Before Google Glass first hit public testing in 2013, the word "glasshole" had already been coined. Referring to someone who uses an augmented reality (AR) headset inconsiderately, this term eloquently expresses the difficulty in achieving social acceptability.

Thursday 4 August 2022 - Clarifying the definition and types of haptics; Use cases of haptics in different industries; Haptic technology benchmarking; Analysis of the current market landscape; Key market challenges in the short-term future; Key long-term market drivers; and Some key takeaways from IDTechEx forecasts

Razer, one of the leading global companies providing gaming hardware, announced the acquisition of 100% of the shares of Go Touch VR SAS, also known as Interhaptics, a French startup founded in 2017 and specialized in haptics tools and software. What does this tell us about trends in haptics?

Insulin pumps offer several prominent benefits over other insulin delivery methods, so why are insulin pumps so rarely used today, as compared to other insulin delivery methods?

Imagine a world where we not only upload pictures of our latest recipes, beauty products, and coffees - but also share their smell. The opportunities for digital smell could be vast, but what are they, and what gas sensor technology will enable it?

IDTechEx has released its latest report on haptics, projecting that the industry's annual revenue will grow to over US$5 billion by 2027 and will continue to increase through to 2033. Where should the industry be focusing to drive this growth?

Haptics 2023-2033: Technologies, Markets, and Players - Current and emerging technologies (ERM motors, LRAs, piezoelectric ceramics and polymers, surface haptics, SMAs, electroactive polymers, contactless haptics and thermal haptics), markets, forecasts, and players in haptics.

Virtual Reality (VR) headsets are edging toward becoming commonplace. However, social acceptability is still some way off and the user experience is not entirely comfortable. Essential to solving these problems are the lenses that magnify and focus headsets' displays.

Thursday 30 June 2022 - Emerging optical technologies have the potential to make realities feel more real in a compact device that may be worn all day. But what are these technologies and how will they alter the landscape of this growing industry? How will manufacturers and material suppliers need to react?

Thursday 23 June 2022 - Mass-digitization trend is predicted to cause the gas sensor market to surpass $8 billion by 2032. The gas sensor market is a complex combination of multiple technologies and applications - and understanding where true opportunities for commercial success exist is challenging.

Air quality concerns are on the rise globally, with urban pollution the dominant cause. However, radon accumulation and unpleasant aromas are often bigger problems in rural locations, creating opportunities for gas sensors that offer continuous monitoring and even odor categorization.

In 2022, hype around extended reality (XR) devices and the metaverse is at an all-time high, but hardware hurdles continue to hold back headset development.

Gas sensors are simultaneously an established and emerging industry, creating a complex web of technologies and applications for stakeholders to understand. Detection methods span a diverse technology landscape, ranging from semiconductor and optical to acoustic and photoionization.

Smartwatches have soared in popularity in recent years, with their motion and heart rate sensors tracking the activity of millions worldwide. However, not all activity can be monitored using step counts - limiting the appeal of existing wearable technology to many gym-goers and amateur athletes.

By the year 2032, IDTechEx predicts the test strip industry to make up only 6.7% of the overall diabetes management device market, down from a peak of 63.4% in 2010.

Thursday 28 April 2022 - A New Era for Diabetes Management. Discussions on how CGMs can drive diabetes management digital health platforms; overview on how a growing CGM industry will affect the insulin delivery industry; future targets of the diabetes management technology industry and several examples of technologies being developed to meet these targets.

In February 2022, the White House issued an updated list of critical and emerging technologies that the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), and National Security Council (NSC) have identified as being important for US national security. Numerous technology areas have been featured, including advanced manufacturing, hypersonics, biotechnologies, and artificial intelligence. Of these, IDTechEx has highlighted which areas to watch and why exactly the White House has shortlisted them as critical technologies.

Wearable technology is now way beyond the watch, but IDTechEx identifies these as the ones to watch.

The new year has dawned, and with it, new year resolutions. From hitting the gym to learning Japanese, January is a month where people challenge themselves. But what if the most worthwhile challenge is to spend a little longer asleep? A celebration that starts with staying up past midnight is hardly the most conducive to getting enough shut-eye - but that is exactly the resolution worth making.

Thursday 13 January 2022 - New Self-healing Materials Save Lives, Money, and the Planet. The webinar explains how this is a world of many materials including a lot of silicon polymers such as geopolymers and silicones. It involves many ionomers, hydrogels, polyurethanes, ionomers, epoxies and Diels-Alder polymers but much more besides.