Updated 5:01 pm E.S.T. We just finished another amazing discussion with wearables startup labs from Toronto and around North America and were also joined by many wearables enthusiasts. A special thanks to our guest experts who contributed to the chat. Has your IT department considered incorporating wearables into your organization? If not, you might want to scroll down and read on why these technology trailblazers believe you should! Tune in to our next Twitter chat on May. 28, 12-1 pm E.S.T.!
The stretch of highway that connects Toronto with Waterloo, Ont. is officially called the 401, but lately investors have labelled it “wearables alley.” From EEG brain-reading devices, to armbands that transform gestures into computer interactions, and a wrist band that authenticates your identity, a range of innovation in the wearable computing sector has risen in this patch of Ontario. We take a look at some of the most promising new startups that are offering up the innovative technologies and how they could change the way we all work, play, and live our lives. This chat will be hosted by our @ITBusinessca account.
Join us on Apr. 30, 12-1 PM EST, at the hashtag #ITWCchats. If this is your first time taking part in a Twitter chat, check out this video on how to join a twitter chat. The questions are listed below so you can start thinking about what you might want to tweet about.
We’ll be joined by the following guest experts:
|
|
As a writer, consultant and community builder, Tom uses his passion for emerging technologies as a catalyst to bring on the future. He founded We Are Wearables, a community that rallies people together to learn, discuss and celebrate wearable tech in order to foster adoption and facilitate innovation in this space. He writes regularly about wearables, the Internet of Things and 3D Printing. Tom also works with startups, and large organizations as an advisor and consultant offering assistance on product development, marketing and organizational strategy. |
|
|
Stephen was named one of Canada’s Top 20 Under 20 in 2007 and one of the Next 36 entrepreneurial leaders of Canada in 2011. He focused on hardware during his time at the University of Waterloo, where he studied as a Loran Scholar, and robotics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich). Prior to Thalmic, Stephen spent time working in a range of industries from surgical robotics to lunar rovers. Stephen is passionate about creating new ways for humans to interact with technology. |
|
|
Brennan is the pioneers technical coordinator at Meta labs, and conducts technical training and support for use of the Meta SDK. |
Q1 Toronto is becoming a hotbed of wearable startups. What kinds of startups and technology developments are out there? #ITWCchats
The number of startups coming from Waterloo is incredible. Fellow grads from @UWvelocity alone include @Vidyard and #BufferBox #ITWCchats A1
— Stephen Lake (@srlake) April 30, 2015
A1 @metaglasses chief scientist @hydraulist is based in toronto and runs an humanistic interfaces lab in University of Toronto #ITWCchats
— Brennan Hatton (@BrennanHatton) April 30, 2015
A1 @metaglasses chief scientist @hydraulist is based in toronto and runs an humanistic interfaces lab in University of Toronto #ITWCchats
— Brennan Hatton (@BrennanHatton) April 30, 2015
A1 Toronto’s Nymi is doing some interesting things with its Nymi Band around mobile payments with MasterCard. #ITWCchats
— Jeff Jedras (@JeffJedrasITW) April 30, 2015
The diversity of wearables on offer between Toronto and Waterloo are amazing. Thalmic, Nymi Bands, Muse, are just a few examples #ITWCchats
— Brian Jackson (@brianjjackson) April 30, 2015
I’m not interested in new wearables, but am interested in apps on existing. There’s too many choices now. #ITWCchats
— Mat Pancha (@mpancha) April 30, 2015
Q2 Do you own a wearable? How has it changed your life, either personally or professionally? #ITWCchats
I think I’ll skip the wearables trend and wait until they implant a microchip directly into my brain stem #ITWCchats
— Jeff Jedras (@JeffJedrasITW) April 30, 2015
A2 I love new tech and play with most devices that come out. My #1 is of course #Myo. My Garmin GPS watch is a close 2nd. #ITWCchats
— Stephen Lake (@srlake) April 30, 2015
A2 How much more technology do I need to buy? Laptop, tablet, smartphone, now wearables. What happened to device convergence? #ITWCchats
— Jeff Jedras (@JeffJedrasITW) April 30, 2015
A2: Gabe – CEO of #rufuslabs. own a few, mostly fitness devices. The have helped motivate me to be more active. #ITWCchats
— rufuslabs (@RufusLabs) April 30, 2015
A2. I had the @NikeFuel band, and have tried the @fitbit. The excercise items were good for keeping score and motivation to move. #ITWCChats
— Mat Pancha (@mpancha) April 30, 2015
@RufusLabs thats a good way to track and fight the modern day sedentary lifestyle, especially after working long hours #ITWCchats
— Sikandar Aftab (@sikandaraftab) April 30, 2015
Q3 Unlike phones, wearables are very diverse in form and function. What type do you think will take off the most in businesses? #ITWCchats
A3 I think the ones with durability, affordability and real world practicality will take off. #ITWCchats
— Wolston Lobo (@WolstonL) April 30, 2015
A3 2/2 I’m bullish on smartglasses to have big impacts in business. Long term, we’ll see consolidation as feat. #ITWCchats
— Stephen Lake (@srlake) April 30, 2015
A4 I think wearables will be industry-specific in adoption. Smart glasses + Myo for field workers for example #itwcchats
— Brian Jackson (@brianjjackson) April 30, 2015
A3 I think wearables will be industry-specific in adoption. Smart glasses + Myo for field workers for example #itwcchats
— Brian Jackson (@brianjjackson) April 30, 2015
a lot is expected from wearables in the health industry #ITWCchats
— Tamer Marzouk (@tamer_marzouk) April 30, 2015
A3 Handsfree and full autonomy are crucial for business and industry. EMS, Dining/Hospitality, Warehouse Mgmt – Gabe (ceo) #ITWCchats
— rufuslabs (@RufusLabs) April 30, 2015
Q4 What kind of benefit do wearables bring to the workplace? What kind of challenges should employees expect? #ITWCchats
A4 Smartwatches (eventually smartglasses) can provide quick access to information = efficiency, especially for mobile workers. #ITWCchats
— Stephen Lake (@srlake) April 30, 2015
A4. I think wearables can help with notifications outside the workplace, not in. I only need to know when AFK afterall. #ITWCchats.
— Mat Pancha (@mpancha) April 30, 2015
A3 @srlake With @metaglasses, you will be able to take your work everywhere and anywhere. #AugmentedReality #AR #wearables #ITWCchats
— Brennan Hatton (@BrennanHatton) April 30, 2015
A4 Especially IT departments that are more conservative about adopting new technology and concerned about security. #ITWCchats (2/2)
— Sikandar Aftab (@sikandaraftab) April 30, 2015
A4 Wearables could make work more productive, efficient & enjoyable. Openness to change & adaptability could be a challenge #ITWCchats
— Wolston Lobo (@WolstonL) April 30, 2015
A4 One promise of wearables like smartwatches is to help us be more efficient with notifications which can add up for biz #ITWCchats
— Tom Emrich (@tomemrich) April 30, 2015
Q5 What industries and workplace practices do you think will be influenced the most by the introduction of wearables? #ITWCchats
A5 1/2: Film creators are making new flicks with VR, journalists r using wearable cameras to tell stories from a new POV.. #ITWCchats
— Tom Emrich (@tomemrich) April 30, 2015
A5 HUDs will see early traction in manufacturing, field service, medicine & other sectors where you have mobile deskless workers. #ITWCchats
— Stephen Lake (@srlake) April 30, 2015
@itbusinessca A5: Logistics — delivery scanning machines are large and bulky still. #ITWCchats
— Edwin Frondozo (@drgnmeme) April 30, 2015
Wearables in healthcare is needed, but most jump the gun to the nth degree. #ITWCchats
— Eric William Dolan (@Eisforinnovate) April 30, 2015
A5 @tomemrich In industrial #wearable computing solutions, you can find @ubimax with xpick http://t.co/p2a9KCdZiQ #MetaPioneers #ITWCchats
— Brennan Hatton (@BrennanHatton) April 30, 2015
A5 Industries influenced is as large as ALL. EMS/First Responders, Dining, Hospitality, Warehouse Mgmt, Airline – Gabe (CEO) #ITWCchats
— rufuslabs (@RufusLabs) April 30, 2015
A5 Healthcare. Working in seniors housing, I can definitely see biometrics wearables becoming critical #ITWCchats
— Sikandar Aftab (@sikandaraftab) April 30, 2015
A5. Moreover, creating smart shelves in stores + social media integration. Wearables can revolutionize shopping experience. #itwcchats
— Wasib Muhammad (@gulblah) April 30, 2015
Q6 What kind of security measures will need to be considered for wearables in the workplace? #ITWCchats
A6 Similar to smartphones today. Often wearables are an interface to back-end business systems (ERP, CRM, etc.). #ITWCchats
— Stephen Lake (@srlake) April 30, 2015
A6. I see wearables as a glass pane to information, not information storage. With that viewpoint, no change in security measures. #ITWCChats
— Mat Pancha (@mpancha) April 30, 2015
A6 1/2: But as the ecosystem matures so too should IT practices just as mobile did. The time to start is now! #ITWCchats
— Tom Emrich (@tomemrich) April 30, 2015
A6 If they will contain/access business data, wearables need same security as any other endpoint. Bring under your BYOD policy. #ITWCchats
— Jeff Jedras (@JeffJedrasITW) April 30, 2015
A6 (1) Authentication (biometrics/passcode/etc) to make sure the right users are wearing devices that give access to – Gabe (ceo) #ITWCchats
— rufuslabs (@RufusLabs) April 30, 2015
A6 When using metaglasses, interacting with private information can be a visually secure experience. #AugmentedReality #privacy #ITWCchats …
— A.T.O.M (@atomsoffice) April 30, 2015
A6) Technology always outpaces policy. I remember bringing my Palm PDA into highly secure areas and nobody understood the risk. #ITWCchats
— John Westra (@John_Westra) April 30, 2015
Q7 What should wearables startups do to improve adoption rates? #ITWCchats
A7 Narrow in on a target market and build something people (/businesses) want! #ITWCchats
— Stephen Lake (@srlake) April 30, 2015
A7: All wearable companies need to create devices that solve a problem and make design decisions clearly understanding their user #ITWCchats
— Tom Emrich (@tomemrich) April 30, 2015
A7 Offer me a compelling and unique use case; don’t just replicate things I can do on my smartphone. And make it look good. #ITWCchats
— Jeff Jedras (@JeffJedrasITW) April 30, 2015
startups should target industries with solutions #ITWCchats
— Tamer Marzouk (@tamer_marzouk) April 30, 2015
A7 Interact with companies more. Visit our offices and give us demonstrations. Make us your clients. #ITWCchats
— Sikandar Aftab (@sikandaraftab) April 30, 2015
A7. Reduce hardware prices and develop more apps to give users more of a reason to get wearables. #itwcchats
— Wasib Muhammad (@gulblah) April 30, 2015
@Unix_Guru @Eisforinnovate #itwcchats Completely agree! NFC will need to be front and center for wearables. Be it for payments or media.
— Wasib Muhammad (@gulblah) April 30, 2015
Q8 How will the introduction of wearables to the workplace affect MDM policies? Who’s responsible in the end? #ITWCchats
A8 Wearables are either an extension of mobile devices, or another mobile device. Similar MDM concerns. #ITWCchats
— Stephen Lake (@srlake) April 30, 2015
A8 Wearables sound scary from a security perspective but IT already has experience with BYOD. Shouldn’t be that different. #ITWCchats
— Sikandar Aftab (@sikandaraftab) April 30, 2015
A8 Its too early to tell, MDM solutions have become popular w/ the rise of mobiles, they will have a home w/ wearables as well. #ITWCchats
— Brennan Hatton (@BrennanHatton) April 30, 2015
A8 BYOD isn’t just mobile anymore fitness trackers and smartwatches should be starting to make their way in IT policies #ITWCchats
— Tom Emrich (@tomemrich) April 30, 2015
Q9 Should the government support wearable startups? If so, how? #ITWCchats
A9 1/3: YES! Wearables are the next wave of computing & will change lives from people living with disabilities to office workers #ITWCchats
— Tom Emrich (@tomemrich) April 30, 2015
It will open access to other industries that mobile didn’t really touch ie. insurance, pharma, health, and bring it 2 workplace #ITWCchats
— Eric William Dolan (@Eisforinnovate) April 30, 2015
A9 We should be aggressively supporting technological innovation & commercialization. Wearable (& other startups) is a key area. #ITWCchats
— Stephen Lake (@srlake) April 30, 2015
A9 Subsidizing any business is a dubious government activity IMO. If the business case is there, so will the funding. #ITWCchats
— Jeff Jedras (@JeffJedrasITW) April 30, 2015
A9. Grants, mentorship and tech collaboration could go a long way in helping wearable startups. #ITWCchats
— Wolston Lobo (@WolstonL) April 30, 2015
A9. It needs to be a private public partnership. Low risk money would eventually hamper innovation. #ITWCchats
— Wasib Muhammad (@gulblah) April 30, 2015
Q10 What members of our office teams do you think will start using wearables first and why? #ITWCchats
A10: Smartwatches will be common place over the next 2-3 years so any office worker who gets notifications will have one #ITWCchats
— Tom Emrich (@tomemrich) April 30, 2015
A10 Deskless workers are well positioned to be early adopters. Those who are out working with their hands and on their feet. #ITWCchats
— Stephen Lake (@srlake) April 30, 2015
A10. Sales and customer facing teams will probably be the early adopters. #ITWCchats
— Wasib Muhammad (@gulblah) April 30, 2015
A10 IT dept for secure access to areas, computers and other content – Gabe (ceo) #ITWCchats
— rufuslabs (@RufusLabs) April 30, 2015
@mpancha yeah, where there’s a clear use, adoption will follow. that sort of makes sense #ITWCchats #logic
— Brian Jackson (@brianjjackson) April 30, 2015
