Wearable tech refers to smart devices equipped with sensors designed to accumulate information about the wearer's health, status, and location. It is one of the most promising areas for new product development.
Experts believe that the market for wearable tech will grow 137% in the next four years. With inventors proposing new product ideas all the time, the field will remain competitive despite the explosion of consumer interest. It will take the help of an experienced design house to get competitive products to consumer markets.
Keep reading to discover what trends in wearable product development 2021 are in demand and needed to know for keeping up with a swiftly changing industry.
What is Wearable Product Development?
This technologically advanced subspecialty of consumer product development focuses exclusively on wearable devices. The devices are outfitted with sensors designed to connect to the Internet of Things (IoT) to transmit essential consumer data.
Current examples of wearable tech products include:
Smart jewelry such as watches and rings
Fitness trackers in wristband or strap form
Smart clothing that can interact with phones to change fabric characteristics
Augmented reality (AR) headsets
AI hearing aids
Body sensors for remote medical monitoring
Just a few years ago, the idea of wearable technology would have sounded like it was coming from the mouth of a science fiction writer. Today, the industry is in its infancy.
What tomorrow will bring is largely dependent on the innovations of entrepreneurs and industry experts. That said, now is also a great time for individual inventors to cash in on their ideas. The key is to find a design company such as Spline Design that is capable of producing high-quality wearable electronic prototypes.
Top Trends to Watch in 2021
Interested in getting into wearable tech development? With the landscape changing so fast, those who want to design competitive products need to keep an eye on changing trends.
Here are the top five trends to watch in 2021:
1. IoT Connectivity
Without the Internet of Things, there would be no wearable technology. The most promising networking technology for 2021 is likely to be cellular IoT. The rollout of 5G has made it possible to design wearable tech that can transmit data from anywhere over super-fast cellular networks.
2. Enhanced Customer Data Collection
One of the great things about wearable tech is that it allows product manufacturers to collect real-time data. So far, most of the focus has been on how healthcare providers can use patient data for remote medical monitoring.
The ability to enhance customer data collection offers just as much potential for consumer product development, especially in the fields of personal fitness and wellness.
Examples could include monitoring stress signals and correlating the data with daily activities. The possibilities are endless for ingenious inventors and entrepreneurs.
3. Embedded GPS Technology
In 2021, there's nothing innovative about a basic GPS tracker. However, the incorporation of GPS technology into wearable devices could prove promising in the coming years. The right wearable tracker could find a market among parents, pet owners, and many other consumer groups in coming years.
4. Improvements in Payment Processing
To assume that the only applications for wearable tech relate to health data and location tracking would be short-sighted. Some vendors are already using this tech to facilitate contactless payment, as well. This is a demanding subspecialty since financial data requires significant protections, but it's also a promising one for smart entrepreneurs.
5. Wearable AR Tech
So far, augmented reality (AR) wearable tech is limited primarily to headsets, but that could change soon. There's certainly no blueprint for how to design a product for such a novel field, but the possibility of AR's wider applications should give forward-thinking inventors something to think about.
Why is Wearable Technology Useful?
The field of wearable technology is still in its infancy, but it's already improving people's lives. Medical patients can be equipped with sensors to monitor vital signs and fitness enthusiasts can keep detailed records of their improvement.
Recently, wearable tech devices like color-changing clothing and AR headsets have even been making tech enthusiasts' lives more fun.
The Future is Here
Tomorrow's best products are already in development. Inventors with promising ideas should find a design shop like Spline to help with product development and manufacturing now to get ahead of the curve.