FEATURE
An unlikely tale: Wearables heading for success in IIoT Wearables were initially widely heralded as the most visible and most successful face of IoT BY MARTIN KEENAN
Wearables might have become firmly entrenched in consumers’ minds, but in the world of IIoT they have been sidelined due to a host of practical and operational complexities. However, as Industry 4.0 technologies evolve, wearables in IIoT have changed course dramatically. A perennial talking point in the consumer market, wearables were initially widely heralded as the most visible and most successful face of IoT - until it became clear that initial interest had slowed. This was due to a
Wirelessly powered paper
variety of factors, including the usual ‘new technology’ overhype, battery technology, fragmented connectivity and data standards, and a lack of compelling applications.
Frame of reference
While the world of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) might have very different frames of reference, the same challenges resulted in a similarly low level of uptake for industrial wearables. Despite a slow start, as battery, display and connectivity technologies have evolved in
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warehousing and fulfillment barcode scanners, backing their functionality into a glove saves up to four seconds per scan, according to ProGlove, an efficiency improvement of up to 50% for some of its users. The promise of low-power displays has been well-acknowledged in IIoT environments, from smart warehousing to fulfillment applications, but a combination of battery life and cost implications has restricted market growth.
parallel with wider IIoT deployments, wearables in IIoT have begun a resurgence. One example is industrial wearables firm ProGlove, a startup from 2014 that has just closed a successful investment round. The company’s scanner glove might sound like blue-sky thinking - a hands-free barcode scanning device that provides direct feedback to the user via optical, haptic and acoustic signals - except it has been deployed by Audi, BMW, Bosch, Daimler, DHL and Lufthansa Technik. Because of the cumbersome nature of traditional
However, a new take on the scenario from Ossia, E-PEAS & E Ink shows an encouraging direction of travel. The trio of companies have developed a wirelessly-powered electronic paper display prototype that is entirely battery free, designed for dynamic environments. This could include electronic shelf labels for retailers and warehouse use, digital signage, logistics tags and distributed sensor networks to name but a few. The companies plan to release the technology for commercial use by the end of next year. Another solution to the problem of portable, connected industrial displays is virtual reality
Photo: ©Getty Images
WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY
EPT.CA
2020-06-05 2:51 PM
