Biorhythmic wearables a major highlight at CES 2015

Wearable computing was a key highlight at the at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show, which wrapped up last Friday in Las Vegas.

The Consumer Electronics Association, which organizes the annual trade show, projects that U.S. wearable unit sales will reach 30.9 million units, up 61 percent, and generate US$5.1 billion in revenue in 2015. This represents a 133 percent increase in revenue streams.

According to CEA, most of these wearables will be fitness bands and trackers, along with smart watches and eyewear. A wide number of products based on biorythms were demonstrated at the show.

Biorhythms are defined simply as the rhythms of life, and include vital body functions, including heart rate and blood pressure. Medical chronobiologists have found that biologic rhythms can affect the severity of disease symptoms, diagnostic test results, and even the body’s response to drug therapy.

Previously, the Biometrics Research Group, Inc. publisher of BiometricUpdate.com, estimated that wearable health and fitness sensors will exceed 40 million shipments by 2015. With a literal explosion of new biorhythm monitoring technologies, Biometric Research Group specifically expects the biorhythm monitoring market to reach US$100 million in sales by 2015, thereby enhancing the bottom line for consumer electronics retailers.

At CES, Garmin announced and demonstrated new additions to its wearable product selection, including its new Vivoactive smartwatch. Here is video of a demonstration from the CES floor show last week:

Building upon Garmin’s Vivofit sports band, the new smartwatch offers consumers lifestyle tracking functions, as well as built-in GPS functionality and smartphone notifications.

Another impressive device that debuted was the second iteration of heart rate monitors from Mio Global. The award-winning company claims to be the first to have introduced a wrist-based monitor that does not require sensors strapped to the chest.

Liz Dickinson, Founder and CEO of Mio Global, described her company’s award-winning heart rate monitor devices for BiometricUpdate.com on the CES show floor:

The company’s Mio Alpha 2 device features a heart rate monitor that connects via Bluetooth to Android mobiles and iPhones to feed heart rate data directly into the app that consumers have installed onto their phones. The company also demonstrated its Mio Fuse sport activity tracking wristband, which provides EKG-quality heart rate monitoring.

Another company making headway into the biorythmic wearable space is Valencell. Before the show, the firm announced that it had licensed its PerformTek biometric technology to a number of technology companies including Intel, Jabra, Atlas, and Scosche, many of which showcased its underlying technology at CES.

Products include Jabra’s Sport Pulse Wireless Earbuds, Scosche’s Rhythm+ and Rhythm Smart Heart Rate Arm Band Monitors, SMS Audio’s BioSport In-Ear Wired Ear Bud, iriver’s iriverON Heart Rate Monitoring Bluetooth Headset, LG’s Heart Rate Earphones, and ATLAS Wristband.

In addition to current products on the market, Valencell also announced that it has begun partnering with first responder and gaming industries to integrate biometric technology into various applications to provide an improved and highly-connected experience.

The explosion of biorythmic technology was highly apparent at CES. Industry analysts from CEA and other market research firms expect the fast pace of innovation and product releases to continue unabated into 2015.

Article Topics

biometric sensors  |  biometrics  |  CES  |  wearables