Wearable Technology

IDTechEx have released a brand new episode of the 'Tomorrow's Tech by IDTechEx' podcast, 'AR and VR Headsets - Time for an Extended Reality Check?'. Host Dr Tess Skyrme and industry expert Sam Dale will be discussing the up-and-coming trends in the AR/VR landscape.

Apple's Vision Pro has recently grabbed all the headlines in the spatial computing world, following years of hype and rumors of Apple bringing a headset to market. The Vision Pro is thought to be merely the opening salvo of the tech giant's strategy, with see-through augmented reality (AR) devices expected to be the endgame.

Artificial Intelligence is transforming the world as we know it; from the success of DeepMind over Go world champion Lee Sedol in 2016 to the robust predictive abilities of OpenAI's ChatGPT, the complexity of AI training algorithms is growing at a startlingly fast pace, where the amount of compute necessary to run newly-developed training algorithms appears to be doubling roughly every four months.

IDTechEx have launched a new monthly podcast, 'Tomorrow's Tech by IDTechEx', bringing you up to date technology trends. In each episode our host will interview an industry expert from IDTechEx, offering insights into a range of emerging technologies.

In 2024, augmented reality headsets are now affordable enough that some average consumers received a pair last Christmas, yet they are unlikely to form the top fashion craze for the year. In 2013, Google Glass was the first commercial AR device to enter the public consciousness.

IDTechEx's market research report, "AI Chips for Edge Applications 2024-2034: Artificial Intelligence at the Edge", projects that the global AI chips market for edge devices will grow to US$22 billion by 2034, with the consumer electronics industry vertical taking the largest chunk of this revenue figure, at just over 45% by this date.

AR and VR (augmented and virtual reality) headsets are well on their way to establishing themselves as the next important category of computing devices. Mixed reality-capable VR headsets like Meta's Quest 3 and the upcoming Apple Vision Pro are demonstrating the true power of spatial computing. VR headsets for home gaming have sold by the million, while AR glasses have carved out a place in the industry.

Tuesday 5 December 2023 - Overview of how the changing XR device market has driven new requirements for XR optics; Outlook for the development of AR waveguide combiner industry, with key innovations highlighted; Analysis of the rapid rise of pancake lenses in VR and identification of the technologies that may replace them; Overview of the latest ten-year market forecasts for XR optics, predicting technological winners and the suitability of optics types for different segments of the XR device market

From blankets to towels to clothing to upholstery, humans are in contact with textiles for almost all their lives. Textiles, used for warmth, comfort, and aesthetics, can be combined with electronics to gain exciting new functionalities.

Spatial computing promises to transform the way we interact with our devices as computing goes truly 3D, with early signs of change already underway. While Apple's upcoming Vision Pro is bringing new excitement to this space, gaming-focused VR (Virtual Reality) headsets from companies including Meta, Sony, and Pico have sold millions of units, and AR (Augmented Reality) glasses from Vuzix, Microsoft, and more have found a valuable place in industry.