Wearable Tech: A Glance at Irish Startup Readiness
As a wearables whisperer, I'm looking forward to exploring what presence wearable tech startups and solutions will have at that awesome festival of ideas in Dublin, the Web Summit.
The recent announcement of the Apple Watch, coming soon after the Motorola Moto 360 smart watch launch, is bound to heighten excitement and anticipation. Irish innovators are already in the wearables game. For example:
iDME: An emergency information durable wristband system for kids, great in case you're ever separated from your kid. Founded by Corkonian Dee O'Leary (@IDMEwristbands), iDME is pitching with impact in the U.S. and she's now exploring tracking information capability for the wristbands, working with Cork Institute of Technology.
Game Golf: An first automatic shot tracking system for golfers (I don't partake, it's the clothes...) The Irish Times tells us that Game Golf was founded by Galway guy John McGuire, raising $15 million from Silicon Valley and golf pros. Game Golf has now even found favor with POTUS, Barrack Obama.
Whatever your choice of wearable platform to develop for, wearable tech needs to be either beautiful on, or invisible to, the wearer. But, fundamentally, it must be useful.
I'll be keeping an ear out for wearable tech use cases and much needed killer apps for wearables at the Summit. As we enter a new era of wearable tech, I'm sure Dermot Daly (@dermdaly)'s (f.ounder of Ireland's Tapadoo) UX thoughts are not alone on the promise of the smartwatch:
"We (Tapadoo) have a real-time bus info app, which will translate to the Watch. This concept of glances, where you just look at your watch for important information, would be perfect for us." (Source: Irish Times)
Interestingly, I began using Robert Mooney's (@robertmooney) Next Dart watchface on my Pebble over six months ago.
Next DART @Pebble app (iOS) on @irishRail DART #wearables pic.twitter.com/hjofRpnNss
— ultan (@ultan)
March 6, 2014
Age of wearable tech? Sure, but it's the age of the glanceable UI and killer apps to go with it where mass adoption really starts.
Related Links
Wearable tech player Shimmer in €10m US medical devices deal
Wearable Technologies designed in Cork
Dublin-based Lumafit poised for Kickstart into Fitness Market
Wearable Wednesday Dublin Meetup Number 2 (sold out)
