BlueCats, a leading provider of comprehensive Real-Time Location Solutions based in Austin, Texas, announced the launch of BlueCats Contact Tracing Solution (CTS). BlueCats CTS is a fully configurable wearable solution that provides the most accurate contact tracing and enables employees to adhere to social distancing guidelines with its distinct visual, physical and audible notifications so they know precisely when they are in close or nearby proximity to other employees without compromising privacy.

Related Arjo Partners with Vitalacy to Provide Hand Hygiene Monitoring and Contact Tracing Solutions

“Our goal has always been to provide solutions that create a safer working environment for our customers and their employees,” said Nathan Dunn, BlueCats CEO. “We are IoT and RTLS experts, and we applied our expertise to accelerate the development of the BlueCats CTS to address the urgent need for an accurate, real-time proximity solution that could be relied upon amidst the pandemic.”

BlueCats CTS is easy to use, can be set up within a few hours, and scales to enable businesses to make effective decisions based on accurate metrics and insights. The solution ensures privacy is paramount by requiring no access to employee personal or cell phone data. Using individual Ultra-Wideband (UWB) wearable devices, called SafetyTags, provides a layer of accuracy and anonymity. Data is digitally collected and assessed, increasing accuracy and speed and eliminating the opportunity for manual errors, reports BusinessWire.

Once the BlueCats CTS SafetyTag is associated with a person, it records all interactions with other SafetyTags. No location data is stored. Any contact events between SafetyTags is stored within Loop Cloud, BlueCats’ privacy protected database. In the event an employee becomes symptomatic or tests positive for COVID-19, the employer can instantly produce a contact report via BlueCats’ Loop Cloud platform. Within minutes, specific employees that were in close contact with the infected employee can be appropriately notified, quarantined, and tested anonymously instead of having to shut down an entire facility or sideline an entire shift, quelling concerns in the workplace and ensuring seamless operations.

“While vaccines are being distributed across the world, the harsh reality is not every employee is willing or able to be vaccinated,” Dunn continued. “Accurate and reliable contact tracing is a business necessity for many companies to create a safe workplace capable of accommodating vaccinated and unvaccinated employees.”

Related Coolpad Partners With M2MD To Develop Innovative Social Distancing and Contact Tracing Solutions For Workplace

While the urgent need for contact tracing is most impactful during a pandemic, BlueCats’ UWB-based solution provides additional value when used for asset and personnel tracking, man-down, time on tool, and much more.

BlueCats CTS is currently being used by innovative food processors, major construction companies, and manufacturers globally as well as in major U.S. municipalities.

Vuzix Corporation that its Smart Glasses are now compatible with Topcon Positioning Group’s MAGNET software suite, which brings new efficiencies and hands-free usage to those working on-site and embraces the very latest developments in AR technology.

Read more Vuzix M400 Smart Glasses Being Used By Istanbul University To Support Remote Student Learning

“Vuzix Smart Glasses are being used worldwide in a variety of industries and use cases. Topcon’s recognition that our Smart Glasses can provide measurable benefits to the construction and surveying markets is great. We’re delighted that the Vuzix Smart Glasses combined with Topcon’s MAGNET software are aiding onsite productivity and keeping projects on schedule and within budget. We look forward to a long and prosperous partnership,” stated Paul Travers, Vuzix President and Chief Executive Officer.

The European construction industry was expanding at a rapid rate prior to COVID-19 with industry projects estimated to have totaled approximately $2.8 trillion by 2023, according to research firm ResearchAndMarkets. The industry is continuing to grow, however, especially in light of recent data which predicts a global population of 11.1 billion by 2050. While contractors may have been reluctant to advance from traditional and linear methodologies in the past, the industry is now rapidly adopting technology to successfully manage projects while complying with new COVID-19 requirements, according to a press release.

Given the pace of development within the wearable AR environment, the new compatibility with Topcon’s software provides digital engineers, surveyors, contractors, layout personnel and on-site Building Information Modeling (BIM) technicians with a new, enhanced processing opportunity that also offers distinct cost savings.   Providing visual aids on smart glasses lenses and enabling the control of instruments via voice-commands, this new combination of technology allows the user to precisely layout and measure points on a job site, increasing accuracy and productivity.

Onsite surveyors and engineers can benefit from smart glasses giving them hands-free access to positioning data for setting out markers and quality assurance. With safety a key priority on construction sites, the Vuzix safety-rated smart glasses also help users to work safely and increase situational awareness by reducing the need to look down at a tablet, allowing the user to use voice commands to capture and mark points.  More on this solution can be found here.

Adam Box, Business Development Manager Vertical Construction at Topcon Positioning Group, said: “This new compatibility with Vuzix Smart Glasses represents the next generation of surveying equipment in the European market. Coupling this advanced technology with our already popular MAGNET software suite means that enhanced productivity, efficiency, and reduced costs can become a reality on many projects across the region. This is key at this point in time when much of the industry is looking to accelerate economic recovery following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Read more Pixee Medical Successfully Finishes its First Total Knee Replacement Surgery Guided Only by the Vuzix M400 AR Glasses

Topcon Positioning Group is a leading designer, manufacturer, and distributor of precision measurement and workflow solutions for the global construction, geospatial, and agriculture markets. The company is headquartered in Livermore, California.

Vuzix Corporation that its Smart Glasses are now compatible with Topcon Positioning Group's MAGNET software suite, which brings new efficiencies and hands-free usage to those working on-site and embraces the very latest developments in AR technology.

Read more: Vuzix M400 Smart Glasses Being Used By Istanbul University To Support Remote Student Learning

“Vuzix Smart Glasses are being used worldwide in a variety of industries and use cases. Topcon's recognition that our Smart Glasses can provide measurable benefits to the construction and surveying markets is great. We're delighted that the Vuzix Smart Glasses combined with Topcon's MAGNET software are aiding onsite productivity and keeping projects on schedule and within budget. We look forward to a long and prosperous partnership,” stated Paul Travers, Vuzix President and Chief Executive Officer.

The European construction industry was expanding at a rapid rate prior to COVID-19 with industry projects estimated to have totaled approximately $2.8 trillion by 2023, according to research firm ResearchAndMarkets. The industry is continuing to grow, however, especially in light of recent data which predicts a global population of 11.1 billion by 2050. While contractors may have been reluctant to advance from traditional and linear methodologies in the past, the industry is now rapidly adopting technology to successfully manage projects while complying with new COVID-19 requirements, according to a press release.

Given the pace of development within the wearable AR environment, the new compatibility with Topcon's software provides digital engineers, surveyors, contractors, layout personnel and on-site Building Information Modeling (BIM) technicians with a new, enhanced processing opportunity that also offers distinct cost savings.   Providing visual aids on smart glasses lenses and enabling the control of instruments via voice-commands, this new combination of technology allows the user to precisely layout and measure points on a job site, increasing accuracy and productivity.

Onsite surveyors and engineers can benefit from smart glasses giving them hands-free access to positioning data for setting out markers and quality assurance. With safety a key priority on construction sites, the Vuzix safety-rated smart glasses also help users to work safely and increase situational awareness by reducing the need to look down at a tablet, allowing the user to use voice commands to capture and mark points.  More on this solution can be found here.

Adam Box, Business Development Manager Vertical Construction at Topcon Positioning Group, said: “This new compatibility with Vuzix Smart Glasses represents the next generation of surveying equipment in the European market. Coupling this advanced technology with our already popular MAGNET software suite means that enhanced productivity, efficiency, and reduced costs can become a reality on many projects across the region. This is key at this point in time when much of the industry is looking to accelerate economic recovery following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Read more: Pixee Medical Successfully Finishes its First Total Knee Replacement Surgery Guided Only by the Vuzix M400 AR Glasses

Topcon Positioning Group is a leading designer, manufacturer, and distributor of precision measurement and workflow solutions for the global construction, geospatial, and agriculture markets. The company is headquartered in Livermore, California.

BlueCats, a leading provider of comprehensive Real-Time Location Solutions based in Austin, Texas, announced the launch of BlueCats Contact Tracing Solution (CTS). BlueCats CTS is a fully configurable wearable solution that provides the most accurate contact tracing and enables employees to adhere to social distancing guidelines with its distinct visual, physical and audible notifications so they know precisely when they are in close or nearby proximity to other employees without compromising privacy.

Related: Arjo Partners with Vitalacy to Provide Hand Hygiene Monitoring and Contact Tracing Solutions

“Our goal has always been to provide solutions that create a safer working environment for our customers and their employees,” said Nathan Dunn, BlueCats CEO. “We are IoT and RTLS experts, and we applied our expertise to accelerate the development of the BlueCats CTS to address the urgent need for an accurate, real-time proximity solution that could be relied upon amidst the pandemic.”

BlueCats CTS is easy to use, can be set up within a few hours, and scales to enable businesses to make effective decisions based on accurate metrics and insights. The solution ensures privacy is paramount by requiring no access to employee personal or cell phone data. Using individual Ultra-Wideband (UWB) wearable devices, called SafetyTags, provides a layer of accuracy and anonymity. Data is digitally collected and assessed, increasing accuracy and speed and eliminating the opportunity for manual errors, reports BusinessWire.

Once the BlueCats CTS SafetyTag is associated with a person, it records all interactions with other SafetyTags. No location data is stored. Any contact events between SafetyTags is stored within Loop Cloud, BlueCats’ privacy protected database. In the event an employee becomes symptomatic or tests positive for COVID-19, the employer can instantly produce a contact report via BlueCats’ Loop Cloud platform. Within minutes, specific employees that were in close contact with the infected employee can be appropriately notified, quarantined, and tested anonymously instead of having to shut down an entire facility or sideline an entire shift, quelling concerns in the workplace and ensuring seamless operations.

“While vaccines are being distributed across the world, the harsh reality is not every employee is willing or able to be vaccinated,” Dunn continued. “Accurate and reliable contact tracing is a business necessity for many companies to create a safe workplace capable of accommodating vaccinated and unvaccinated employees.”

Related: Coolpad Partners With M2MD To Develop Innovative Social Distancing and Contact Tracing Solutions For Workplace

While the urgent need for contact tracing is most impactful during a pandemic, BlueCats’ UWB-based solution provides additional value when used for asset and personnel tracking, man-down, time on tool, and much more.

BlueCats CTS is currently being used by innovative food processors, major construction companies, and manufacturers globally as well as in major U.S. municipalities.

From crime and riot prevention to terrorism and catastrophes, today’s police force has to risk their lives to perform highly dangerous tasks. Faced with these extraordinary challenges, law enforcement agencies are turning to wearable devices to protect themselves, improve the efficiency of operations, while maintaining public safety at the same time.

Read more CommandWear Wearable Technology Helps Save Lives While Also Keeping First Responders Safe

IoT wearable devices are now becoming a part of smart law enforcement solutions that can combat crime, reports Fibicom.

Fibocom offers high-performance and cost-effective wireless communication solutions to facilitate data transmission and communication during law enforcement through its LTE Cat 1 Module L610.

Fibocom LTE Cat 1 Module L610 is an industrial-grade LTE Cat.1 module with maximum speed up to 10Mbps. What makes it more attractive is its high-performance capability compared with its affordability due to UNISOC’s good offer. It supports FDD-LTE/TDD-LTE/GSM long-distance communication and WiFi SCAN/Bluetooth short-range wireless transmission. Fibocom L610 has rich interfaces including UART/SPI/I2C/USB. Built-in LBS, Codec, supports TTS, recording, and VoLTE.

Body-Worn Camera cameras transmit real-time video through a high-speed LTE network, allowing law-enforcement personnel to share them with their headquarters. This allows commanders to better understand the situation and implement appropriate strategies.

Push-to-talk over Cellular (PPToC) is a popular method of communication among law enforcement personnel. PPToC combines the functionality of radio and smartphone technology in one device. It can be used nationwide and enables users to have one-to-many and one-to-one communication from their smartphone. PPToC uses the existing LTE cellular network and does not need any additional infrastructure to cover larger areas. The PPToC devices can be easily connected to the cloud and managed through the central system or by smartphone apps.

Read more How Wearables and IoT Can Help First Responders During an Emergency

Fibocom’s LTE Cat 1 Module L610 supports LTE, GSM dual-mode communication, VoLTE, audio, camera, LCD, keypad, and other functions. Formed as both LCC+LGA and MiniPCIe packages, it provides universal interfaces such as USB / UART / SPI / I2C / SDIO to meet various application demands of the IoT industry. The product positioning covers the Internet of things market with medium and low rates, such as pan payment, sharing, industrial interconnection, tracking, in-vehicle applications and other application scenarios. Provide perfect high-speed experience for customers in the above fields.

Virtual reality (VR) could play a key role in COVID-19 rehabilitation, according to a paper published in BMJ Open Sport Exercise Medicine.

Read more AR, VR And Other Immersive Technologies Could Be The Future Of Digital Health

A new challenge in treating COVID-19 patients is Post-Intensive Care Syndrome after coronavirus infection, or PICS-COV. Many critically ill COVID-19 patients, according to the researchers, continue to have Post-Intensive Care Syndrome, even after the infection is gone, leaving a potential risk for physical, psychological and cognitive impairment.

A subset of COVID-19 patients who were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) frequently required several weeks of such intensive care; furthermore, traditional PICS preventive measures, such as reduction of environmental stressors, early mobility or writing an ICU diary, are virtually impossible due to infection control precautions, prone positioning and deprivation of social contact. Consequently, COVID-19 patients potentially have a substantial need for physical, psychological and cognitive rehabilitation after discharge from the ICU and the hospital.3 In the present viewpoint, we discuss how Virtual Reality (VR) can provide rehabilitation to post-COVID-19 patients.

VR consists of a head-mounted display (HMD) that can bring the user by computer-generated visuals into an immersive, realistic multi-sensory environment.

Several studies suggest that VR can be beneficial in post-COVID-19 rehabilitation. Researchers believe the immersive experience of VR may increase therapy adherence among patients and distract them from experienced fatigue and anxiety.

Read more XRHealth Launches First Virtual Reality Telehealth Clinic

“We believe that VR therapy offers an opportunity for recovering COVID-19 patients and care providers to partake in efficient home-based and individualized rehabilitation, monitored at a distance. Several barriers for implementation will need to be overcome, including designing an appropriate, safe, easy-to-use and cost-effective VR toolkit, organizing home-based VR therapy and support at a distance, and reimbursement. Embedding VR in virtual care platforms would assist in overcoming these barriers and stimulating the spread of VR therapy, both for post-COVID-19 patients in the present and possibly for other patients with similar rehabilitation needs in the future,” the researchers concluded.

Virtual reality (VR) could play a key role in COVID-19 rehabilitation, according to a paper published in BMJ Open Sport Exercise Medicine.

Read more: AR, VR And Other Immersive Technologies Could Be The Future Of Digital Health

A new challenge in treating COVID-19 patients is Post-Intensive Care Syndrome after coronavirus infection, or PICS-COV. Many critically ill COVID-19 patients, according to the researchers, continue to have Post-Intensive Care Syndrome, even after the infection is gone, leaving a potential risk for physical, psychological and cognitive impairment.

A subset of COVID-19 patients who were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) frequently required several weeks of such intensive care; furthermore, traditional PICS preventive measures, such as reduction of environmental stressors, early mobility or writing an ICU diary, are virtually impossible due to infection control precautions, prone positioning and deprivation of social contact. Consequently, COVID-19 patients potentially have a substantial need for physical, psychological and cognitive rehabilitation after discharge from the ICU and the hospital.3 In the present viewpoint, we discuss how Virtual Reality (VR) can provide rehabilitation to post-COVID-19 patients.

VR consists of a head-mounted display (HMD) that can bring the user by computer-generated visuals into an immersive, realistic multi-sensory environment.

Several studies suggest that VR can be beneficial in post-COVID-19 rehabilitation. Researchers believe the immersive experience of VR may increase therapy adherence among patients and distract them from experienced fatigue and anxiety.

Read more: XRHealth Launches First Virtual Reality Telehealth Clinic

“We believe that VR therapy offers an opportunity for recovering COVID-19 patients and care providers to partake in efficient home-based and individualized rehabilitation, monitored at a distance. Several barriers for implementation will need to be overcome, including designing an appropriate, safe, easy-to-use and cost-effective VR toolkit, organizing home-based VR therapy and support at a distance, and reimbursement. Embedding VR in virtual care platforms would assist in overcoming these barriers and stimulating the spread of VR therapy, both for post-COVID-19 patients in the present and possibly for other patients with similar rehabilitation needs in the future,” the researchers concluded.

From crime and riot prevention to terrorism and catastrophes, today’s police force has to risk their lives to perform highly dangerous tasks. Faced with these extraordinary challenges, law enforcement agencies are turning to wearable devices to protect themselves, improve the efficiency of operations, while maintaining public safety at the same time.

Read more: CommandWear Wearable Technology Helps Save Lives While Also Keeping First Responders Safe

IoT wearable devices are now becoming a part of smart law enforcement solutions that can combat crime, reports Fibicom.

Fibocom offers high-performance and cost-effective wireless communication solutions to facilitate data transmission and communication during law enforcement through its LTE Cat 1 Module L610.

Fibocom LTE Cat 1 Module L610 is an industrial-grade LTE Cat.1 module with maximum speed up to 10Mbps. What makes it more attractive is its high-performance capability compared with its affordability due to UNISOC's good offer. It supports FDD-LTE/TDD-LTE/GSM long-distance communication and WiFi SCAN/Bluetooth short-range wireless transmission. Fibocom L610 has rich interfaces including UART/SPI/I2C/USB. Built-in LBS, Codec, supports TTS, recording, and VoLTE.

Body-Worn Camera cameras transmit real-time video through a high-speed LTE network, allowing law-enforcement personnel to share them with their headquarters. This allows commanders to better understand the situation and implement appropriate strategies.

Push-to-talk over Cellular (PPToC) is a popular method of communication among law enforcement personnel. PPToC combines the functionality of radio and smartphone technology in one device. It can be used nationwide and enables users to have one-to-many and one-to-one communication from their smartphone. PPToC uses the existing LTE cellular network and does not need any additional infrastructure to cover larger areas. The PPToC devices can be easily connected to the cloud and managed through the central system or by smartphone apps.

Read more: How Wearables and IoT Can Help First Responders During an Emergency

Fibocom’s LTE Cat 1 Module L610 supports LTE, GSM dual-mode communication, VoLTE, audio, camera, LCD, keypad, and other functions. Formed as both LCC+LGA and MiniPCIe packages, it provides universal interfaces such as USB / UART / SPI / I2C / SDIO to meet various application demands of the IoT industry. The product positioning covers the Internet of things market with medium and low rates, such as pan payment, sharing, industrial interconnection, tracking, in-vehicle applications and other application scenarios. Provide perfect high-speed experience for customers in the above fields.

A stretchable system that can harvest energy from human breathing and motion for use in wearable health-monitoring devices may be possible, according to an international team of researchers, led by Huanyu “Larry” Cheng, Dorothy Quiggle Career Development Professor in Penn State’s Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics.

The research team, with members from Penn State and Minjiang University and Nanjing University, both in China, recently published its results in Nano Energy, reports Penn State News.

According to Cheng, current versions of batteries and supercapacitors powering wearable and stretchable health-monitoring and diagnostic devices have many shortcomings, including low energy density and limited stretchability.

“This is something quite different than what we have worked on before, but it is a vital part of the equation,” Cheng said, noting that his research group and collaborators tend to focus on developing the sensors in wearable devices. “While working on gas sensors and other wearable devices, we always need to combine these devices with a battery for powering. Using micro-supercapacitors gives us the ability to self-power the sensor without the need for a battery.”

Read more Researchers Develop Wearable Textile That Harnesses Solar Energy And Converts Them Into Electrical Energy

An alternative to batteries, micro-supercapacitors are energy storage devices that can complement or replace lithium-ion batteries in wearable devices. Micro-supercapacitors have a small footprint, high power density, and the ability to charge and discharge quickly. However, according to Cheng, when fabricated for wearable devices, conventional micro-supercapacitors have a “sandwich-like” stacked geometry that displays poor flexibility, long ion diffusion distances and a complex integration process when combined with wearable electronics.

This led Cheng and his team to explore alternative device architectures and integration processes to advance the use of micro-supercapacitors in wearable devices. They found that arranging micro-supercapacitor cells in a serpentine, island-bridge layout allows the configuration to stretch and bend at the bridges, while reducing deformation of the micro-supercapacitors — the islands. When combined, the structure becomes what the researchers refer to as “micro-supercapacitors arrays.”

“By using an island-bridge design when connecting cells, the micro-supercapacitor arrays displayed increased stretchability and allowed for adjustable voltage outputs,” Cheng said. “This allows the system to be reversibly stretched up to 100%.”

By using non-layered, ultrathin zinc-phosphorus nanosheets and 3D laser-induced graphene foam — a highly porous, self-heating nanomaterial — to construct the island-bridge design of the cells, Cheng and his team saw drastic improvements in electric conductivity and the number of absorbed charged ions. This proved that these micro-supercapacitor arrays can charge and discharge efficiently and store the energy needed to power a wearable device.

The researchers also integrated the system with a triboelectric nanogenerator, an emerging technology that converts mechanical movement to electrical energy. This combination created a self-powered system.

“When we have this wireless charging module that’s based on the triboelectric nanogenerator, we can harvest energy based on motion, such as bending your elbow or breathing and speaking,” Cheng said. “We are able to use these everyday human motions to charge the micro-supercapacitors.”

By combining this integrated system with a graphene-based strain sensor, the energy-storing micro-supercapacitor arrays — charged by the triboelectric nanogenerators — are able to power the sensor, Cheng said, showing the potential for this system to power wearable, stretchable devices.

Read more Energy Harvesting Nanogenerators Offer New Option For Monitoring Health

Other researchers on this project were Cheng Zeng, assistant professor; Zhixiang Peng, research assistant; Chao Xing, associate professor; Huaming Chen, associate professor; Chunlei Huang, assistant professor, and Jun Wang, professor, all at Minjiang University; Bingwen Zhang, assistant professor at the Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional Marine Sensing Materials at Minjiang University; and Shaolong Tang, professor of physics, Nanjing University.

The year 2020 has been a blockbuster year for wearables. Mobility solutions and wearable warehouse technology are not new, but the level of sophistication delivered by them is helping warehouse managers re-invent their operations and achieve new levels of efficiency and productivity.

Read more Life-Saving Wearable Devices that Boost Safety for Construction Workers

Warehouse mobility solutions include wearable scanners, smartphones, vehicle-mounted computers, tablets, and mobile printers that allow warehouse workers to freely move around their workplace and remain fully connected regardless of location.

By delivering an uninterrupted flow of information across the business and the supply chain in real-time, mobility solutions and wearables have become part of standard warehouse operations.

Wearable mobile computers, often referred to as wearable terminals, offer a robust, hands-free tech solution that enables warehouse workers the freedom to focus on the job in-hand.

Prior to the pandemic, the Zebra Warehousing Vision Study found that 62% of warehouse operators said they planned to upgrade or add wearable mobile computers by 2022, reports DCVelocity.

Designed for workers in the warehousing and logistics industries, wearable mobile computers help to effectively streamline operations, while at the same time reduce human error.

Benefits of Wearable Mobile Computer

• Lightweight solutions
• Durability
• Increased productivity
• Multi-tasking
• Accuracy

These wearable terminals can be easily worn on the wrist or the work belt. They help workers to do their job hands-free and focus on the job clear of any obstructions.

Some Examples of Wearable Mobile Computers

Zebra’s WT6000 wearable computer gives workers a lightweight, hands-free device they can wear on their wrist and forearm. Its industrial rugged design delivers maximum uptime in your most demanding environments. It allows workers to access warehousing software, pick lists, orders, and labeling with the touch of a screen.

Read more How Wearable Technology Could Revolutionize Manufacturing Industry

ProGlove’s wearable ‘Reel’ barcode scanner provides contactless scan. The company’s MARK Display scanner untethers workers from paper, from hand-held devices, and from static work-stations while keeping crucial information with workers at all times.

The year 2020 has been a blockbuster year for wearables. Mobility solutions and wearable warehouse technology are not new, but the level of sophistication delivered by them is helping warehouse managers re-invent their operations and achieve new levels of efficiency and productivity.

Read more: Life-Saving Wearable Devices that Boost Safety for Construction Workers

Warehouse mobility solutions include wearable scanners, smartphones, vehicle-mounted computers, tablets, and mobile printers that allow warehouse workers to freely move around their workplace and remain fully connected regardless of location.

By delivering an uninterrupted flow of information across the business and the supply chain in real-time, mobility solutions and wearables have become part of standard warehouse operations.

Wearable mobile computers, often referred to as wearable terminals, offer a robust, hands-free tech solution that enables warehouse workers the freedom to focus on the job in-hand.

Prior to the pandemic, the Zebra Warehousing Vision Study found that 62% of warehouse operators said they planned to upgrade or add wearable mobile computers by 2022, reports DCVelocity.

Designed for workers in the warehousing and logistics industries, wearable mobile computers help to effectively streamline operations, while at the same time reduce human error.

Benefits of Wearable Mobile Computer

• Lightweight solutions
• Durability
• Increased productivity
• Multi-tasking
• Accuracy

These wearable terminals can be easily worn on the wrist or the work belt. They help workers to do their job hands-free and focus on the job clear of any obstructions.

Some Examples of Wearable Mobile Computers

Zebra’s WT6000 wearable computer gives workers a lightweight, hands-free device they can wear on their wrist and forearm. Its industrial rugged design delivers maximum uptime in your most demanding environments. It allows workers to access warehousing software, pick lists, orders, and labeling with the touch of a screen.

Read more: How Wearable Technology Could Revolutionize Manufacturing Industry

ProGlove’s wearable ‘Reel’ barcode scanner provides contactless scan. The company’s MARK Display scanner untethers workers from paper, from hand-held devices, and from static work-stations while keeping crucial information with workers at all times.

A stretchable system that can harvest energy from human breathing and motion for use in wearable health-monitoring devices may be possible, according to an international team of researchers, led by Huanyu “Larry” Cheng, Dorothy Quiggle Career Development Professor in Penn State's Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics.

The research team, with members from Penn State and Minjiang University and Nanjing University, both in China, recently published its results in Nano Energy, reports Penn State News.

According to Cheng, current versions of batteries and supercapacitors powering wearable and stretchable health-monitoring and diagnostic devices have many shortcomings, including low energy density and limited stretchability.

“This is something quite different than what we have worked on before, but it is a vital part of the equation,” Cheng said, noting that his research group and collaborators tend to focus on developing the sensors in wearable devices. “While working on gas sensors and other wearable devices, we always need to combine these devices with a battery for powering. Using micro-supercapacitors gives us the ability to self-power the sensor without the need for a battery.”

Read more: Researchers Develop Wearable Textile That Harnesses Solar Energy And Converts Them Into Electrical Energy

An alternative to batteries, micro-supercapacitors are energy storage devices that can complement or replace lithium-ion batteries in wearable devices. Micro-supercapacitors have a small footprint, high power density, and the ability to charge and discharge quickly. However, according to Cheng, when fabricated for wearable devices, conventional micro-supercapacitors have a “sandwich-like” stacked geometry that displays poor flexibility, long ion diffusion distances and a complex integration process when combined with wearable electronics.

This led Cheng and his team to explore alternative device architectures and integration processes to advance the use of micro-supercapacitors in wearable devices. They found that arranging micro-supercapacitor cells in a serpentine, island-bridge layout allows the configuration to stretch and bend at the bridges, while reducing deformation of the micro-supercapacitors — the islands. When combined, the structure becomes what the researchers refer to as "micro-supercapacitors arrays."

“By using an island-bridge design when connecting cells, the micro-supercapacitor arrays displayed increased stretchability and allowed for adjustable voltage outputs,” Cheng said. “This allows the system to be reversibly stretched up to 100%.”

By using non-layered, ultrathin zinc-phosphorus nanosheets and 3D laser-induced graphene foam — a highly porous, self-heating nanomaterial — to construct the island-bridge design of the cells, Cheng and his team saw drastic improvements in electric conductivity and the number of absorbed charged ions. This proved that these micro-supercapacitor arrays can charge and discharge efficiently and store the energy needed to power a wearable device.

The researchers also integrated the system with a triboelectric nanogenerator, an emerging technology that converts mechanical movement to electrical energy. This combination created a self-powered system.

“When we have this wireless charging module that’s based on the triboelectric nanogenerator, we can harvest energy based on motion, such as bending your elbow or breathing and speaking,” Cheng said. “We are able to use these everyday human motions to charge the micro-supercapacitors.”

By combining this integrated system with a graphene-based strain sensor, the energy-storing micro-supercapacitor arrays — charged by the triboelectric nanogenerators — are able to power the sensor, Cheng said, showing the potential for this system to power wearable, stretchable devices.

Read more: Energy Harvesting Nanogenerators Offer New Option For Monitoring Health

Other researchers on this project were Cheng Zeng, assistant professor; Zhixiang Peng, research assistant; Chao Xing, associate professor; Huaming Chen, associate professor; Chunlei Huang, assistant professor, and Jun Wang, professor, all at Minjiang University; Bingwen Zhang, assistant professor at the Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional Marine Sensing Materials at Minjiang University; and Shaolong Tang, professor of physics, Nanjing University.

Theranica, a prescribed digital therapeutics company developing advanced electroceuticals for migraine and other pain conditions, announced that a new peer-reviewed systemic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found that remote electrical neuromodulation (REN) was the only neuromodulation-based acute migraine treatment with sufficient clinical evidence to conclude that it is effective.

Read more: Wearable Sensor Cannot Accurately Detect Migraine Attacks Beforehand, Reveals Small Finnish Study

“As non-invasive neuromodulation is an emerging field in the treatment of migraine, an unbiased systemic review was important to understand what may really be benefitting patients,” said Prof. Stephen Silberstein, MD, director of the Headache Center at the Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. “While the industry should conduct more studies to understand the potential of neuromodulation for migraine treatment, this study certainly helps comparing between the different emerging techniques. REN, based on triggering conditioned pain modulation, stands out with very promising results for acute migraine treatment.”

The research, published in The Journal of Headache and Pain, a peer-reviewed journal affiliated with the European Headache Federation, looked at 38 available peer-reviewed articles studying the effect of neuromodulation treatment on migraine patients. Seven of the studies focused on acute treatment and the ability of different devices to deliver either pain relief or pain freedom at two hours. Secondary outcomes were assessed by improvement in the quality of life, the need for rescue medication and the Patient Global Impression of Change Score, according to a press release.

“Theranica is strongly committed to high-quality clinical research, as evidenced in this study,” said Dagan Harris, Ph.D., Theranica's vice president of clinical and regulatory affairs. “We are proud to have designed Nerivio such that it stands out as the one neuromodulation method noted as effective and intend to continue exploring REN's ability to bring relief to people living with migraine and other pain conditions. Our high standards of clinical development allow us to improve the Nerivio experience, from the treatment to the accompanying software, for a large community that deserves a safe and effective solution.”

Read more: New Startups and Innovations Helping Migraine Sufferers with Treatment and Care

Nerivio is a prescribed therapeutic wearable that deploys REN to activate the body's native conditioned pain modulation mechanism to treat the pain, aura, and associated symptoms caused by migraine. It is worn on the upper arm and controlled through an app on a patient's smartphone that also serves as a migraine diary.

The global Wearable Medical Devices market size is expected to reach USD 85.6 billion by 2027 according to a new study by Polaris Market Research. The report gives a detailed insight into current market dynamics and provides analysis of future market growth.

Read more: Wearables Market Will Reach $97.9 Billion by 2025, Reveals Yole Report

Wearable medical devices are defined as autonomous devices worn by the individual to provide medical or fitness monitoring and support over a period of time. They are either worn as a body accessory or being embedded in cloth or shoes. They incorporate non-invasive sensors, wireless transmission, real-time data processing capabilities, and also provide medical feedback, reports Polaris Market Research.

Recent developments in wearable medical devices include alert mechanisms, decision support systems, and real-time analysis. These wearables offer a point of care, and remote management for rehabilitating individuals, disabled and chronically ill.

The prominent factors favoring the wearable medical devices market growth include an increase in the prevalence of lifestyle-related diseases, consumer awareness towards fitness, and advancement in technology and medical innovation with an ever-increasing interest of consumer electronic companies. The high prevalence of diabetes is an important driver boosting market growth.

With a spike in infectious diseases over the past decade, the Stanford Healthcare Innovation Lab (SHIL) set up a team to study the impact of wearables to track infectious diseases. Moreover, in April 2020, Scripps Research Translational Institute (SRTI) launched DETECT, under which data from activity trackers and smartwatches would be integrated into public health surveillance program for proactive disease tracking and population health programs.

Key Players operating in the Wearable Medical Devices market are Medtronic plc, OMRON Corp., Biotelemetry Inc., Apple, Inc., Koninklijke Philips, Dexcom Inc., Abbott Laboratories, Verily Life Sciences, GE Healthcare, Bio-Beat Technologies, Masimo Corporation, iRhythm Technologies, Inc., Preventice Solutions, Inc., CONTEC Medical Systems Co. Ltd, VitalConnect, Minttihealth, Biotricity Inc., Cyrcadia Asia Limited., Garmin Ltd, Xiaomi Technologies, ten3T healthcare, Fitbit, Inc., and Huawei Corporation.

Read more: Medical Wearables Market Will Reach $19.5 Billion by 2025, Reports MarketsandMarkets

Developers are focusing on developing low-cost wearable accessible to all strata of the population within the geographic footprint. In line with this, India based Muse Wearables is manufacturing a wrist-based wearable tracker at a cost of INR 3,500. With this, it will continuously monitor skin temperature, blood O2 saturation levels, and heart rate to track body vital signs to diagnose COVID-19 symptoms in the early stages.

Arduino and Seeed have collaborated to produce the Arduino Sensor Kit. The Arduino STEM kit is based on the Arduino UNO.

Read more: NextMind Starts Shipping its DevKit for Real-Time Brain-Sensing Wearable

Aimed at those getting started with electronics and sensors, the STEM Education Kit is the perfect choice for beginners to learn Arduino, electronics, and program. More than 14 kinds of sensors provide detailed tutorials for each sensor, designed especially for beginners.

“Ideal for anyone who currently uses an Arduino UNO board and wants to create and launch their own D.I.Y projects, the kit integrates the 10 most popular Grove sensors and actuators all on one board. Users can plug, sketch and play without any additional wiring required or learning how to solder. It is, however, also great for more advanced users who wish to reduce time on circuitry and build quickly,” reports Electronics Weekly.

The Arduino Sensor Kit teaches how to connect and program basic Grove modules that include both sensors and actuators along with the Arduino Uno (or other Arduino Boards with the same form factor), reports Arduino. This kit was elaborated in collaboration with Seeed Studio and provides the Arduino community with the opportunity to build projects with minimal effort of both wiring and coding. This kit acts as a bridge to the world of Grove and provides a flexible way for Makers to extend their projects to include other complex Grove modules.

The Kit includes access to an online platform with all the instructions required to plug, sketch, and play with the different Grove Modules. There are 10 projects:

• The LED. This simple LED can be turned On/Off or dimmed.
• The Button. This is a push-button that can be put on high or low mode.
• The Potentiometer. It’s a variable resistor that can be used to increase or decrease resistance simply by turning its knob.
• The Buzzer. This piezo speaker produces binary sounds.
• The Light Sensor. This is a photoresistor that reads light intensity.
• The Sound Sensor. This small microphone measures sound vibrations.
• The Air Pressure Sensor. Using I2C protocol, this pressure sensor reads air pressure.
• The Temperature Sensor. Reads both temperature and humidity.
• The Movement Sensor. This is used to detect movement.
• The OLED Screen. Messages and values can be printed on this screen.

Hardware

Base Shield that is designed to fit on top of an Arduino UNO board. It comes equipped with 16 grove connectors, which, when placed on top of the UNO, provides functionality to various pins.

Read more: ASE Develops State-of-the-Art Microchip Using ANSYS Customization Toolkit

Software

The Arduino Sensor Kit Library is a wrapper for that contains links to other libraries related to certain modules such as the accelerometer, air pressure sensor, temperature sensor and the OLED display. This library provides easy-to-use apis that will help you build a clear mental model of the concepts you will be using.

Femtech, a short form of female technology, encompasses software, diagnostics, products, and services that use technology often to focus on women's health. This sector includes fertility solutions, period-tracking app, pregnancy and nursing care, women's sexual wellness, and reproductive system health care.

Read more: How Health Technology Is Transforming The Lives Of Women Across The Globe

From wearable breast pumps to digital birth control, the Femtech market is gearing up to see an unprecedented wave of innovation.

The origins of femtech can be traced back to the 1960s, where the women’s movement focused on sexuality, family, and reproductive rights, reports Ossie Ravid and Danny Tobey in MobiHealthNews. However, femtech had to face many obstacles in the past. Less than 25 years ago, women were excluded from clinical trials and using contraceptives was taboo.

Now, there are several companies that are fueling the growth of femtech industry. A report by data research company PitchBook reveals that the femtech industry generated US$820.6 million and is on the patch to reach at least US$3 billion by the end of 2030. The huge amount of health issues that affect women differently than men is astounding, and there is an enormous demand that needs to be filled. Ava, Bloomlife, Flo, Woom and Kindbody are among the few companies helping the growth of femtech.

Despite many advances, addressing women’s health issues through research funding still came up short. When the FDA approved Sildenafil (a.k.a. Viagra) for use in erectile dysfunction in 1998, health issues faced by women – including sexual and menstrual wellness, fertility, endometriosis and menopause – were still considered taboo by many.

This was something that Ida Tin, CEO of female health app, Clue, wanted to change when she started her business in 2012 in Berlin. ‘Clue’ became a harbinger for other women’s health initiatives seen today.

Read more: Rising Popularity of Female Health Tech Will Take A Big Bite Out of Wearables Market

Many similar apps and female-focused inventions have emerged alongside Clue, which was founded in 2013. Ava’s fertility tracking bracelet, for example, was a huge success.

The future of femtech looks bright. Experts anticipate seeing more investment from healthcare venture capitalists, which will grow the femtech industry.

An updated version of Apple’s ECG feature received FDA clearance, allowing it to add abnormal heart rhythm known as Atrial Fibrillation (AFib). The news comes just over two years after the company received De Novo clearance for the ECG feature on its smartwatches.

Read more: Apple Joins Forces with Researchers to Conduct Health Studies Using Apple Watch

AFib is the most common type of irregular heartbeat aka arrhythmia. When a person has AFib, the normal beating in the upper chambers of the heart (the two atria) is irregular, and blood doesn’t flow as well as it should from the atria to the lower chambers of the heart (the two ventricles). According to the CDC, more than 454,000 hospitalizations with AFib as the primary diagnosis happen each year in the United States.4 The condition contributes to about 158,000 deaths each year.

The ECG app on the Apple Watch (Series 4, Series 5, or Series 6) can record your heartbeat and rhythm using the electrical heart sensor and then check the recording for AFib, according to Apple.

The ECG app records an electrocardiogram which represents the electrical pulses that make your heartbeat. The ECG app checks these pulses to get your heart rate and see if the upper and lower chambers of your heart are in rhythm. If they’re out of rhythm, that could be AFib.

An AFib result means the heart is beating in an irregular pattern between 50 and 120 BPM

The Apple Watch ECG app generates an ECG that is similar to a single-lead (or Lead I) ECG. In a doctor’s office, a standard 12-lead ECG is usually taken. This 12-lead ECG records electrical signals from different angles in the heart to produce twelve different waveforms. The ECG app on Apple Watch measures a waveform similar to one of those twelve waveforms. A single-lead ECG is able to provide information about heart rate and heart rhythm and enables classification of AFib. However, a single-lead ECG cannot be used to identify some other conditions, like heart attacks.

Read more: The New Apple Watch Measures Blood Oxygen To Help Users Monitor The Effects Of COVID-19

Single-lead ECGs are often prescribed by doctors for people to wear at home or within the hospital so that the doctor can get a better look at the underlying rate and rhythm of the heart. However, the ECG app on Apple Watch allows you to generate an ECG similar to a single-lead ECG without a prescription from your doctor.

If you receive an AFib classification and you have not been diagnosed with AFib, you should talk to your doctor.

Chinese tech giant Huawei announced the implementation of its brand-new HUAWEI Health Lab in Xi’an, China. HUAWEI Health Lab researchers, engineers and developers will jointly explore the innovation and application of new sports and health technology, bringing the scientific and convenient sports experience to global consumers.

Read more: Huawei Partners Up with Gentle Monster to Release New Smartglasses

The Health Lab includes an experimental smart wearable product testing area and a sports health innovation area. In the experimental smart wearable product testing area, the engineers have set up more than ten reliability tests based on strict standards. All of the HUAWEI smart wearables will stand up to destructive test repeatedly. Only those products that passed the test will be introduced to the market and eventually provide services to consumers. With more than 20 professional research devices, researchers simulate multiple exercise scenarios, collect fitness and health data, and continuously optimize Huawei's fitness and health data algorithms. In this way, all of the consumers with different physical conditions can obtain accurate fitness and health data from our wearable products, Huawei said in a press release.

“Smart wearables are tiny gadgets, but they bear big thoughts which guide consumers to a more scientific workout experience and a healthier life,” said Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei’s Consumer Business Group (BG). Today, Huawei’s smart wearables are among the most popular devices on the market, and as a response to consumers’ trust and loyalty, Huawei is committed to stay innovative, enhance R&D capabilities, and improve professionalism in the field of sports and health technology to offer global consumers a scientific and healthy lifestyle.

Huawei launched seven smart wearables this year. These include smartwatches such as Watch GT 2, Watch GT 2 Pro, and Watch FIT, which won accolades from the industry for their extensive professional fitness and health tracking functions. Indeed, a market research report by IDC, showed that Huawei’s wrist wearables ranked No. 1 in Q2, 2020.

To provide global consumers with more advanced smart wearable products and ultimate fitness and health experience, Huawei's smart wearable and fitness and health R&D team spent nine months integrating existing R&D resources and introducing new professional research devices. After re-location and planning, Huawei's smart wearable and fitness and health R&D team has built the brand-new HUAWEI Health Lab to further enhance innovation capabilities.

The secrets to the birth of these scientific features are housed in the HUAWEI Health Lab. Over 40 researchers, developers and testers work together closely in the lab, actualizing their passion for an active and healthy lifestyle with help from a wide range of specialized research equipment and innovative research methods. Behind the convenient health and fitness experience offered by Huawei wearable products, there are always complex R&D process happened within the HUAWEI Health Lab.

There are hundreds of reliability tests designed by the product team. Among them, a quarter of the test items belong to the extreme durability test. For the Huawei smartwatches and bands that are going to the tests, this is undoubtedly a journey of no return. If the test fails, they will be disassembled to analyze and sent to the factory to destroy.

Read more: Huawei Watch GT Comes to the US for $199 with Two-Week Battery Life

“In the future, Huawei will continue to increase the investment in the field of sports and health, and build another sports health laboratory in Songshan Lake, Dongguan which will collaborate closely with more than 10 of Huawei’s global science institutes, sharing R&D resources with the aim of building an innovative, industry-leading, and open Huawei sports health ecosystem. We also aim to provide consumers easy to use, professional and accurate health and fitness products,” said Rico Zhang, President of Smart Wearable and Health Product Line in Huawei Consumer Business Group (BG).

With the rapid expansion of Huawei’s sports R&D facilities matching the brand’s growing repertoire of wearable devices to suit different consumer needs, the future certainly looks bright for Huawei’s Smart Wearable and Health Product Line.

When fitness trackers first hit the market, they made a stir because of their ability to track our steps. The advent of smartwatches changed all that. In addition to tracking our steps, smartwatches can monitor our heart rate, calories burned, distance traveled and even take ECG readings.

Read more: Remote Patient Monitoring with Wearables – Improving Healthcare at Home and at the Point of Care

Other brands like Oura and Whoop specialize in advanced recovery insights, based on metrics like heart rate variability, respiratory rate, and sleep, reports mbg health. According to research, one in six consumers currently owns and uses wearable technology.

This year, the NBA and WNBA teamed up with Oura to help promote the health and safety of their players, including potentially catching early signs of COVID-19 during their season, such as body temperature changes, according to mbg health.

As the popularity of wearables is rising among healthcare professionals, in the New Year, we might see more and more doctors using wearables to measure the health metrics of their patients.

“Our healthcare system needs to move away from a paradigm of largely reactionary treatment to a more proactive, preventative approach,” says Casey Means, M.D., a health-optimizing physician and co-founder of Levels. “Wearables—coupled with intelligent software—will be a valuable part of this movement.”

Means also thinks there will be more development in biowearables that track internal biomarkers, like Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs). “Having a miniature laboratory on your arm is not science fiction, it’s the near future.”

Personalized medicine physician Molly Maloof, M.D. believes in the New Year we’ll see more at-home labs and testing opportunities. “I’m pretty excited about devices like Vessel which tests urine for health biomarkers. Basically, our home bathroom is going to become our mini lab.”

Read more: Fitbit CEO Reveals He’s Planning to Transform Fitbit To A Digital Healthcare Company

Wearables are fascinating devices, but it’s important to acknowledge that not everyone can afford one. At the same time, not everyone would like to wear one twenty-four hours a day.

Ultimately, it's up to you to decide whether a wearable device is something from which you would benefit. But seeing their rising popularity, it is safe to say that the wearables of tomorrow will change the way we track our health.

The brain-hacking wellness wearable NeoRhyhm just got updated in time for Christmas. MDCN Technologies Inc., the maker of NeoRhythm said all 11,000 devices on the market have been updated.

From an initial crowdfunding goal of $25,000, the company raised 67 times that, nearly $1.8 million, making them one of Indiegogo's most successful projects ever.

Read more: NextMind Starts Shipping its DevKit for Real-Time Brain-Sensing Wearable

NeoRhythm, U-shaped headband, is the latest innovation in the rapidly developing field of neuroscience, using a safe magnetic method of neuromodulation called Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy (PEMF) to target specific areas of the brain with the purpose of helping the user reach a desired state of mind such as relaxation, focus or sleep. PEMF has been FDA-approved and used regularly by doctors worldwide for decades, MDCN Technologies said in a press release.

Here's how it works

The brain processes information about how we feel, behave and perform. The electrical footprint of its function is seen in the form of brain waves, which change depending on our activity.

NeoRhythm emits scientifically-validated dominant and accompanying frequencies to which the brain synchronizes, creating a perfect mental environment for the desired state of mind. The headband doesn’t just target the brain in general. It can be used in five different positions to better reach the area of the brain you want to stimulate.

NeoRhythm works without any wires or control buttons. Simply tap it twice to​ select the last mode used or to select another mode through the app on your smartphone.

With its advanced technology and design, NeoRhythm can be used in five different positions to better reach the area of the brain that needs to be stimulated and the wearer can choose from six stimulation programs, all of which are backed by scientific studies in the fields of PEMF and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS):

Improve Sleep: Helps the brain slow down and go into sleep mode by emitting frequencies of theta and delta brainwaves, which are naturally produced by the brain when we are sleeping.

Deep Relaxation: The headband emits a corresponding frequency of delta waves, and the brain synchronizes to reach a state of calmness.

Enhance Mental Capacity: This mode emits a dominant frequency of beta brainwaves, accompanied by a weaker frequency of gamma brainwaves, which are characteristic for the state of higher perception.

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Pain Control: This program emits dominant gamma brainwave frequency with accompanying alpha brainwave frequency to decrease sensitivity to pain.

Meditation: Stimulates the brain with dominant theta waves, which are ideal for deep meditation, or dominant alpha waves, which are characteristic for a state of quiet focus.

Energy Plus Vitality: Energizes and re-vitalizes body and mind.