The smartwatch has lived up to the hype. Can other wearable technologies follow its lead?

Will wearable technology ever realize its potential? Exciting technical innovations that should succeed often disappoint commercially, failing to take off for reasons that can be difficult to define.

Some forecasters would already have us walking around in clothing made from smart textiles that can monitor vital signs such as respiration and body temperature, track sports performance or fatigue levels, or assist treatment such as posture correction or physiotherapy. On the other hand, we could be routinely interacting with the world through AR glasses that overlay everything we need to know, wherever we are, minute by minute, and record our experiences wherever we go. And perhaps our wearables should be battery-free, powered by energy-harvesting technologies that can turn movement, daylight, or even the difference between hot and cold, into enough electrical energy to keep us connected all the way to the furthest extremities of the grid.

While these all have their place in the modern world – augmented reality is making inroads in industrial scenarios such as on production lines and in vehicle maintenance, and controls powered by ambient energy have been commercialized for smart-building applications – the massive, all-pervading adoption within consumer markets has not come about.

The Internet of Bodies could reveal the truth about our health and protect us against misinformation.

It’s probably understandable that we are more obsessed with our health and longevity than any other aspects of our lives, including relationships, careers and money. It’s also probably fair to say that more advice is thrust at us on this subject than any other: what to eat or drink, how to exercise, when to sleep, how to avoid illness, how to live longer, happier and healthier.

Guidance on how to live better is changing continuously, as new scientific studies adjust previous conclusions and influencers leverage the power of the Internet to offer various theories ranging from convincing to crackpot (Breatharianism, anyone?). Who would believe it’s possible to survive on non-food substances including air, sunlight and cosmic energy? You can pay to be shown how, of course.

The Internet of Bodies (IoB) could transform our understanding of ourselves, as individuals and as a species. As an extension of the IoT, IoB adds value by aggregating information from the increasing number and diversity of biosensors available to us. By collecting more data about us from more and more diverse channels as new types of sensors and monitors are being marketed on a continuous basis, we can also analyze that data more quickly and in greater detail.

On the cusp of 6G, are we also on the verge of a materials breakthrough?

The world has barely experienced a fraction of the services 5G mobile promised to deliver, and already the drive toward 6G is gathering momentum. The standardization process begins this year, and the final specifications are expected to be released in 2028, with rollout beginning in 2030. It’s proof, if more were needed, that we are an impatient and ambitious species.

Ericsson has helpfully described the 6G standardization process, which is expected to permit a much cleaner transition than we have seen in the move from 4G to 5G. Although 6G will leverage some 5G infrastructure, particularly in the core, connectivity will be standalone from the start and should perform better as a result. It’s hard to grasp, but 6G data rates and latency are expected to be about 1000 times faster than those of 5G.

The bigger picture is working toward a pervasively connected world that supports our lives and adapts to our needs, wherever we are and however those needs change in real-time. Wireless is the only connectivity that can do this for us. Realizing the necessary connections is extremely challenging at every level, from the standards-setting efforts undertaken by the 3GPP, the global body managing mobile standards, to the subcomponent level – including the new materials we must develop to build the systems that can realize the performance promised in the specifications.

The humble printed circuit board continues to change to meet new demands.

Power is nothing without control. It’s not a quote by a famous politician or social commentator, or even Mark Twain. It’s an advertising slogan for car tires. But it’s also an apt description of the opportunities for our industry that are now happening as part of the green energy transition.

Electrification is one of today’s dominant megatrends. The “old way” of releasing energy from traditional fuels by explosions and burning is giving way to alternatives like electromagnetic and photovoltaic conversion, as well as chemical processes inside batteries and fuel cells. Taking the utmost care of every joule is critical to maximize the harvest from the scarce ambient energy sources and to minimize waste throughout the conversion system, distribution infrastructure, storage and – ultimately – the load.

Exercising that care demands control. This is where more power electronics are being employed to ensure efficient and precise conversion as we accelerate the pace of electrification; changing traditional mechanical, hydraulic, and fossil-fueled tools and vehicles that we have all become accustomed to using into electrical equivalents that can be powered from clean and sustainable energy. Replacing conventional boilers with electric heat pumps for heating buildings is one example.