parent’s phone if something appears to be wrong. There are also other devices with apps where parents can record the baby’s weight, feeding times and amounts, diaper changes, sleep and more. That data can then be shared with doctors and caregivers.

Hearables

This is a relatively new category for wearables. It’s no longer just about headphones or earbuds just for listening to music or phone calls. There are a growing number of smart earbuds that function as fitness coaches, personal assistants and language translators – with no bulky wrist accessory.

There are products like the Bragi Dash Pro that offers five hours of battery life, real-time translation, and more. The Samsung Gear IconX 2018brings Bixby and extended battery life – five hours of streaming music over Bluetooth, seven hours of standalone use and up to four hours of talk time. Jabra’s Elite Sport offers real-time coaching, heart rate sensing and Vo2 Max testing plus sweat- and water-proofing. Extras include audio pass-through, so you can easily switch between calls and music. At MWC, we saw the latest version of the real-time language translating earbudfrom Waverly Labs. The earbuds use dual microphones and custom noise cancelling algorithms to produce clear speech for listen and converse features.

Conclusion

A growing range of wearables and personal electronics are quickly becoming staples of our lifestyles. Simple user interfaces, seamless experiences and convenience are key. The new combinations of multiple devices and data —  Fitbits, smartphones, the weather, what we eat, how far we walk, our sleep  – will bring new insights and value to people’s lives. Increasingly, wearables are moving into the realm of becoming a more integral part of people’s well-being and health as they shift from just spewing raw data to delivering insights for healthier living.

The uses for wearables are increasingly limitless, and ultimately will become ubiquitous. At the recent Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, Visadebuted three NFC-enabled limited-edition mobile payment wearables for athletes and fans. Wearable tech helped Winter Olympic athletes skate faster and stay warm. Some athletes wore self-warning jackets from Ralph Lauren, as well as the Samsung SmartSuit designed for speed skaters.

What’s the vision of wearables? What superpowers will wearables give consumers in the future? What are the new opportunities for channels? Stay tuned.

C4 Trends Senior Editor/Analyst Susan Schreiner can be reached at susan@c4trends.com.

Words like “smart” and “connected” signal a profound shift in the relationship between consumers and the products they use every day, the way businesses operate and how cities will function. Soon everything will be connected, creating a fusion between the physical and digital worlds.

Convolution of Technologies

Embedded sensors are the eyes and ears of the connected world, feeding the brain of the global economy by receiving continuous data. Sensors at the heart of the Internet of Things (IoT) are linking to cutting edge machine vision, visual recognition, technical infrastructure and cloud services as well as self-driving cars, health monitoring, machinery and even advanced farming technologies. The IoT allows companies to extract data, for example, from fitness bands and smart home devices that can be spun into actionable analytics and insights on the backend.

Sensors and chips from companies like AMD, Intel, NVIDIA and Qualcomm are powering the connected intelligent universe. It is projected there will be 22.5 billion IoT devices in 2021, up from 6.6 billion in 2016, according to BI Intelligence. This is triggering a domino effect in the connected device ecosystem. Companies will spend almost $5 trillion on IoT in the next five years and the proliferation of connected devices and the massive increase in data has started an analytics revolution.

Advances in Artifiicial Intelligence

AI and machine learning are shifting the IoT conversation beyond the technical challenges of connecting billions of devices and towards how smart design, product innovation and new use cases can create unique business and service models. BI Intelligence forecasts there will be $4.8 trillion in IoT investment between 2016 and 2021. AI is shaping the human experience, as new tools are being built that will give one’s senses superpowers. We’re moving beyond Siri or Cortana phone chatbots — as digital assistants and bots are being created to perform all sorts of functions. AI plays a significant role in Natural Language Generation as bots learn to decipher human speech, particularly when humans are pulling together vast amounts of data.

Transforming Fitness and Health Sensors, data, and AI are transforming clinical health care. New tools are shaping the relationship between physicians and patients at home or in the hospital. On another level, Google’s Verily, for instance, aims to make robots better surgical assistants using machine learning and advanced image processing. Miniaturized electronics, low power wireless connectivity and cloud services are enabling the development of connected wearables that monitor health and can produce actionable data for the user, caretaker or clinician. Connected wearables such as cardiac rhythm management devices, ECG monitors, mobile Personal Emergency Response Systems (mPERS), tattoos and wearable computers are already common in the medical, health monitoring and enterprise segments — and are becoming consumerized.

Smart Cities

AI, IoT and other technologies will radically disrupt how cities provide services making life easier and safer for residents. They will remake every aspect of urban life, ranging from monitoring activities like parking occupancy, storm sewer levels, street lighting and smart water systems to improving public safety, transportation, policing, electricity, and how city services are delivered. Cities need to prepare to accommodate the next generation of self-driving vehicles with the necessary infrastructure including road modifications, signage and communications to manage traffic congestion.

While challenges remain, mobile device IoT implementations will generate huge quantities of real-time raw data for advanced analytics. With machine learning, AI and other technologies, the promise includes improved communities.

Susan Schreiner

Until 1977, people used to think about robots as machines that performed pre-programmed tasks with limited memory. With the premiere of the first Star Wars movie, our perception of robots changed forever. The film introduced us to R2-D2 and his companion, C-3PO — two friendly and non-threatening robots called droids. We didn’t think much about how they could respond to natural language. Fast forward 40 years and robots are becoming a part of daily life, as the triumvirate of robotics, artificial intelligence and machine learning takes hold. The Star Wars revolution brought with it fans who built their own robots, aka “Droid Builders.” There’s even an R2-D2 Builders Club, aimed at motivating students to learn more about engineering and robotics.

The reality now is that many of the “old” jobs are gone forever but are being replaced by new opportunities. The U.S. is leading the world in robotics investments, according to the Center for Economic and Business Research. Going forward, robots are more likely to replace activities within jobs rather than jobs outright. Humans will likely augment robots. For humans, acquiring skills like coding will be critical for future jobs.

Preparing Digital Natives

Lego’s Mindstorm EV3 combines Lego bricks with robust programming capabilities.

Today, coding products are marketed to children as young as three in the hopes of encouraging a lifelong passion. Robots make skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, languages and math tangible in a fun and challenging way, while imparting skills to prepare youngsters for future jobs. Robots can walk, talk and play games, all controlled by a simple interface with a smartphone or tablet.

Lego sparks imaginations. A favorite of coding enthusiasts is Lego’s Mindstorm EV3. It combines Lego bricks with robust programming capabilities including carrying out “missions” to building custom bots. Features include infrared color and touch sensors and nine alternative programming languages.

WowWee’s robotic toys teach kids how to develop their own apps to control products. WowWee’s MinionMil based on the Despicable Me franchise is a balancing robot that responds to hand gestures and is controlled from an app called Turbo Dave. Also included is a coding platform for programming fun. With WowWee’s Coji Coding Robot, kids solve problems using emojis and emoticons. This robot teaches the basics of programming with the classic :). Early readers play educational games that test memory and introduce coding concepts such as command sequences. Coji also reacts to physical stimulation like tilting.

Don’t be fooled by the playful design of Cozmo by Anki. It’s definitely for more advanced learners. Cozmo’s face is a rectangular LCD screen and its only features are its expressive eyes. It responds intelligently to its environment. Cozmo plays a number of games and when it wins, it looks smug. If it loses, it may angrily knock the blocks over. Cozmo’s built-in “emotion engine,” designed by robotics experts from Carnegie Mellon University, make it one of the smartest robots that learns from experience. The owner’s interactions with Cozmo shape its personality, from a grouchy bot to a playful one — and the engagements grow Cozmo’s “brain.” You can even write code for Cozmo using the Anki developer’s site.

The Future of Work

Google’s charitable arm is investing $50 million in an initiative aimed at helping people prepare for the changing nature of work. Its two-year commitment will help fund nonprofits focused on three areas: helping connect job seekers with jobs; improving job quality for low-wage workers; and creating e¡ective training programs including technology skills. Robot toys can help to prepare young people for a future where robots imbued with AI and machine learning will act as assistants at home and at work. Robots are envisioned to enhance lifestyles and free people to focus on more valuable and creative work.
Susan Schreiner