In the opening keynote of AWE USA 2026 the latest version of Snap's augmented reality (AR) glasses, called Specs, was unveiled to much excitement. However, IDTechEx spoke to many players across the exhibition floor who expressed disappointment at the unveiling.

A metabolic crisis is quietly sweeping through American youths, transforming paediatric prediabetes into one of the country's most urgent health emergencies. Recognising the acute need for accessible intervention, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) achieved a historic milestone by expanding the clearance of Dexcom's Stelo Glucose Biosensor System for paediatric use without a prescription.

From lymphatic drainage tools to insulin pumps, the latest medical and wearable devices were showcased at the Med Tech Expo 2026, where IDTechEx spoke with multiple companies making waves across the sector with their latest innovations.

Wearable devices can bridge the gap between the internal and external, by acting as an interface between the body's inner workings and real-time data displayed on a screen. This article covers wearable devices and quantum sensors used in wearables.

Printed and flexible electronics is a diverse sector, accommodating a variety of technologies and applications from flexible batteries and conductive inks to photovoltaics. This article covers wearables, consumer electronics, and energy.

This week, the long-anticipated announcement of Google smart eyewear came. It revealed intelligent eyewear with frames designed by Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, announced to be launched sometime in the autumn of 2026.

Wearables can bridge the communication gap between the body and a computer. This article explores how devices can serve various purposes, from displaying real-time narration from actual speech, to generating readable, measurable signals translated directly from the body and understood within the medical space.

2026 is an exciting time for smart glasses, with several products expected to be launched from big tech players later this year, which will follow Meta's release of the Ray-Ban Display launched in September 2025. The optics required to give AI smart glasses augmented reality (AR) capabilities are called waveguides and are positioned within the eyepiece. There have been several key developments to waveguide technology which are enabling AR smart glasses which are lightweight, have longer battery life, and have a fashionable form factor. IDTechEx forecasts 35 million AR smart glasses to be sold annually by 2036.

IDTechEx analyst Thomas Bithell discusses the AR smart glass market and the optics used.

Producing streamlined devices to measure a number of medical biometrics and creating modern and efficient wearable products are some of the latest achievable possibilities with printed electronics. LOPEC 2026 saw companies showcasing their latest printed electronics technologies emerging into the market.

Join IDTechEx Technology Analyst Thomas Bithell on Thursday 26th February for this expert webinar, "Waveguide Technologies and Substrate Choices Shaping the Next Generation of AR and AI Smart Glasses".

IDTechEx's expansive portfolio of advanced materials and critical minerals research reports provides a range of technologies from graphene and carbon nanotubes to conductive inks and advanced coatings. This article covers some of their main applications and use considerations.

This article evaluates some of the strengths and weaknesses of reflective and diffractive waveguides used in augmented reality (AR) optics for smart glasses.

Missed out on CES this year? Or did you attend but miss the chance to explore the sensor innovations on display? In this article, IDTechEx Principal Technology Analyst Dr Tess Skyrme outlines three important trends for the sensor market evident from our trip to Las Vegas this year.

Enhancing the relationship between people's health and wellbeing and the global movement of digitalization with the use of wearables will allow for a wider understanding of health conditions or the optimization of communication. This article explores different device types and their use cases.

This article describes the variety of optics required for XR (extended reality) devices. For AR glasses, this includes waveguides and other technologies such as birdbath combiners, whilst for VR headsets, solutions include pancake, Fresnel, and aspheric lenses. Across XR devices, different optics solutions are required based on the intended use case, with a variety of factors contributing to the suitability of an optics technology for a specific device. Factors include weight, optical efficiency, image quality, form factor, and cost.

IDTechEx forecasts that the global sensor market will reach $250B in annual revenue by 2036, as global mega-trends in AI, future mobility, wearables, edge computing, and automation drive renewed growth opportunities. Next generation sensor technology innovations in quantum sensors, ADAS sensors, image sensors, MEMS, photonic integrated circuits, and printed sensor markets will be key to realizing the highest growth opportunities over the next decade.

Translating the body's signals into readable measurements or partaking in the enjoyment of gaming are ever-expanding possibilities with streamlined and accessible wearable devices. This article explores a wide range of wearables, including smart watches, glasses, mouthguards, glucose patches, VR headsets, and brain computer interfaces.

IDTechEx's Sensors report provides extensive analysis of the global sensor market, including 58 company profiles and insights collected from over 20 related sensor reports. Summarizing IDTechEx's extensive sensors report portfolio, this research contains over 35 sensor technology SWOT analyses, 24 technology readiness level roadmaps, material requirements and supplier information across future mobility, IoT, wearables, biomedical, edge computing, environmental sensing and more.

Accessing health metrics during any hour of the day is becoming the new norm as wearable technology is gaining traction and becoming increasingly widespread. This article covers some of the most popular wearable types alongside some newer, emerging applications.