Wearable Tech and the Internet of Things (Iot)

Salesforce has jumped into recent investments in wearable startups and an initiative to get developers to build applications that connect devices worn on the face, wrist and body with Salesforce’s technology.  Salesforce’s interest in wearables illustrates that in addition to being a dominant provider of business applications, the company is also a major computing platform that other developers use to access customers or actually run their own businesses, Irvine said. Wearables are just one emerging technology that will get attention at Dreamforce, and are part of Salesforce’s larger goal of capitalizing on the so-called Internet of Things, which refers to the increasing number of Internet connected devices that are spewing out unprecedented quantities of data that promise countless insights to come. - To get out front on the wearable trend, Salesforce in June launched Salesforce Wear to entice developers to create more enterprise applications for wearable devices, with support for devices from Samsung Electronics Co., Google and Pebble, among others.

As well as being lighter and much more flexible, FLCB-based batteries are also intrinsically safer. FLCB batteries do not catch fire, start to smoke or leak under almost any circumstances including physical, thermal or electrical impact. This is really good news for wearables which by their very nature will be close to the body, opening up several new applications that include today’s wearable technology in clothes, watches, jewellery, headsets and more. The FLCB batteries can be injection inserted or moulded in manufacturing processes that can reach temperatures of up to 2600 Celsius. They also don’t suffer from ‘Salting Out’ issues that plague electrolytic solutions and they can withstand cutting, piercing and even burning.

It’s also important to note that in terms of battery life, ProLogium claim their FLCB technology also provides exceptional energy density, with anywhere up to double that of standard lithium polymer batteries today, so there is no performance hit in terms of mAh figures with FLCBs. The most exciting aspect however, is the fact that an FLCB will continue to function after physical impact or even outright mutilation.

Being based on a printed circuit board, these FLCB batteries can also carry the signal and be joined to together as integral components in the device itself. This means that essentially the battery can be integrated in to the design, becoming part of the device itself, not a single and unwanted appendage that provides power.

This is an area where designers and inventors have to understand the exact needs of the person using their product. 

• How can a partially sighted skier be more independent?
• How can you make it easier for a wheelchair rugby player to right themselves after a fall?
• These are the kinds of questions that students at Imperial College London have been trying to answer as part of the Rio Tinto Sports Innovation Challenge.
• These prototypes could play an important role in the future of technology for disabled sportsmen and women.
• Currently, blind or partially sighted skiers rely on guides who ski in front of them. They are linked through Bluetooth headsets.

..."in a not-very-well-concealed attempt to steal away  publicity from Samsung's Gear product line , Google just announced that next week it's selling a limited number of its "Glass" devices to the US public. Previously, Glass was only available to a select group of volunteers called "explorers". -  Told you the Silicon Wars were on and the hunt is on to crack the code of wearable tech continues -  Gotta love it