Wearable electronics are already reality

NEW YORK-Google goggles will only be released commercially next year, but its impact is already felt in the technology industry. At a time when sales of smartphones and computers slows, manufacturers large and small are beginning to develop electronics that can be "dressed", ushering in a new category for these sectors so dependent on technological innovation.
This movement was observed during the Wearable Tech Expo (Wearable Technology Exhibition), held two weeks ago in New York (USA). About 30 speakers, the Conference gave idea of "wearable" computer type that you can reach the consumer.
What once seemed like science fiction movie is closer than we thought. Many of the products featured at the show aimed to health and well-being. Among them, was the M-SporTracker, a track for the arm that monitors the heartbeat during physical activity. Associated with an application, it stores the collected data for further evaluation.
Following the same line, another highlight of the fair was the appliance Shine, presented by Misfit Wearables, whose founder comes to Brazil this month. As well as other activity monitors, the information collected are transferred to an application.
Google Glass: How do Google goggles
Click the image for a larger view. INFOGRAPHIC: William Mariotto
"Wearable technologies are still being shaped, but already represent a huge potential for the market," says Rich Tehrani, President of Wearable Tech Expo.
The wearable technology sector is still in its infancy, but the prediction is that move $ 4.6 billion this year, according to a study by British consultancy Visiongain. Among the instruments cited by the study, are smart watches, sensors that generate reports on health, devices for measuring performance of physical exercises and augmented reality glasses, as the Google Glass.
According to the report, Google goggles should "reset" the wearable market and Apple should be your biggest rival, with a possible electronic clock that connects to the iPhone. "We believe that the market for wearable technology will follow the same paradigm that smartphones and tablets, and that over the next five years these devices will have an explosive growth", says the consulting.
Another study from the research firm MarketsandMarkets States that these products should grow sales 30.4% per annum and will move $ 8.3 billion by 2018.
Versatile. The appliances are dressed as clothes and interact directly with the body of users. So, they have been a versatile technology, open to new trials.
One of the sectors that more progress is the sporting goods. Nike, for example, has invested in this type of technology and one of the bets are wearable electronics brand, as the FuelBand bracelet.
The machine is a kind of clock that records the daily physical activity and alert, through bright warnings, if the user is moving enough. A website and an application to analyze the information so that the user can understand better their physical activities. "We wanted to find a way to keep people motivated and active," says the Vice President of digital for Nike Sport, Stefan Olander.
Wearable market
Other market driven by the growth of wearable technologies is the applications. Like most products serves to capture data, nothing more natural than the development of software for smartphones that analyze the information.
Specialist in creating applications for smart glasses, the SilicaLabs is responsible for GlassFit, a software for the Google Glass that suggests physical exercise routines. In addition to the application, the company also created the SimpleWing, free software for creating apps for the Google goggles. Who used the launch to insert in this booming market was the National Geographic, who created an application that offers images and headlines of their digital publications.
Fiction. Wearable computing has served as inspiration for experimental projects that borders on science fiction. The Innovega, American company that develops wearable devices, presented earlier this year a prototype of augmented reality contact lenses – iOptik.
Associated with a frame of glasses, the lenses apply layers of information on vision. Still no release forecast, this technology promises to be better than the developed by Google.
The project resembles futuristic short story Sight, which portrays a character who uses a smart contact lens type. Everything is done through the lens. When cutting a legume, the lens casts the exact size of the pieces he needs cut. When going out for a romantic rendezvous, it pulls data from social networks on your paragraph about a year ago, when the film was released, so seemed distant, but now are closer to reality.