Wednesday 19 October 2022 - Augmented and virtual reality devices are becoming established commercial products, but they have yet to meet their full promise of revolutionizing how we interact with computing. For this to happen, substantial hardware development needs to take place: but what are the key bottlenecks here?

On September 30th 2022, Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke to Dutch news outlet Bright about the future of augmented reality (AR) and the metaverse. On AR, Cook was bullish, stating that it "won't be that long" until we look at life without AR as we now look back to a life before the internet or smartphone.

Virtual, augmented, and mixed reality (VR/AR/MR) devices promise to revolutionize the way we interact, acting as gateways to the metaverse. Despite these technologies already achieving limited adoption, extensive headset hardware development is required to meet the demands of becoming a ubiquitous computing platform.

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.