WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY & BIOMETRICS Key parts shaping the future of
the smart wearables industry An article written by Clyde Midelet, Ph.D., and Pierre Delbos, both Technology & Market Analysts, Sensing and Actuating, in the Photonics & Sensing division at Yole Intelligence, part of the Yole Group.
Clyde Midelet T
and growing rapidly. Global consumer megatrends, new habits, and tools for medicine – including teleconsulting, remote patient monitoring, preventive medicine, and improvements in connectivity in Industry 4.0 by 5G, are boosting this market. Smart wearables are widely used in consumer, medical, and industrial markets. The applications are diverse, with healthcare, (TWS) being the main ones. The total number of smart wearables was 949 million units in 2022, and we forecast it will reach 1.2 billion
units in 2028 with a 4% CAGR22-28 (by volume). In terms of sensors and actuators, this represents a global market of almost US$3.58 billion in 2022, expected to grow to US$5.7 billion, with a ~8% CAGR22-28.
It is worth noting that the increase in the number of smart wearables is not keeping pace with the growth of sensors and actuators, resulting in more advanced and functional products. Three main wearables systems are expected to boost the wearables Smartwatches integrating technologies for noninvasive glucose monitors and other physiological markers such as lactase, ketone, or alcohol levels.
Hearables with new functionalities such as 3D audio, Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), voice assistant
AR smart glasses with advanced display technologies, complex software, powerful processors, and sensors & actuators designed for a broad range of applications.
Technology trends for smart wearables
Four main technology trends are expected. Sensor fusion - As an example, efforts are made to combine PPG signals with IMUs and ECGs to improve accuracy and the signal-to- noise ratio.
Integration and optimization - In order to integrate PPG modules in smaller systems, such as TWS or smart rings, improvements are being made to these modules to reduce the size, the power consumption, and to increase the sensitivity. Non-invasiveness - There are ongoing developments to incorporate noninvasive technologies for glucose level monitoring into smart wearables such as smartwatches, smart rings, and smart patches. Miniaturization - A growing penetration of MEMS technologies is noticed in consumer and medical hearables applications.
Pierre Delbos
Healthcare at the heart of new technology development
intelligence algorithms are being combined to improve health monitoring, especially for
heart rate, SpO2, and ECG. Indeed, OEMs are boosting their efforts to make it easier to monitor the end-user’s health conditions with improved accuracy.
The Apple Watch is a perfect example of this. From Series 1 to the latest one (Series 8 and Ultra), the number of sensors & actuators and modules almost doubled. Originally monitoring solution provider with its FDA- smartwatch is now offering functions such
as respiratory rate, SpO2, and temperature measurement.
Recently, new announcements were made that noninvasive blood glucose level monitoring will be the next functionality to be integrated into the Apple Watch. It is a secret project 12 years in progress, and the company has apparently made interesting breakthroughs toward bringing glucose monitoring to the Apple Watch1
. Several
technologies are good candidates for these NIR signals, spectroscopic analysis, or radio frequency waves can be used.
Based on the historical development cycles of the Apple Watch series, at Yole Intelligence, we estimate that the PPG modules would be upgraded every 3 to 4 years. Based on this trend, it is reasonable to say that a next- generation PPG module with the ability to monitor blood glucose levels will be launched within one to two years. Indeed, it could be crucial, as the number of adults living with diabetes worldwide is expected to rise from 537 million to 783 million by 2045, according to IDF Diabetes Atlas. Reference: Sensors & Actuators for Wearables 2023 report, Yole Intelligence
1 Source: Bloomberg APRIL 2023 | ELECTRONICS TODAY 37
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