Under Armour, an American footwear and sportswear manufacturer, is increasingly using Artifcial Intelligence (AI) to improve the fitness data that it collects from consumers, according to Jim Mollica, the company’s SVP of Digital Marketing and Media.

Read more Nike Unveils Smart Basketball Shoes that Can Be Self-Laced with a Smartphone App

Over the past year or so, the sportswear maker has been incorporating AI into its data collecting capabilities, Mollica told Baltimore Business Journal.

Under Armour’s latest running show the HOVR CGR Connected, is designed for the hardened runners who head outside despite below-freezing temperatures. CGR stands for ColdGear Reactor, and “Connected” refers to the chip in the midsole, a next-tech feature the company has been rolling out in its Hovr line.

The Hovr midsole is made of foam to give its wearer the zero-gravity feel and a plenty of energy return. One drawback is the weight of the shoe, described as a “bit heavy” by a tester, reports Runners World.

The Hovr CGR Connected is the perfect shoe for the winter months when you don’t want to hit the treadmill. “With a secure fit, good cushioning, and amazing traction, I have my go-to cold-weather option,” said a tester.

Hovr CGR Connected Specs

• DIGITALLY CONNECTED: UA’s Record Sensor™ technology tracks, analyzes & stores virtually every running metric so you know exactly what you need to do to get better
• NEUTRAL: For runners who need a balance of flexibility & cushioning
• UA Storm technology repels water without sacrificing breathability
• Lightweight closed hole mesh upper with adaptive insulation in forefoot
• ColdGear® Reactor Intelligent insulation adapts to any degree of activity—it’s warmer when you slow down & cooler when you pick up
• Firm external heel counter for additional support that keeps the back of the foot locked-in place
• UA HOVR™ technology provides ‘zero gravity feel’ to maintain energy return that helps eliminate impact step after step
• Compression mesh Energy Web contains & molds UA HOVR™ foam to give back the energy you put in
• Michelin® rubber outsole provides added durability & better grip when it’s wet or icy
• Reflective details
• Removable insole
• Offset: 8mm
• Weight: 11.7 oz.

The Under Armour ecosystem is composed of four separate components, each offering their own unique function: the current and next generation of Under Armour’s HOVR Connected running shoes, the UA MapMyRun app, the Samsung Galaxy Watch, and UA True Wireless Flash headphones, engineered by JBL.

Read more Samsung Patent Hints at Smart Shoes with Smartphone Connectivity

The company will ship its HOVR running shoes in February 1 with the new MapMyRun experience that can be downloaded from the company’s app store.

Soundbrenner, which made a name for itself with Pulse, has now given its Metronome an update. The wearable offers haptic feedback that can be synced across an entire band to keep everyone on the beat, via feedback that’s around seven times that of a standard smartwatch. Wearers can also tap the screen to create a manual beat, reports Tech Crunch.

Read more PEEX – A Revolutionary Live Music Platform That Allows Users to Mix Audio from Live Concerts in Real-Time

The new Core is being positioned as a “4-in-1 tool.” The Soundbrenner Core gives you a smarter and more reliable set of fundamental music tools in a premium wearable. It serves as your everyday watch plus a Vibrating Metronome, Magnetic Twist Tuner, and a Decibel Meter.

The Core mixes the precision of professional music tools with the convenience of wearable technology. Whether you’re recording in the studio, practicing at home or performing on stage, you’ll always have your tools with you, seamlessly integrated with a watch. The Core reimagines what modern-day music tools can do for your musical development.

The Core uses state-of-the-art technology, smart design and thousands of conversations with customers to deliver the most groundbreaking music tool there is.

Read more Garmin Fenix 5 Plus Smartwatches Can Now Play Music from Spotify

With the Soundbrenner Core, you’ll always be ready to make it count, be it practice or performance. The Core is a tool that gets out of the way instead of in the way.

Key Features

• 5x Multiplayer metronome sync
• Vibrations 7x stronger than a smartwatch
• DAW integration
• Twist, attach, tune
• All-environmental tuning
• Multi-instrument tuning
• Real-time decibel insight
• Noise alarm
• Active listening
• Date and time display
• Push notifications
• Stopwatch and timer

Rokid, a China-based startup that develops AR glasses, announced prototype of Project Aurora augmented reality smart glasses at CES 2019 in Las Vegas.

Read more Vuzix Will Showcase Blade Smartglasses with AR Weather Content Delivered by AccuWeather at the CES 2019

Rokid first launched its smartglasses at the CES last year. Those glasses, called Rokid Glass, looked somewhat like smartglasses. But unlike last years’ glasses, which only projected a display in one eye, the new glasses have two displays for 3D content. The glasses connect to external devices via USB-C. The company is aiming for a low-cost set of glasses that can connect to anything – even a Nintendo Switch.

“With the mission of extending mobile device capabilities and experiences, we’re excited to announce Rokid’s Project Aurora. By leveraging the ever-increasing computing power of mobile devices, Project Aurora supplements these robust experiences by providing a lightweight form factor, industry-leading display quality, and multimodal handsfree input,” said Reynold Wu, Rokid’s head of product and business operations, in a statement.

The company revealed an updated version of the original Rokid glass at the CES 2019. It is 40% smaller, weighs just 120 grams, and features a touchpad controller on the side arm of the device.

The glasses have 1,280×720-pixel resolution and 13 MP RGB camera.

More specs:

• IMU (Inertial Measuring Unit) with three-axis accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer
• SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping)-capable
• 2 microphones
• Built-in stereo speakers
• Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi

CNet’s Scott Stein tried the glasses. He writes:

“The Aurora glasses I tried weren’t in their final form, and can theoretically handle more advanced functions like full-motion 6DOF (6 degrees of freedom, or full motion) tracking and spatial navigation (SLAM). I still have questions.”

Although Rokid disclosed exact price for the glasses, the company said it’ll be around the same as for a midrange phone, and far less than the $1,000-plus price that that most smartglasses have. The company plans to begin selling them to the public this spring.

Read more Realmax Qian, a Wireless AR/VR Headset with a 100-Degree FOV Delivers More Powerful AR experience than HoloLens

“Project Aurora will connect consumers to rich, immersive AR content and experiences that were previously unattainable with such a lightweight smartglass,” Wu said. “We’re excited to share how the future looks through it.”

Nike unveiled its smart basketball shoes, which a wearer can lace via a smartphone app. The smart shoes, dubbed Adapt BB, does more than just self-lace. Using the Nike Adapt mobile app, users can adjust their shoes to the perfect fit.

Related Samsung Patent Hints at Smart Shoes with Smartphone Connectivity

The Beaverton, Oregon-based athletic apparel maker said in an announcement that because how a player’s feet moves in a basketball match, getting a perfect fit is very difficult for traditional basketball shoes. But smart shoes have the ability to adapt to various needs.

“During a normal basketball game, the athlete’s foot changes and the ability to quickly change your fit by loosening your shoe to increase blood flow and then tighten again for performance is a key element that we believe will improve the athlete’s experience,” said Nike VP Creative Director of Innovation Eric Avar.

Nike explained that the Adapt BB uses a custom motor and tension-sensing gears to automatically adjust the snugness of each sneaker on a player’s feet.

Nike will also regularly update its FitAdapt technology. Using these updates, players can make Adapt BB the company’s “first continually updated performance product” with a precision fit that will get better over time.

“Athletes will be able to update and evolve their shoes with upgrades, new features and services all through smartphone technology inside their footwear,” said Michael Donaghu, Nike’s vice president of innovation.

Related Puma is Bringing Back its 80s Smart Shoe with Updated Technology

The shoes can be easily charged by setting them on the mat and watching the lights change to reflect battery levels. If the battery runs out while you’re wearing them, no need to worry, you can manually unlace the shoes.

Nike is flaunting these shoes, calling them a “mobile sports research lab on feet everywhere.” However, the shoes currently don’t give any data. But Nike said it will be coming, reports CNBC.

The shoes will officially debut on January 16, and Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum will be the first one to wear them.

The smart shoes will be available from Nike’s online store starting February 17 and will be priced at $350.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Embrace 2, a seizure monitoring smart wristband to be used by children ages 6 and up. Developed by Boston and Milan-based Empatica, this is the first such device to receive clearance for pediatric use, reports MobiHealthNews.

“We’re proud to announce that Embrace2 has received FDA clearance for children ages 6 and up, the company wrote in a blog post. “This significant accomplishment makes it the first wrist-worn wearable in the field of epilepsy to be cleared as a medical device for children. It is yet another milestone that reinforces our commitment to improving the lives of the millions of families living with epilepsy.”

Related BioSerenity Helping Epilepsy Patients by Diagnosing the Condition Earlier

The Epilepsy Foundation estimates there are around 300,000 American children under the age of 14 have epilepsy. A device like this not only save lives but also give parents some piece of mind.

Embrace 2 uses advanced machine learning to detect unusual patterns that may be associated with convulsive seizures, and immediately notifies caregivers. It also provides rest and physical activity analysis to better understand your lifestyle. And with fast charging and a 48+ hour battery life, it gives you more freedom to do more of what you love.

“We are so happy to provide Embrace with FDA’s formal clearance of its use by pediatric subjects aged six to 21,” Empatica Chief Scientist and MIT Professor Rosalind Picard said in a statement. “Embrace improves the likelihood that a trusted caregiver will be there during the critical moments after a seizure happens. Having somebody present is associated with better health outcomes.”

Related Epilepsy Foundation Awards $3 Million Grant to Scientists for its Seizure Gauge Initiative

Embrace 2 retails for $249 plus a $9.99 per month subscription fee. The device also works as a smartwatch that tracks stress, sleep and physical activity.

Embrace 2 is a prescription-only medical device indicated for use as an adjunct to seizure monitoring in home or healthcare facilities during periods of rest, according to the company.

To diagnose, monitor and prevent future illnesses, healthcare professionals now routinely use wearable devices such as fitness trackers or phones. By monitoring physiological data and behavior, these devices boost self-awareness and encourage behavior change.

Read more How Wearable Technology May Potentially Revolutionize Clinical Trials

Wikipedia describes wearable devices as smart electronic devices (electronic device with micro-controllers) that can be incorporated into clothing or worn on the body as implants or accessories.

So far, we have only seen limited usages of these devices. For example, an app may remind us to take our medication or get more exercise. But “in 2019 this technology will expand into the world of mainstream therapeutic intervention,” says Patti Maes of Wired.

Studies have shown that wearables do not only collect our health data, they also stimulate our bodies through various sensory organs to enhance our body and mind. In one such study, data collected via wearable device determines if a user had atrial fibrillation (a heart condition that increases your risk of stroke). This crucial data can help the wearer more conscious of how their diet or health habits can make an impact on their lives.

Vibrational, temperature-based, olfactory and electrical stimulation can solve our physical and mental health problems.

Nataliya Kosmyna a post-doctoral associate at the MIT Media Lab, has designed a device called AttentivU, which in real-time helps you to stay attentive and engaged with your current task. It provides haptic feedback when it detects that you have a low attention span based on your brain signals. Our hope is that use of the system can train the wearer to increase his/her attention span. Her experiments show that subjects are more attentive and perform better on comprehension tasks.

Read more How Wearable Devices Are Changing the World of Drug Delivery

PK Vitality, a French tech company, has made headlines with their K’Watch Glucose wearable device, which allows diabetics to instantly measure their glucose levels, without the painful finger pricks. The device connects to Android or iOS mobile apps. This is a great example of how a simple wearable could change the lives of millions of people with diabetes across the globe.

3M, a leader in the field of adhesives, now offers a variety of products designed for medical applications. The company has been in the medical adhesive business for over 55 years. They offer transparent adhesives, silicone adhesives, smart adhesives and a range of other solutions.

Read more Study Assesses Wearable Device Adhesives for Optimal Fixation

At CES 2019, 3M showcased their latest efforts in medical adhesives.

Silicon adhesives are very gentle and they don’t adhere to hairs. Transparent adhesives are for people who don’t want their bandages to be shown. It’s low profile and transparent.

“Our experience is that it would be easy to think that adhering a medical device to the body is a trivial exercise and what we’re hearing from the marketplace through our experience in findmyadhesive.com is that it’s really helping to simplify what is a pretty complex decision tree for people and help them to funnel down based on their clinical need, the patient type and the application that they require to choose the right adhesive to begin with,” Marcello Napol, Director, medical device development at 3M told Medgadget.

There are trends as the medical wearable space has developed. On one side, there’s a need to extend the wear time of a medical device and the other area is sensitivity.

“In the year and a half or so we launched two products in the extended wear platform for medical wearable adhesives out to 14-days wear time, which is really pushing the envelope for what is physiologically possible, as you know skin regenerates every 14 days. So that’s been really successful,” said Napol.

Read more Innovative Materials, Technologies and Connectivity Solutions Developed by These Companies Will Blow You Away

Silicon adhesives are designed for sensitive skin, younger patients with fragile skins, and the elderly. 3M has also developed adhesives that are unobtrusive.

“Because other things we’re looking at is devices, wearables that are somewhat invisible to our lifestyle. We wanna monitor, but we don’t want something that’s clunky and something that’s really showing. We can take it off easily and it’s gentle to the skin and still provide that low profile and long-term wear solution that people are looking for in their design,” said Tony Kauffman, New Business Development Manager at 3M.

Everyone was talking about the Willow breast pump when it debuted at the CES in 2017. This convenient and unobtrusive breast pump is quiet and hands-free, and most importantly it fits inside your bra. The wearable pump works while you go about your day, collecting milk into a special spill-proof container.

Related Elvie’s Silent Wearable Breast Pump Makes Life Easier for Nursing Mothers

At this year’s CES, the company unveiled Willow 2.0, which is an updated and improved version of its first pump, reports CNBC.

The older version of the pump had some issues concerning its alignment and some users complained about suffering injuries because they couldn’t see what they were doing.

These issues have been fixed by Willow with the new version. The new version is transparent with a clear flange, allowing pumping moms to see how the pump aligns on their nipple and watch the milk flow. The new pump allows moms to use it without the need for an app.

What’s New in the Version 2.0?

• Allows moms to put it on faster
• Proprietary technology makes it completely spill proof
• Proprietary app feeds automatically in real-time telling moms to keep their volume and how they’re progressing.

Willow comes in a double kit – one for each side. It comes with 24 milk bags and a special introductory pre-order price of $499, which gives you an extra bonus of 48 milk bags.

What’s special about the Willow milk bags is that they have a one-way valve that lets milk go in but not come out. So, they’re totally spill-proof.

Related Ava Fertility Tracker to Partners with Claire Holt to Promote Fertility, Pregnancy Awareness

“Moms work really hard to get their liquid gold, so they’re not going to leak or spill,” says Willow CEO Naomi Kelman.

They’re also fridge or freezer safe so you can throw them in the fridge or freezer. When you’re ready to use it, just snip off the top and you pour it into a bottle and feed it to the baby.

The North Face, an American outdoor product company specializing in outerwear, tents, sleeping bags, and more, unveiled FUTURELIGHT™, a new breathable waterproof material set to revolutionize the future of technical fabrics. The material, which the company describes as the most advanced breathable-waterproof outerwear material, was developed using Nanospinning technology.

Read more KJUS Develops World’s First Sweatless Ski Jacket with HYDRO_BOT Technology

“Right now, the expectation from a waterproof product is something loud, crunchy, muggy and unpackable. With FUTURELIGHT we can theoretically use the technology to make anything breathable, waterproof and for the first time, comfortable,” Global General Manager of Mountain Sports at The North Face Scott Mellin said. “Imagine a waterproof t-shirt, sweater or even denim that you actually want to wear. Today we start with jackets, tents and gloves, but the possibilities could be endless.”

The Nanospinning technology allowed the designers to add unprecedented air permeability into the membrane of a fabric for the first time. The process creates Nano-level holes, allowing for incredible porosity while still maintaining total waterproofness, letting air move through the material and provide more venting than ever before. Nanospinning also gives designers the ability to adjust weight, stretch, breathability, durability, construction (knit or woven), and texture to match athletes’ and consumers’ activity or environment, said a press release.

The material has been tested extensively by the brand’s global athlete team and is expedition proven through use in the highest peaks and harshest environments, including the Himalayas’ Lhotse and Everest.

Read more CES 2019 Wearable: Atomic Unveils Smart Connected Ski Boot

While testing FUTURELIGHT fabric The North Face team alpinist, Jim Morrison climbed, and skied three 8000 Meter peaks 2018, including Everest, Cho Oyu and the world’s first descent of Lhotse Couilor with his partner Hilaree Nelson.

Nelson, who is the captain of the North Face athlete team, said:

“In all my years in the mountains, I’ve never experienced a product that moved and performed as well as FUTURELIGHT. It is creating a new paradigm for what I expect out of a waterproof material.”

One of the key factors differentiating East African runners from other runners around the world is the steady-state oxygen consumption at a given submaximal intensity, also known as running economy. The reason Kenyan runners dominate middle-and long-distance running competitions is their exceptional running economy, according to a research published in PubMed.

The study highlighted the unique capacity of wearable devices such as Physilog®, developed by Gaitup, which can be used to assess real-time running economy and foot mechanics in the field. Gait Up is exhibiting at the WT | Wearable Technologies at MEDICA 2019.

Foot-worn inertial sensors can generate large amounts of data during each stride, providing the coach/sports team with several parameters (e.g., kinematics and potentially VO2), reports Gaitup.

Related CES 2019: These Companies Are Showcasing Their Best Wearables for the Athletes

During real-life situations like during training or competition, there are no data available on running mechanics. The use of innovative wearable devices together with real-time analysis of data could potentially help explain the outstanding performances of certain athletes. For example, the integration of foot worn inertial sensors into the training and racing of athletes will enable coaches and researchers to investigate foot mechanics (e.g., an accurate set of variables such as pitch and eversion angles, cadence, symmetry, contact and flight times or swing times) during real-life activities and facilitate feedback in real-time, said the study.

The same technological approach also can be used to help the athlete, coach, sports physician, and sport scientist make better informed decisions in terms of performance and efficacy of interventions, treatments or injury prevention; a kind of “telesport” equivalent to “telemedicine.”

Related New Technology Used by NFL Athletes Gives Teams and Trainers Edge in Injury Assessment

The connection of a set of sensors (e.g., core temperature pill, 3D FWIS, heart rate monitor or GPS) to a wearable capable to transmit would not only provide real-time physiological and biomechanical monitoring, but also measure and livestream the energy consumption of a given stimulus second by-second. This possibility might permit researchers and coaches to identify the biomechanical factors influencing the energetic cost of running, minimizing the risk of injury or excessive fatigue while providing the athlete with real-time feedback on performance.

AerNos Inc., a San Diego, CA-based company that specializes in smart air sensing devices, announced that its nano gas sensors will be incorporated into a new wearable alert device that will detect certain exhaled gases indicative of hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic episodes in people with diabetes.

Read more Medtronic, IBM Watson Health Launch AI-Powered Hypoglycemia Prediction Feature on Sugar.IQ Diabetes App

Called AerBetic, the device uses a non-invasive, always-on alert system, which may enhance the quality of life of the more than 460 million people worldwide diagnosed with diabetes. AerBetic will be demonstrated during CES 2019 in AerNos booth 42349, Sands Expo, January 8 – 11 in Las Vegas, says a press release.

Initially, AerBetic will come in the forms of bracelets and pendants. The sensors detect target gases, indicative of blood glucose levels, at parts-per-billion levels. The device connects to smart phones and smart home devices via Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi. Alerts are displayed on a mobile app, along with periodic reminders to check blood glucose levels. The app can also notify caregivers of patient status and will relay sensor and diagnostic information to a cloud-based data warehouse. AerBetic uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to continuously improve the performance of the sensors and fine-tune each unit to the individual patient.

“Until now, there has not been a compact, affordable sensor technology that could sense these gases in the breath,” said Sundip Doshi, founder and CEO, AerNos. “Leveraging our research and development of air quality sensors, we’ve designed a sensor that enables AerBetic to develop this diabetic alert solution that has the potential of positively impacting the millions of people living with diabetes.”

Read more Abbott Secures CE Mark for Freestyle Libre 2 with Optional Real-Time Alarms

Our CEO Christian Stammel will attend CES 2019 and will give the perfect sneak peek on what will be awaiting you at the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference EUROPE 2019, which will give you a deep dive into the current momentum of the wearable market and how you can turn the previous hype into mass volume. Our 33rd edition of the WT Conference will be bigger than ever with more than 1.500 m2 floor space and over 80.000 visitors from WT and ISPO integrated into the brand new innovation hall C6 of the Munich Tradeshow. More than 60 high-level speakers coming from Bayer, BMW, Casio, Gore, Microsoft, and STMicroelectronics will give you latest insights in their applications and digitalization strategies via IoT and WT solutions and drive your business development. In the afternoon of the first day, you will get also the chance to be connected to 30 future stars of our ecosystem via our annual IOT/WT INNOVATION WORLD CUP® pitch and award ceremony.

Register here https://www.wearable-technologies.eu/ with 20% discount by using the code WT20

Nuheara, an Australian manufacturer of smart hearing devices, launched a ground-breaking premium hearing product called IQbuds MAX™, which will become the flagship product of the innovative IQbuds™ range, at CES 2019 in Las Vegas.

Related Nuheara Building Ecosystem for Hearables with its IQStream TV

IQbuds MAX™ is the most technologically advanced and powerful hearing product that Nuheara has ever created. Building on all the features currently available with IQbuds BOOST™, IQbuds MAX has triple the hearing capability (utilizing three microphones on each ear), five times the processing power and a world first Hybrid Active Noise Cancelation system, which collectively delivers the most personalized, natural and enhanced sound ever, says a press release.

Last year, IQbuds BOOST was chosen by the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) to be prescribed alongside traditional hearing aids.

IQbuds BOOST and IQbuds MAX both use Nuheara’s unique EarID™ technology. With their clinically validated hearing self-assessment and self-configuration process utilizing hearing aid prescription formulas, they exemplify how new technology is driving down costs which more and more government providers will take advantage of.

“IQbuds BOOST was a game changer in providing the first audiology experience in a box. We are thrilled to take this innovation to the next level with IQbuds MAX™ by offering what we believe is the most technologically advanced assistive hearing product to ever hit the market,” said Justin Miller, CEO of Nuhear.

018 was an incredible year in demonstrating how Nuheara unlocked the hearing healthcare channel globally. Finishing 2018 with the NHS contract and the emerging Specsavers partnership, we are ready to build further on those strong foundations by continuing to lead the way in global hearing innovation.”

IQbuds Max is expected to be available in the second half of 2019.

Related Signia Styletto: High-tech Hearing Aids with Stylish Design

Our CEO Christian Stammel will attend CES 2019 and will give the perfect sneak peek on what will be awaiting you at the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference EUROPE 2019, which will give you a deep dive into the current momentum of the wearable market and how you can turn the previous hype into mass volume. Our 33rd edition of the WT Conference will be bigger than ever with more than 1.500 m2 floor space and over 80.000 visitors from WT and ISPO integrated into the brand new innovation hall C6 of the Munich Tradeshow. More than 60 high-level speakers coming from Bayer, BMW, Casio, Gore, Microsoft, and STMicroelectronics will give you latest insights in their applications and digitalization strategies via IoT and WT solutions and drive your business development. In the afternoon of the first day, you will get also the chance to be connected to 30 future stars of our ecosystem via our annual IOT/WT INNOVATION WORLD CUP® pitch and award ceremony.

Register here https://www.wearable-technologies.eu/ with 20% discount by using the code WT20

TDK Corporation launched a complete portfolio of VR sensors enabling a new class of highly accurate and affordable all-in-one VR solutions, at the CES 2019.

For any VR system, it’s crucial to have precise alignment between the Head-Mounted-Display (HMD) and the Handheld Controllers. This means that even the slightest head or the most extreme hand movement needs to be measured fast and accurately, to allow the immediate rendering of the changed VR scenery.

Read more Oculus Partners with VRHealth to Develop Virtual Reality Pain, Anxiety Management Therapies

The key platform components are:

• InvenSense ICM-42688 6-axis motion sensor for HMDs provides the lowest noise figure in the industry and features the only high-resolution measurement mode, enabling the measurement of VR headset movement with unprecedented accuracy.
• InvenSense ICM-42686 6-axis motion sensor for VR contro
• llers provides the industry’s only extended range motion measurement mode, enabling the accurate tracking of the handheld controller movement at any speed.
• Chirp Microsystem’s ultralow power CH-101 ultrasonic transceiver coupled with Chirp’s SonicTrack™ system is the only time-of-flight based inside-out tracking solution for all-in-one VR systems that delivers true 3D positioning between the head-mounted-display and the handheld controllers.
• TDK Sensor Fusion software that processes the sensor inputs simultaneously to create a simple, fused output that describes the exact 3D position and movement of all VR HW components and runs on commercial application processors.
• TDK TMR sensing elements that enable magnetometers with significantly higher resolution than traditional Hall-effect based magnetometers, thereby enabling the exact determination of the orientation changes of the HMD and controllers.

TDK all-in-one VR platform also sets new standards with respect to small size, low weight, and reduced Bill-of-Materials (BOM), which taken together enable the most affordable and wearable all-in-one VR systems in the industry, said a press release.

“At this year’s CES show we’re announcing innovative VR solutions with some of the world’s leading VR system providers like HTC and platform enablers like Qualcomm, and together we’re shaping the all-in-one AR/VR/XR space,” said Behrooz Abdi, president and general manager of MEMS sensors business group at TDK.

Read more Alaska Airlines Adds Virtual Reality to In-Flight Entertainment to Make Long Flights More Bearable

Wearable Technologies AG CEO Christian Stammel will also be at the CES 2019. He will moderate the session “Putting Wearables To Work” at the Wearable Tech Summit, a CES 2019 Conference track, on January 9th, 2019. Our 33rd edition of the WT Conference will be bigger than ever with more than 1.500 m2 floor space and over 80.000 visitors from WT and ISPO integrated into the brand-new innovation hall C6 of the Munich Tradeshow. More than 60 high-level speakers coming from Bayer, BMW, Casio, Gore, Microsoft, and STMicroelectronics will give you latest insights in their applications and digitalization strategies via IoT and WT solutions and drive your business development. In the afternoon of the first day, you will get also the chance to be connected to 30 future stars of our ecosystem via our annual IOT/WT INNOVATION WORLD CUP® pitch and award ceremony.

Register here https://www.wearable-technologies.eu/ with 20% discount by using the code WT20

Garmin will unveil the latest upgrades to its world-renowned navigation software, enhancements to its infotainment platforms, a demo exhibiting augmented reality technology, and their current work on integrated cameras and wearable solutions at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

Read more Garmin Partners Up with Fitabase to Offer New Data Management for Wearable-Based Research

“We are looking forward to the opportunity of showcasing all the hard work our team has put together for current and future projects at this year’s CES,” said Matt Munn, Garmin automotive OEM managing director. “Whether it’s the inclusion of Garmin wearables with unique OEM vehicle integration, or developments with connected vehicle navigation and augmented reality, this year’s show will help us communicate the company’s relentless commitment to infotainment enhancements and innovation on a global scale.”

Garmin is moving forward with its advancements in navigation technology with a slew of new features set to launch as a global OEM solution beginning in 2020.

Among the innovations will be a hybrid navigation system that powers connected vehicles with real-time, cloud-based destination search and routing. In situations where connectivity is not available, the navigation solution utilizes on-board maps and routing to provide an uncompromised navigation experience. The platform will also include the company’s RouteCast™ Weather system for mile-by-mile route-specific forecasts, says a press release.

Garmin is also bringing back its signature scalable infotainment platform with a digital instrument cluster to CES and adds integration with wearable products—designed by Garmin—for driver monitoring and vehicle telematics.

Garmin, in collaboration with Tapkey, will present a new Bluetooth based digital key solution using Garmin wearables to unlock car doors. Tapkey gives app developers, service providers, and lock manufacturers the ability to add digital key access to their products.

Read more Tesla Files Patent for Google Glass-Like AR System for Faster, Accurate Vehicle Production

During CES, Garmin will specifically showcase how its wearables can also monitor driver stress and display the driver’s fitness information using the Garmin vívoactive® 3 GPS smartwatch.

Our CEO Christian Stammel will attend CES 2019 and also be part of the conference track Wearable Tech Summit on January 9. The perfect sneak peek on what will be awaiting you at the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference EUROPE 2019 will give you a deep dive into the current momentum of the wearable market and how you can turn the previous hype into mass volume. Our 33rd edition of the WT Conference will be bigger than ever with more than 1.500 m2 floor space and over 80.000 visitors from WT and ISPO integrated into the brand-new innovation hall C6 of the Munich Tradeshow. More than 60 high-level speakers coming from Bayer, BMW, Casio, Gore, Microsoft, and STMicroelectronics will give you latest insights in their applications and digitalization strategies via IoT and WT solutions and drive your business development. In the afternoon of the first day, you will get also the chance to be connected to 30 future stars of our ecosystem via our annual IOT/WT INNOVATION WORLD CUP® pitch and award ceremony.

Register here https://www.wearable-technologies.eu/ with 20% discount by using the code WT20.

Matrix has unveiled a new smartwatch, called the PowerWatch 2, which is loaded with features like step count, heart rate monitor, notification and GPS, and needs only body heat and solar power to run.

Launched at the CES 2019, the PowerWatch 2 is a follow-up to last year’s PowerWatch X that was powered entirely by the body heat emitted from your wrist. However, the watch was missing features like GPS and a heart rate sensor that had become commonplace on most smartwatches. PowerWatch X was left with only step counter.

The PowerWatch 2 is less bulky than its predecessor and will offer a wider variety of color and strap combinations than the original, which had a mostly black look.

The improved power enables a full-color LCD screen on the PowerWatch 2. It also has Android and iOS companion apps, and third-party functionality with services like Google Fit and Apple HealthKit. The device features GPS and a built-in heart monitor as well. The hope is that all of this makes the PowerWatch 2 on par with any other smartwatch on the market, but with the added benefit of never needing to charge it.

To make sure that you’ll never need to charge it, Matrix added a secondary charging system: a solar strip in a ring along the outer edge of the display, reports TechRadar.

The PowerWatch 2 has been slimmed down to 42mm wide, down from 50mm of the PowerWatch X, but it still has the same rugged look and feel of PowerWatch X: metal black casing, texture-patterned buttons and red trim.

The PowerWatch 2 also has gesture control and audio/haptic feedback, features that are common on today’s smartwatches. The company included always-on GPS and a heart rate monitor this time, which were sorely missed by adopters of the first watches.

At $499, the PowerWatch 2 falls in the high-end category, but it is available for pre-order now, with a special early price of $200.

Our CEO Christian Stammel will attend CES 2019 and also be part of the conference track Wearable Tech Summit on January 9. The perfect sneak peek on what will be awaiting you at the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference EUROPE 2019 will give you a deep dive into the current momentum of the wearable market and how you can turn the previous hype into mass volume. Our 33rd edition of the WT Conference will be bigger than ever with more than 1.500 m2 floor space and over 80.000 visitors from WT and ISPO integrated into the brand-new innovation hall C6 of the Munich Tradeshow. More than 60 high-level speakers coming from Bayer, BMW, Casio, Gore, Microsoft, and STMicroelectronics will give you latest insights in their applications and digitalization strategies via IoT and WT solutions and drive your business development. In the afternoon of the first day, you will get also the chance to be connected to 30 future stars of our ecosystem via our annual IOT/WT INNOVATION WORLD CUP® pitch and award ceremony.

Register here https://www.wearable-technologies.eu/ with 20% discount by using the code WT20

EKG biometrics innovator B-Secur officially introduced its collection of powerful EKG authentication and wellness algorithms, HeartKey, at the 2019 Pepcom Digital Experience! The technology has potential applications in the automotive and wearable technology. Through partnerships with Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI), Cypress Semiconductor and NXP Semiconductors, B-Secur will make this technology available in vehicles, top fitness trackers and smart wear of the future.

Read more Abbott’s HeartMate 3 Heart Pump for Advanced Heart Failure Patients Gets FDA Approval

HeartKey is built on the premise that an individual’s cardiac rhythm is completely unique just like their fingerprints or iris. It identifies and authenticates users by measuring specific points in their heartbeat.

HeartKey secures real-time health and wellness insights, optimized to provide on-device authentication and wellness information on devices of the future, says a press release.

“HeartKey’s algorithms offer greater security that protects not only our devices and vehicles, but more importantly, our physical health and safety,” said Alan Foreman, CEO of B-Secur. “One of the most flexible and convenient authentication methods available, HeartKey technology also allows users to unlock deep, data-driven insights into their own health and wellness.”

HeartKey also enable users to monitor the muscular and electrical state of the heart in real-world settings. B-Secur’s algorithms can detect potentially dangerous changes in heart rate and rhythm, stress levels, fatigue, respiration and atrial fibrillation.

In the future, B-Secur plans to use the technology in the steering car steering wheels, where it’ll be able to provide identification, access personalized services as well as monitor driver stress, alertness and cardiac conditions to improve the in-cabin experience and potentially save lives.

Wearables with B-Secur will provide early detection of abnormal heart conditions, identify stress and fatigue factors, prevent injury and create personalized fitness goals.

Read more Apple Watch ECG App and Irregular Heart Rhythm Notification Now Available

For the workers, smartclothes integrated with HeartKey technology will enable improved health, safety, security and data insights not possible before.

Our CEO Christian Stammel will attend CES 2019 and also be part of the conference track Wearable Tech Summit on January 9. The perfect sneak peek on what will be awaiting you at the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference EUROPE 2019 will give you a deep dive into the current momentum of the wearable market and how you can turn the previous hype into mass volume. Our 33rd edition of the WT Conference will be bigger than ever with more than 1.500 m2 floor space and over 80.000 visitors from WT and ISPO integrated into the brand-new innovation hall C6 of the Munich Tradeshow. More than 60 high-level speakers coming from Bayer, BMW, Casio, Gore, Microsoft, and STMicroelectronics will give you latest insights in their applications and digitalization strategies via IoT and WT solutions and drive your business development. In the afternoon of the first day, you will get also the chance to be connected to 30 future stars of our ecosystem via our annual IOT/WT INNOVATION WORLD CUP® pitch and award ceremony.

Register here https://www.wearable-technologies.eu/ with 20% discount by using the code WT20

Neurostimulation is often used to treat conditions such as epilepsy, effects of stroke, and even depression. In this type of treatment, special devices are used to send to control the activity of the brain and central nervous system.

However, currently available neurostimulator devices cannot simultaneously stimulate brain activity and record it.

Related Abbott, Medtronic Driving Deep Brain Stimulation Innovation for Parkinson’s Disease

Now, researchers at UC – Berkeley, have developed a wireless electrode array implant that can listen to and stimulate electric current in the brain at the same time, potentially delivering fine-tuned treatments to patients with diseases like epilepsy and Parkinson’s, reports Berkeley News.

Called “WAND” (Wireless Artifact-free Neuromodulation Device), the implantable device has two tiny external controllers, each of which monitors 64 electrodes that sit in the brain.

This device can monitor electrical activity in the brain and learn to identify abnormal signals that indicate the presence of a seizure or tremors. WAND can then help modulate electrical signals in the brain to prevent such events and symptoms. And because it is closed-loop — meaning it can stimulate and record simultaneously — it can adjust these parameters in real-time.

“The process of finding the right therapy for a patient is extremely costly and can take years. Significant reduction in both cost and duration can potentially lead to greatly improved outcomes and accessibility,” said Rikky Muller, an assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences at Berkeley. “We want to enable the device to figure out what is the best way to stimulate for a given patient to give the best outcomes. And you can only do that by listening and recording the neural signatures.”

Related Tencent Partners Up with Medopad to Use AI for Parkinson’s Disease Treatment

Unlike similar existing devices, which can only record electrical activity from up to eight points in the brain, WAND can track activity from 128 different channels.

To demonstrate the device, the team used WAND to recognize and delay specific arm movements in rhesus macaques.

The device is described in a study that appeared in Nature Biomedical Engineering.

Samsung has been pretty busy trying to build an ecosystem of connected devices for some time. The company, more recently, has dipped its toes into smart clothing.

Related Puma is Bringing Back its 80s Smart Shoe with Updated Technology

Now, Samsung’s new patent hints that the South Korean tech giant might be working on a new line of smart running shoes, either on their own or more likely in collaboration with a shoe maker.

Based on similar or close-to-similar products as well as the details of the patent, we can expect smart shoes with sensors plus a smartphone app to support the wearable device.

The smart shoes can be activated in one of two ways, according to the patent. One technique involves pulling the tab located on the back of the shoe while the other one describes a procedure with buttons hidden behind a cover, which could also be on the back of the shoe. What’s not known is how smart the shoes will be and what type of activities will they be capable of tracking, reports BGR.

Counting steps could easily be done by pedometers and trackers. Also, measuring pressure could help indicate whether you’re running the right way or are prone to injuring yourself.

The materials of the shoes suggest they’re made out of a mix of leather and synthetic material.

Last year, Samsung showcased SmartSuit, which was meant for the athletes at the Olympic winter games 2018. The SmartSuit was supposed to help them train. Two years ago, Samsung launched lofit shoes for golf players on Kickstarter.

Related Nike’s Self-Lacing Sneakers Are Coming Back In 2019 With a Much Cheaper Price Tag

The new patents for running shoes suggest they’re meant for casual runners and not only for professional athletes. The patent does not provide too much information about the smart side of the shoes.

When it comes to wearables, a wrist-worn device is always convenient. However, it is difficult to get ECG reading from the wrist. Additionally, getting accurate body temperature typically requires using a thermometer at another location. Integrated circuit maker Maxim Integrated has overcome these challenges through its proprietary sensor and health monitoring technology. It has built a wrist worn platform for designers to develop unique and highly accurate wearable devices that continuously monitor various health parameters.

Read more Maxim Enables a Healthier World with Health Band and ECG Monitor

The Health Sensor Platform 2.0 (HSP 2.0), also called the MAXREFDES101#, can monitor electrocardiogram (ECG), heart rate and body temperature to a wrist-worn wearable, saving up to six months in development time, said a press release.

“Patients and medical professionals are increasingly wanting more real-time exchange of accurate health data collected over an extended time frame, along with the ability to access this data from anywhere,” said Andrew Baker, managing director, Industrial and Healthcare Business Unit, Maxim Integrated. “Wearable and medical device manufacturers can turn to Maxim’s HSP 2.0 to create accurate, wrist-worn health monitoring solutions, shaving off up to six months of the typical development time.”

MAXREFDES101# is a unique evaluation and development platform in a wrist-worn wearable that demonstrates the functions of a wide range of Maxim’s products for health-sensing applications. This second-generation health sensor platform (a follow-on to the MAXREFDES100#) integrates a PPG analog-front-end (AFE) sensor (MAX86141), a biopotential AFE (MAX30001), a human body temperature sensor (MAX30205), a microcontroller (MAX32630), a power-management IC (MAX20303), and a 6-axis accelerometer/gyroscope. The complete platform includes a watch enclosure and a biometric sensor hub with an embedded heart-rate algorithm (MAX32664). Algorithm output and raw data can be streamed through Bluetooth® to an Android® app or PC GUI for demonstration, evaluation, and customized development.

Read more TAGecg 7-Day Wearable ECG Sensor: A Smarter, Simpler Path to Cardiac Diagnostics

Because HSP 2.0 is an open platform, designers can evaluate their own algorithms on the board. In addition, the modular format is future proof to quickly accommodate new sensors over time.

Key Advantages for Designers Include:

• Fast Time to Market: Fully working hardware and firmware with companion watch casing cuts design and validation time by up to six months
• High Accuracy: Only available solution to integrate clinical-grade ECG along with heart-rate and body-temperature measurements into a wrist-worn format
• Arm® Mbed™ Support: For efficient evaluation and rapid application prototyping, the Mbed environment provides a high level of abstraction to eliminate maintenance of software tools and provide an extensive library of open-source software

We acknowledge some of our most private data to the online platforms that we use on a regular basis and we are often oblivious to which of our personal information is collected. We see our username and password as a shield that’ll protect all of these data. However, it may not always be so.

Some people think blockchain is inherently more secure than other technologies. But how secure is blockchain?

Related New Startup Medical Ledger Offers Health Data Privacy with Blockchain-Powered EHR

“Blockchains store data using sophisticated math and innovative software rules that are extremely difficult for attackers to manipulate. But the security of even the best-designed blockchain systems can fail in places where the fancy math and software rules come into contact with humans, who are skilled cheaters, in the real world, where things can get messy,” says MIT Technology Review.

In reality, innovative technology like blockchain can only solve certain security problems. But to be precisely useful in healthcare, it will need to be approached smartly and combined with other security technologies, reports MobiHealthNews.

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center CIO Dr. John Halamka, who also serves as editor in chief of the online journal “Blockchain in Healthcare Today”, sees two major security-related use cases for blockchain – data integrity and patient consent.

“How can you prove that a medical record was not changed, deleted, or amended?” Halamka wrote to MobiHealthNews in an email. “When an encounter is complete, create a ‘hash’, or a one-way mathematical digest of the record, and write that hash into the blockchain. If anyone has questions about the completeness or integrity of a record, it can be provided by comparing the ‘hash’ today with the historical hash recorded the blockchain.”

While blockchain must be combined with other security technologies, companies must also play their part in keeping data secured. They should keep their eyes on potential security problems that blockchain won’t touch. Karolina Starczak’s startup Nutrimedy decided not to use blockchain for now. She notes that human error is still responsible for a high number of healthcare data breaches.

Related Loomia Uses Blockchain to Make Smart Clothes that Make You Earn Money by Selling Personal Data

Not only does blockchain need to be augmented with other security technologies, but companies also need to keep their eyes on potential security problems that blockchain won’t touch. Karolina Starczak, whose startup Nutrimedy decided to pass on blockchain for now, noted that human error is still responsible for a high number of healthcare data breaches.

“Blockchain is just a part of the story,” Grishin said. “It’s an important part, but it’s not the only part,” says Dennis Grishin, Chief Strategy Officer of Nebula Genomics.