The heart of the e-textile business as it emerges is electric and electronic functionality from sensing to light emission, achieved entirely by use of e-fibers.

Many giant electronics manufacturers, computer services companies and conglomerates are heavily investing in wearable technologies, the internet of things, and the internet of people. IDTechEx predicts massive growth in these areas in the coming years.

Last Christmas and New Year the ideal present, for a girl of a certain age, from Japan to the UK was the Neurowear clip-on of floppy ears driven by brain waves to reflect your mood.

Wearable electronics is a very fragmented industry when it comes to manufacturers. Even mature sub-sectors have no clear leaders in what will be a $70 billion plus business in 2024 with 12,000 developers and manufacturers as newly calculated by analysts IDTechEx.

So far, there is very little true e-textile in production - that is, textiles with electronic and/or electric functionality based on weavable e-fibers. That is now changing.

IDTechEx Research's new report "Wearable Technology 2014-2024: Technologies, Markets, Forecasts" comprehensively covers wearable technology and concentrates on wearable electronics and electrics, which will remain over 99% of the business.

The brand new IDTechEx Research report E-Textiles: Electronic Textiles 2014-2024 External Link has a particular focus on the narrow definition of those entirely reliant on e-fibers for electronic, electro-optic and electrical functionality.

This article shares some of the recent research from the brand new IDTechEx report Wearable Technology 2014-2024.

IDTechEx has tracked the printed electronics market since 2002. We have conducted extensive research programs, run our own events internationally and attended most other relevant events. Being impartial, we state the good and the bad. So what have we learnt?

While some involved in OLEDs and OTFTs are moving out of the business of printed and potentially printed electronics, work on inorganic materials and compounds is increasing. The IDTechEx Printed Electronics Asia event in Tokyo will give a balanced view with many presentations being World firsts.

IDTechEx finds that the market for printed and potentially printed electronics, including organics, inorganics and composites, will rise from $1.92 billion in 2009 to $57.16 billion in 2019.

Investors seek unique technologies, then some major customers. Passive RFID oversupplied; but opportunities for active RFID and software.