Market changes and opportunity: focus on pandemic related growth, i.e. telehealth, remote work and training needs, enterprise, and consumer.

The Wearables segment continues to experience phenomenal growth, resulting in hyper-segmentation in the industry ecosystem. In this keynote presentation, Pankaj Kedia, who founded and leads the wearables business for Qualcomm, will look back at the evolution over the last 5 years and will look ahead at the exciting changes to expect over the next 5 years. Pankaj will lay out the opportunities that we must seize and the challenges we must overcome to accelerate innovation in the industry.
Pankaj Kedia | Sr. Director & Global Head Wearables and Smart Audio Portfolio, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Telehealth, remote patient monitoring, and in-home biometric data collection were all available before COVID’s arrival, but the pandemic shutdown accelerated the adoption of these and other technologies by orders of magnitude. As a result, underserved populations now have better access to basic healthcare, and they are taking advantage of this access which has resulted in improved health outcomes. This not just for people in sparsely-rural areas, but also the elderly who may have limited mobility, the urban poor who face obstacles to receiving healthcare, and even young adults who have found telehealth services more convenient and accessible.
Alfred Poor | Editor, Health Tech Insider

What opportunities have been created and how is the wearable industry growing and responding, from Telehealth, to fitness, to job training, etc.

Moderator: Teddy Seyed, Senior Researcher, Microsoft Research | Lead of The Future of Wearables Team

Participants:

• Pankaj Kedia, Sr. Director & Global Head Wearables and Smart Audio Portfolio, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.
• Marc Alexander, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Motusi
• David Weiss, Senior Vice President Player Matters, NBA
• Davide Vigano, Co-Founder & CEO, Sensoria Health
• Stacy Salvi, VP Strategy, Movano smart ring

Can you imagine a virtual world that would allow you to work from anywhere, explore or create new worlds, meet with loved ones no matter where they are, or even get contextualized content when you need it? In the next decade, virtual reality headsets and augmented reality glasses are positioned to make these scenarios a reality, however there is a problem: how will you interact with these new technologies?  At Meta Reality Labs Research this is a core problem we are working to solve. Moreover, smart textiles are uniquely positioned to make significant advances in the wearability of interaction devices that require more specialized hardware. This talk will cover the application space of smart textiles in ubiquitous computing through XR, their advantages compared to traditional HCI I/O, and key areas of opportunity. 

Kristy Jost, Ph.D | Manager, Research Science, Meta Reality Labs

Material science innovations such as e-textiles and conductive threads have been around for decades; however, we have yet to see mass consumer adoption of these innovations. This can be attributed to a fragmented yet quickly growing market for wearable technologies. Many of these innovations do catch the eye of the government for one-off use cases, or other academic settings such as labs but still never reach escape velocity or market traction. Nextiles’ seamless approach is complementary to the vast IOT market by providing a non-intrusive, full stack hardware-software offering for both consumers and businesses to capitalize on. As one of the leaders in soft-good electronics and data engineering, Nextiles has found a way to modularize a fundamental sensing platform that can be applied for consumer, business, and government solutions. Actionable insights attendees will gain: Why a B2B2C approach is what the market is missing How materials science companies can better prepare themselves for scale by raising venture capital (or institutional money) Why the NSF and Airforce awarded Nextiles with Phase 1 SBIRs in 2021 How to optimize rapid prototyping and manufacturing by focusing on local labor in the US
George Sun | CEO and Founder, Nextiles

Advances in batteries, materials, technology, platform, and vision could drive a revolution in wearables. For personal use, wearables of the near future will be a combination of doctor-on-wrist and personal trainer-on-wrist. These devices will poll a slew of sensors to judge heart health, sleep patterns, food intake, and daily movement patterns. They will analyze that data both locally and in the cloud and then provide feedback to the user on their health, and identify sickness before it becomes serious. Future wearables could also have greater applications in defense, preventive and predictive maintenance, safety and security, and productivity once artificial intelligence can be effectively run on these battery-operated wearables on their own for an extended period of time. Battery life, compute capability, form factor, accessibility, sustainability, technology platform, and the entire ecosystem, will all have a measurable impact on wearables and IoT devices. What to do now to solidify your position in helping define the future of wearables.
Carlos Morales | VP of Artificial Intelligence, Ambiq

We're in a world of "smart" everything, and apparel needs to catch up fast. Smart retail will mean a more intimate relationship with consumers that changes everything from store operations to replenishment and inventory management. By integrating sensing, intelligence, and internet connectivity into the literal fabric of the industry, there is a way forward that turns brick and mortar into an even more powerful asset. Retail will move from a single node to a continuum of sales, including the intimacy and recurring revenue of subscriptions. In this talk, Wiliot will share a perspective on the way forward and its latest successes in deploying cloud-connected, battery-free, tiny Bluetooth computers to make apparel smarter and more connected. The industry has always listened to the trends. Now it can listen to the clothing, itself.
Steve Statler | SVP Marketing & Business Development, Wiliot

Data shows that Covid accelerated the adoption of digital health therapies along with an overarching interest in improving and maintaining wellness.  Simultaneously, it exposed extreme inequity in our medical system.  Wearable technology can help shore that gap by being more accessible to those who need quality care most.  Given this, what does it mean to be a trusted resource for users, particularly when medicine/science has ignored them to date?  And what can we do to ensure clinicians can incorporate wearable data into their practice?  Movano is at the intersection of medtech and the consumer device space, with a near-term goal of launching a women’s focused service with a human-centric approach.
Stacy Salvi | VP Strategy, Movano smart ring

Wearables transform us. From fitness to work to entertainment, we increasingly rely on them to track health data, correct our posture, go on phone-free runs and make cashless grocery store runs. And as they become more data-driven and power-hungry, battery depletion happens more frequently - and is more disruptive for users. Thankfully, the days of corded wearable charging are gone. Companies are now charging the devices while the use wears it. With the creation of wireless charge-while-you-wear experiences, true 24/7 user experiences are here and will also solve the top issue for product designers: device abandonment and hiatuses. Research shows that the top reason for users abandoning a device is due to taking the device off while charging. More and more wearables will move in this direction over the next 2-3 years to solve retention issues, provide a better user experience, and incorporate the latest technology. In this session, Rob Diebold, VP of Global Sales at NuCurrent, will forecast the evolution of wireless power and data via NFC - the technology that's already in billions of devices worldwide, including: - Design considerations for incorporating wireless power technology in wearables
Rob Diebold | VP, Global Sales, NuCurrent, Inc.

From connected health apparel to intelligent textiles aboard the International Space Station, the area of wearables and intelligent textiles is innovating at a rapid pace. We’re just beginning to scratch the surface of the impact intelligent textiles can have in our everyday lives, but we are still far from unlocking the potential that exists in the fabric of our everyday things. In this talk, we describe how we’re trying to weave new interactivity and experiences into our everyday things through intelligent textiles. We’ll also describe our vision for this space, and how design is at its center.
Teddy Seyed, Ph.D. | Senior Researcher, Microsoft Research | Lead of The Future of Wearables Team

For E-textiles to truly make the shift from generating small volume products for highly specialized markets to a widely adopted toolkit of technologies used to enable products across a diverse set of applications, the industry must mature in a number of ways that go beyond the demonstration of new capabilities.  Industry infrastructure development must be undertaken in order to support lower product development costs and faster time to market for e-textile products.  These infrastructure elements include simulation environments, digital threads, and addressing standards gaps to name a few.  Through collaborative R&D work enabled by a public-private partnership, AFFOA is resolving manufacturing technology gaps through investment in broad industry infrastructure development. Example projects combining government needs with industry driven technology roadmaps will illustrate the current methods our Institute uses to address technology and infrastructure gaps.
Michelle Farrington | Vice President of Strategic Growth, Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA)

Health monitoring is the way of the future for long-term missions in space, as well as telemedicine and fitness on Earth. A cross-functional team designed the SmartTex t-shirt for experiments on the International Space Station (ISS) to explore and enhance technology for continuous and wireless monitoring of astronauts. The t-shirt is made of materials that are designed specifically for ergonomic and comfortable usage in space. It has built-in and customizable sensors that will monitor and transmit various detailed metrics utilizing ballistocardiography (muscular contraction). SmartTex is part of the Wireless Compose-2 project, a collaboration between the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Hohenstein, DSI Aerospace, Bielefeld University and Hamburg University of Technology.
Ben Mead | Managing Director, Hohenstein Institute America

Additional Presenter:

• Mili Tharakan Consultant, Smart Textiles Alliance

We’re no longer in the “wild west” of wearables and e-textiles. As the industry matures, so do expectations. Unsubstantiated claims and proprietary connectors are a liability rather than an asset for mass market adoption. Standards can set the much needed “rules of the games” to further e-textiles and wearables from an emerging technology to an adopted technology, thereby enabling innovation and product development. Testing standards allow valid comparison of materials and end products while interoperability standards ensure component compatibility, reduced cost, and speed to market. Learn why and how to set a product apart from the competition with a standards approach.
Diana Wyman | Executive VP, AATCC

A deep dive into design considerations of a smart-wearable system focused on bio-kinetic performance data for Athletic performance and Return to Sport Physiotherapy.  Explore architectural decisions that make wearable data intuitive, immersive, valuable and fun.  Showcase 3D visualization approaches for communicating sophisticated performance metrics in Digital Health
Marc Alexander | Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Motusi

What if the best parts of in-person health and fitness could extend into the digital domain? What if  the most engaging and interactive elements of connected fitness could enhance brick and mortar experiences? And what if these experiences could seamlessly blend to create new ways of increasing acquisition, engagement and retention of customers? Steven Webster, CEO of ASENSEI, will share how gyms, boutique studios, connected fitness products and digital apps can rise above the competition and meet consumer needs, when Connected Apparel is the thread that binds the best of both worlds.
Steven Webster | CEO, Asensei

Everywhere we turn, energy is at the forefront of today’s conversations. Whether it is renewable energy and climate change, or energy efficient cars and homes, it seems energy is a hot topic. As it should be, given its ubiquity. In more recent innovations we harness kinetic energy for electricity through subway turnstiles and soccer balls. But what about the energy emitted by our own bodies? Sentient humans emit up to 100W of energy. That number jumps to over 2,000W if we are participating in a high energy activity (which inspired Swedish engineers to capture body heat in a subway terminal to boil water and heat a connected building). So, how do we harness the power of this energy, transforming it in a way that enhances health and wellness, and powers the human body with even more energy? Seth will discuss how ingredient brands, such as CELLIANT, are leading the charge in transforming  body heat into full spectrum infrared energy – a world changing idea that will soon be woven into the fabric of our daily lives. 
Seth Casden | CEO & Co-Founder, CELLIANT

Wearables can be defined as any worn object that interfaces with and/or supports the human body, and can include clothing, accessories, medical devices, and wearable electronics. Wearables can be effective tools for improving patient function, independence, and quality of life in multiple ways (for example, facilitating mobility and tasks, supporting/augmenting patient’s abilities, or protecting patient’s post injury/surgery). Historically, the design of wearable products aimed to improve patient health has been limited in focus to improving patient physical function. Products created using this traditional approach can be uncomfortable to wear both physically and psychologically, as well as potentially uncomfortable socially for users and their families, as they often focus attention on users’ disabilities. Moreover, aesthetics of products intended to improve patient health are not typically considered an important consideration. However, poor product aesthetics may impact patient compliance resulting in low product usage or even non-use. By using an empathetic approach and process, we can bridge this gap between designer and patient. This presentation will identify and compare standard design practice and empathetic design practice with regards to the challenges and barriers of medical wearables.
Dr. Martha Hall | Director of Innovation of Health Sciences, University of Delaware

intelligence (AI) algorithms, mobile software and cloud infrastructure enables footwear, accessories and apparel to collect and convert novel data sets, via machine learning and predictive analytics, into actionable information for consumers, patients and clinicians remotely and in near-real time. Chronic diseases account for 90% of total US healthcare expenditures according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta. Remote Patient Monitoring, aligned with effective treatment protocols, can help reduce cost and increase quality of care. Providers using RPM-enabled home healthcare and other telehealth delivery methods are already reducing hospital readmissions penalties. Seniors are driving positive ROI from RPM technology and home-based care, largely due to the cohort's high incidence of multiple chronic diseases. Following are four trends in patient monitoring taking place today: 1. An Aging Population Vulnerable to Chronic Disease is Driving the Market 2. The Focus in the Healthcare Industry Is Shifting to Value-Based, Patient-Centric Care and Outcomes 3. Healthcare Big Data Is Having a Huge Impact on the Medical Field 4. The Increasing Role of IoT for Remote Monitoring and Healthcare Applications Companies that are focused on developing and delivering remote monitoring solutions for the aging population aims to extend the reach of the clinician and his/her team through a complete and comprehensive wearable solution. Changes in the 2019 CPT code set reflect four new remote patient monitoring codes (99453, 99454, 99457 and 99458) that illustrate how health professionals can more effectively and efficiently use technology to connect with their patients at home to gather data for care management and coordination. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed a new category of digital health services—Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM)—to complement the existing suite of Remote Physiological Monitoring (RPM) codes covered under Medicare. The new codes, part of the proposed 2022 Physician Fee Schedule, are intended to expand the scope and reach of digital health technologies to reimburse monitoring of non-physiologic data. Clearly, the pandemic over the last two years, has greatly increased the need and acceptance of remote patient monitoring and its ability to improve quality of life and allow seniors, in particular, to remain independent longer.
David Vigano | CEO and Co-Founder, Sensoria Health Inc.

One of the many lessons of COVID 19 is that our wellness and medical providers need better remote health and patient monitoring tools. Wearable electronics will play a key role in the solution as they offer some of the best on-body sensing and services for this rapidly growing market. But for remote health monitoring to be effective, patient compliance is an absolute necessity and patients are generally reluctant to wear uncomfortable monitoring devices built with conventional flex electronics. Metal gel fluid-phase circuits present a unique solution for developing wearable health monitors with highly stretchable, thin, and comfortable wiring that makes electronics seamless and invisible when embedded in a garment. For encouraging patient compliance and treatment adherence, the best monitoring device a patient can wear is the one that they won’t even realize they are wearing. This presentation will explore the underlying technology of pliable metal gel circuits and practical applications in remote healthcare for utilizing physiological sensors so thin and stretchable they’re hardly noticeable to the patient.
Mike Hopkins, Ph.D | VP of R&D, Liquid Wire

Additional Presenter: Jeanette Numbers, Marketing & Principal, Co-founder, Loft LLC

Transitional care and telemedicine are trends that emerged as meaningful benefits from the COVID pandemic. Families and physicians embraced telemedicine, which has created a need for more innovative technology to effectively meet this need. Wearable sensors offer seamless solutions for at-home health monitoring.
 
Jamie Orlando | Director of Sales and Marketing, Butler Technologies

Moderated by: Dean Stoyer, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Phoenix Suns

Wearables in Sports
 
Kohei Tamagawa | Lead Performance Scientist, Phoenix Suns