Next-gen computing

My fascination with wearable technology emerged about 15 years ago after I discovered the first battery-powered insertable pacemaker was created in 1957 by Earl Bakken, an electrical engineer, TV repairman and co-founder of Medtronic. Many companies started to pioneer insertable pacemakers in the late ’50s and early ’60s, including the German multinational conglomerate Siemens, today pacemakers along with hundreds of other implantable medical devices are seen as completely normal. If you want to geek out on the history of cardiac pacing, read this brilliant overview.

Fast forward to today, the idea of insertable technology horrifies most rational people, just read the headlines and responses to what Elon Musk is working on at Neuralink. Connecting our bodies, inside or out to digital infrastructures is inevitable, if you carry a smartphone today, you’re already wearing technology. Despite this, it’s been over 60 years since the pacemaker was first implanted inside the human body, advancements of dedicated wearable technology devices since have been slow. I would argue the consumer wearables space is still very embryonic today. At yesterday’s Facebook Connect event, the company highlighted that smart eyewear will be the next evolutionary step in computing from the smartphone. Apple also this week not only showed off its latest watches, but described how Apple Watch could be set-up without the need to own an iPhone through its Family Setup feature on watchOS 7. I would question how many of us will actually carry a phone in 10 years’ time? Together with smart eyewear and smart headphones (hearables), we’ll be able to seamlessly interface with both the real and virtual world without the need of a phone. Merged realities truly are the future, and again Facebook presented its Oculus Quest 2 VR platform, that demonstrated how VR can be used not only for entertainment and work but also to bring us closer together in a virtual world. If you’ve not seen the Facebook Connect presentation click this link.

Priced at $299, Oculus Quest 2 is a steal. Facebook are practically giving this device away in order to capture market share early, and ahead of Apple and Google’s own expected VR launches. Like most hardware today, device sales are not as important as it is to lock consumers into a platform or ecosystem for the long-term. It’s here where the real money will be made in the future, and data could quite possibly become a tradable currency for both technology platforms and consumers. Sustainability matters will probably slow down the rate of hardware production for all consumer electronic brands too, disposing of gadgets that are twelve months old makes no sense for anyone other than those selling them.

This brings me on to Facebook’s multi-year collaboration with Italian eyewear maker Luxottica. This is a smart move for both companies, and it could help alleviate sustainability challenges as consumers tend to change eyewear less frequently than consumer electronic gadgets. Mark Zuckerberg announced the two companies will launch Ray Ban branded smart glasses in 2021, but he also highlights that Luxottica produces eyewear for the best brands in the world, including Oakley and Armani, indicating that smart features could be incorporated into other brands in the future. Eyewear is much more than a functional product to help one see better or offer protection from harmful UV rays. Eyewear can be an expression of our personalities or used as status symbols, we may also wear different frames for different occasions such as cycling, skiing or simply reading. If Facebook and Luxottica offer smart options across every brand in Luxottica’s portfolio, including Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada and others, I think mass adoption of smart eyewear is far more likely than a one-style-fits-all device that tries to appeal to everyone.

Before we see the launch of its smart eyewear, Facebook are running real-world tests using a research pair of smart glasses under a project called Aria. The company hopes to learn more about the incredibly complex AR challenges they hope to overcome in the long-term, including issues around privacy. Facebook openly sharing their R&D efforts and roadmap was very welcomed, sceptics are understandably cautious about Facebook having access to deeper contextual data about our lives.

I feel excited about the tech announcements this week, it feels we’re moving closer towards technology being helpful in our everyday lives. We could even see AR contact lens in the not too distant future from Mojo which takes us closer to insertables. The biggest challenge of course is, will this technology increase our levels of anxiety? In addition to messaging around privacy, I’d like to see a real effort made by the biggest technology companies on helping us to understand the dangers of tech addiction, they have an ethical duty to do this much more openly. Let’s not forget the only two industries that call its customers “users” are illegal drugs and technology, both are unregulated marketplaces.