Are robotic arms the answer for fitness wearables’ testing?

The current way to test fitness tracker accuracy is inefficient, but a Finnish startup has come up with a solution that could reduce the cost and the time spent testing the device.

Verkotan, an over-the-air (OTA) mobile research and development lab, has repurposed one of its test chambers for wearable testing. In the new chamber sits Speag’s anatomical human, the EM Phantom Popeye, which has the ability to simulate movement in a variety of different real-life areas, from a busy urban environment to rural valleys.

Switching from real life testers to the robotic arm could save wearable manufacturers thousands in expenses and reduce the amount of time needed for testing. It also, according to Verkotan, provides manufacturers with more accurate test results, since it can perform more testing in a shorter time period and not have any real world barriers.

“GPS testing relies on unreliable field testing,” said Kari Komonen, CEO at Verkotan, in aYouTube video. “It requires weeks of testing. Engineers need to carry out field testing in multiple locations. We have completed changed this, by bringing it into the laboratory environment.”

“In our test lab, this reduces GPS test time to one day. A reliable, repeatable test environment also enables better performing products,” he added.

Will big wearables makers like this testing?

Its not clear if major vendors like Fitbit and Apple already have this type of virtual test environment. Apple must have some type of in-house testing program, considering the lack of design leaks for the Watch prior the announcement.

For smaller firms, it might be a way to test the product extensively without having to hire a dozen runners. This could reduce product leaks as well, which may be useful for mid-sized firms like Jawbone and Pebble, that have lots of fans but a low amount of cash on hand.

Richer, sicker seniors to drive medical wearables market growth

The medical wearable devices market is expected to grow over 16% by 2023 thanks to seniors with more money to spend on technology to ease their chronic pain and diabetes.

MedGadget reports that the worldwide medical wearables market is expected to increase from $2.73 billion in 2014 to $10.7 billion by 2023, amounting to a compound annual growth rate of 16.4% between 2015 and 2023.

As populations of seniors are growing worldwide, so grows market for those using wearablesto manage such ailments as diabetes and chronic pain. And with wealth concentrating among the aging populations in many countries, medical wearables will enjoy a more affluent customer base in the medium term.

However, in the near term medical wearables will face challenges in widespread adoption by seniors because of their high cost and the lack of insurance reimbursement policies.

Yet as medical wearables become more user-friendly, seniors worldwide will increasingly adopt medical wearables to track and manage their health conditions.

Key players in the medical wearables market include: Fitbit, Koninklijke Philips, Polar Electro, OMRON, Cleveland Medical Devices and Medtronic.

North America dominating medical wearables market today

Geographically, North America dominated the medical wearables market in 2014 thanks to increased health and fitness awareness and the role innovative connected devices play in that realm. The fitness and sports segment is expected to continue to dominate medical wearable use in both North America and globally over the next few years.

But further in the future the Asia Pacific region will emerge as a major driver of medical wearables, as massive diabetic populations in India and China turn to technology to manage their health conditions. The rising per capita wealth of the emerging middle class in Asia will allow those populations to buy more expensive technology.

As well, hospitals and healthcare centers will increasingly adopt more diagnostic and therapeutic wearable devices for such uses as neuromonitoring, tracking vital signs and fetal monitoring. And as the new medical wearables are far less cumbersome and more versatile than existing equipment, connected devices will steadily replace the bigger medical devices currently in use over time.

Smartwatches fail to keep time despite wearables growth

The wearables market has seen over 67 percent annual growth in the past twelve months, but the smartwatch industry continues to drag down the numbers.

Market research firm IDC posted sales results for the first quarter, which shows Fitbit and Xiaomi ahead of the rest by a considerable margin. The two companies hold 24.5 and 17 percent of the market, respectively.

Apple comes in third with 1.5 million sales in the first quarter, accounting for 7.5 percent of the market. It has done considerably better than its rival, Samsung, in fifth place with 700,000 sales.

Android Wear manufacturers did not reach the top five, beaten by Garmin and BBK, a Chinese firm that sells a kids watch. IDC does count more than 37 percent of sales in ‘Other’ however, so it is possible that Android Wear watches surpass Samsung or Apple when combined.

Fitness appears to be the key function for wearables in 2016, as it has been for the past few years. Fitbit sold 4.8 million and Xiaomi sold 3.7 million this quarter; both firms provide inexpensive wearables that track health and fitness with limited interactivity on the wearable.

Smartwatches and wearables going their own ways

“There’s a clear bifurcation and growth within the wearables market,” said Jitesh Ubrani, senior research analyst for IDC’s Mobile Device Trackers. “Smart watches attempt to offer holistic experiences by being everything to everyone, while basic wearables like fitness bands, connected clothing, or hearables have a focused approach and often offer specialized use cases.”

Xmetrics CEO had a similar opinion of the wearable market, saying that in the next few years more customers will move towards a simplistic and singular experience.

That doesn’t mean smartwatches are dead in the water, however it might be a few years before we can expect it to be on the same level as mobiles or PCs.

Oculus snags Fitbit exec Hans Hartmann as new COO

Oculus is bringing a new COO aboard as it perhaps looks to double down on tightening things up logistics-wise.

Fitbit COO Hans Hartmann will be jumping ship and joining the virtual reality company owned by Facebook, according to a tweet from Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe. Hartmann, who was with Fitbit since 2011, will be replacing founding COO Laird Malamed, who Iribe says will be “taking on a new executive role helping [Oculus] scale the business to bring virtual reality to millions around the world.”

CEO Brendan Iribe’s note that Hartmann has “decades of hardware, manufacturing and supply chain experience” is undoubtedly good news given the supply struggles that the virtual reality company has endured with the launch of their Rift VR headset, which is still struggling to keep up with pre-orders.

Over a third of households may own a wearable next year

35 percent of households may own a wearable by this time next year, as people start to see the value in a wearable that can track fitness and give detailed analysis on your workouts.

That’s a 15 percent gain on current wearable ownership, according to the Consumer Technology Association. In a study published this week, CTA revealed a large interest in fitness trackers and other related wearables, but less of an interest in smartwatches.

Only eight percent of households own a smartwatch currently and that figure is set to reach 16 percent by next year. That’s still improvement, but the cost of a smartwatch for its limited additional features seems to be pushing consumers to fitness trackers and other cheaper wearables.

But it’s not just fitness wearables

The report also mentions smart home devices, like thermostats, lighting controls, and motion sensors becoming more popular in the United States, with 15 percent of households owning at least one device.

Connected devices like smart TVs, speakers, and wireless headphones are also easing consumers into the smart home process of connecting devices through Bluetooth and the internet. CTA believes that this is a bridge for households to move to a smart home system, once they understand the capabilities of a connected home.

Smartphones continue to rule the roost when it comes to gadgets and have become hub devices for a smart home system. Some expect to see the smartphone fade away in ten years, but for now it is a prime device that is required if you want a smart home.

As we move forward in the wearable market, it might be even harder for smartwatches to appeal to consumers. Xmetrics CEO expects to see more focused wearables that offer one purpose, and does not see the additional smartwatch functionality as worthwhile.