ASC: Wearable market is ready to take off

Many of the items we wear on our person – be it watches, glasses, clothing or wristbands – now incorporate sensors and electronics, posing performance challenges for adhesive suppliers

The demand for wearables – such as glasses, watches, wristbands, arm and legwear, footwear, skin patches and more – that incorporate sensors and provide information about the body, personal activities and/or the environment is growing at a tremendous pace.

Analyst estimates vary, but generally fall somewhere in the range of 30% per year. Estimates of the current value of the wearables market also range, generally from approximately $15bn-30bn. All believe that the number of units shipped will grow from tens of millions to around 150m by 2018.

In tomorrow’s world we will all be wearing more personal smart devices Copyright: Rex Features

Fitness and health applications are currently the largest market for wearables, with big-name companies involved, including Adidas, Fujitsu, Nike, Philips, Reebok, Samsung and others. Smart watches and other smart wear-ables are, however, currently attracting the greatest attention, with the AppleWatch and Google Glass making the biggest news.

As a result, industry analysts predict that smart wearables will displace wristbands and the like in the coming years, according to Kevin White, a principal scientist at engineering consulting firm Exponent.

“Most wearables today must be connected to a smartphone or tablet in order for their functionality to be realised. Smart wearables, on the other hand, have that functionality incorporated, which makes them easier to use,” he notes. Further down the road, wear-able and washable e-textiles with uses in various fashion, industrial, commercial and military applications will become an important segment of the market.

In many of these types of wearable products, and particularly in smart wearable devices, adhesives are important in the manufacturing process. “As in traditional consumer electronic products, adhesives and sealants are used in the production of wearables to bind components together and provide protection against vibration, moisture, chemicals and heat,” says White.

The awareness of wearable manufacturers regarding the need for all of the components and ingredients in their products to be biocompatible is increasing. “Device manufacturers are starting to realise that they need to select materials that are somewhat specialised because their products are intended to be worn by humans and in most cases have skin contact for extended periods of time,” White explains.

As most wearables are used in fitness/health applications, the effects of exposure to sweat (moisture and salt) on the integrity and chemical stability of device components also have to be considered. Furthermore, issues of ingredient leaching as wearables age are also being addressed by wearable device manufacturers.

The production of biocompatible adhesives is not a new concept. Adhesive products are currently used in the production of numerous medical devices. There is, however, a big difference between the medical device and wearables market with respect to pricing, according to White. “The cost sensitivity for medical devices is generally much lower than it is for wearables and there is a question over whether wearable manufacturers will be willing or able to pay premium prices similar to those paid by the medical device industry.”

He suggests that what is needed is a middle ground comprising products that can meet the requirements of the wearables market with respect to human skin contact/exposure issues, but at appropriate price points.