Pat Ferschweiler is probably sporting a smile of satisfaction and a knowing nod of appreciation. The Western Michigan Broncos hockey coach had a willing NCAA pupil in Max Sasson, who like anybody else, had a dream of playing in the NHL one day. And despite being passed over in the NHL draft — and also being cut by a USHL junior team — the undaunted 24-year-old Vancouver Canucks forward finally punched his ticket to “The Show” on Saturday night in Ottawa. It was beyond memorable in a 4-3 victory over the Senators to open a six-game road trip. Sasson also collected his first NHL point by making a superb play off the rush in the second period — spinning off a defenceman to and finding a driving Teddy Blueger in the slot — to give the Canucks a 2-1 lead. The effort was wildly celebrated by his family at the Canadian Tire Centre and saluted by Rick Tocchet . “I really liked his game,” said the Canucks head coach, who had Sasson aligned on the fourth line with Aatu Raty and Arshdeep Bains . “To just get called up out of the blue, he seized the moment and it was nice to see him contribute.” Sasson got the call with Brock Boeser (concussion) and J.T. Miller (leave of absence) unavailable against the Senators. The Canucks needed another reliable forward to fill out their lineup and moved Pius Suter from wing back to centre between Dakota Joshua and Conor Garland . “A really special night for my family and friends and people I’ve been with through hockey and life,” Sasson said after logging 7:49, throwing two hits and having a takeaway and the assist. “These guys (Canucks) made it easy. They were excited for me to play my first game and I just felt super comfortable. “I think my last year in junior (Waterloo, USHL) I kind of starting believing (NHL) but I always had an inner belief in myself. And then getting to school (Western Michigan) and skating with better players, I felt I can really do this.” And then came the play Saturday. “I just heard Teddy screaming and that’s the bread and butter in my game, bring the defence at me and pull up and look for the late guy,” said Sasson before breaking out in laughter while seeing a video clip of his family celebrating. Sasson earned the trust of Ferschweiler to be put out in any situation and responded in the 2022-23 season with 42 points (15-27) in 38 games. He finished 13th in NCAA scoring and averaged 1.11 points per outing and that caught the Canucks’ attention. Sasson signed a two-year, entry-level deal with an US$870,000 cap hit that expires this season. He also has 51 points (22-29) in 72 games with Abbotsford of the AHL. Ferschweiler has the look of a drill sergeant and was a Detroit Red Wings assistant for four years under former Western Michigan bench boss Jeff Blashill. Ferschweiler has also guided successful U.S. under-17 and under-18 teams, and Sasson was impressed. “He does things in a very professional manner,” Sasson told Postmedia. “The meetings are super quick and detailed and you get what you need out of everything. “We played a pro style with a smart game and not taking too many chances. The stories he has had about (Henrik) Zetterberg and (Pavel) Datsyuk in Detroit, I’ve taken them in and I can’t say enough about the coaching staff.” You have to love Kiefer Sherwood’s zest for the game . The obvious is the feisty Winger’s NHL-leading hit total of 125 — he had his fourth 10-banger effort Saturday to equal a league record — and the benefit of his heavy forechecking game and the roster reality is top-six minutes. It led to his sixth goal of the season Saturday to tie for the team lead. Sherwood, 29, went hard to the net in the second period and his second whack at a loose puck found the net. It’s how the undrafted Columbus, Ohio native opened eyes to play for four NHL teams. It’s also how he got on the Canucks’ radar last spring as an irritant for the Nashville Predators to land a two-year, $3 million free-agent contract that is paying off. bkuzma@postmedia.com
Orchid Island Capital, Inc. (NYSE:ORC) Declares Monthly Dividend of $0.12
New Delhi, Dec 15 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked states to work towards providing an environment where start-ups can flourish, simplify the compliances that often lead to harassment of citizens and take obesity as a big challenge. Addressing the fourth national conference of chief secretaries here, he said states should reform governance model in such a way that encourages citizen participation, according to an official statement. Modi said it is important to focus on reform, perform, and transform, and that it is also important to inform people about various initiatives of the government. In the health sector, he urged the participants that obesity should be taken as a big challenge in the country. Only a fit and healthy India can be a ‘Viksit Bharat’, he added. The prime minister said India can be made tuberculosis-free by the end of 2025, and that ASHA and Anganwadi workers can play a big role in delivering this goal. Asserting that old manuscripts were India’s treasure, he said states should take steps to use technology to digitize it. He said a great benefit of the conference was that “Team India” had come together for discussion with an open mind and work together for a ‘Viksit Bharat’. Pro-People Pro-active Good Governance (P2G2) is at the core of their work through which they can together achieve the vision of a Viksit Bharat, he added. The conference included discussions around the overarching theme of ‘Promoting Entrepreneurship, Employment and Skilling – Leveraging the Demographic Dividend’. Lauding the advent of start-ups, especially in tier-2 and 3 cities, the prime minister asked states to encourage such innovations and work towards providing an environment where start-ups can flourish. “He urged states to identify locations suitable for entrepreneurs in smaller cities and take initiative to connect them with the banking system, provide logistics and facilitate them,” the statement said. Modi asked states to explore concepts of Viability Gap Funding for recycling of e-waste. This is particularly important as with increasing data and technology driven society, digital waste will further increase, he said. While appreciating that PM GatiShakti has been a key enabler for good governance, he also said that the initiative must be regularly updated and indicators for environmental impacts, disaster prone areas should be included in it. Talking about Aspirational Districts and Blocks Programme, he said that competent officers posted in these blocks and districts can bring about massive changes at the ground level. It would also lead to immense socio-economic benefits, he added. Modi also encouraged officials to work for human resources development in order to develop cities as centres of economic growth. He emphasized on developing institutions for specialization in urban governance, water and environment management. With increasing urban mobility, he stressed on providing adequate urban accommodation which would in turn lead to better productivity in the manufacturing sector in new industrial hubs. Noting that it was the death anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Modi lauded him as an inspiration for all civil servants and said that everyone should work towards achieving his dream of India. As men, women and children from all walks of life participated in the freedom struggle despite their different circumstances, ideological differences and different means, similarly every Indian must work towards making Viksit Bharat by 2047, he said. The three-day conference, which ended on Sunday, emphasised on special themes that included manufacturing, services, rural non-farm sector, urban, renewable energy, and circular economy. Various sessions during the conference deliberated to work around subjects which would help in collaborative action in promoting entrepreneurship, enhancing skilling initiatives, and creating sustainable employment opportunities for both rural and urban populations thereby helping in the transition of India from middle income to high income country. These initiatives can emerge as the driving wheels for the economy with women-led development as the foundation, the statement said. The participants discussed that a multifaceted approach is required to harness the potential of India’s service sector, especially in smaller cities, it said. This involves a combination of policy interventions, infrastructure development, skill enhancement, and a focus on creating a business-friendly environment, the statement added. Emphasis on skilling and formalization of the informal sector was also discussed. Similarly in the rural non-farm sector, it was discussed that rural entrepreneurship should be promoted through specific skilling courses. It was also felt that women and marginalized groups’ participation in non-farm employment should also be encouraged through special incentives, the statement said. The conference had a special session on frontier technologies representing convergence of various fields which can help in providing solutions to global challenges. It also could provide India an opportunity to lead in this arena and have a trajectory of inclusive and sustainable growth, the statement said. The conference was attended by chief secretaries, senior officials of all states and Union territories, domain experts and senior officers in the Centre, it said. PTI KR KVK KVK This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. 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LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Austin Seibert choked back tears taking responsibility for missing the extra point that would have tied the score in the final minute. Jeremy Reaves choked back tears blaming himself for a missed assignment that led to a kickoff return touchdown. And John Bates choked back tears talking about moving forward from his costly fumble. All of those late mistakes contributed to the Washington Commanders' third consecutive loss , 34-26 to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday in a game that was wholly unremarkable until fourth quarter chaos. The teams combined to score 31 points in the final four minutes, the most in an NFL game in more than a decade, and the Commanders (7-5) came out on the wrong end of it in a defeat that further endangers their playoff chances. “Any time you lose a game or you lose a game in that type of fashion, it’s very difficult and it’s tough, but it never comes down to one play,” rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels said. “There’s plays throughout the game where little things add up to big things.” There were a lot of little things. After Bates fumbled, the Cowboys (4-7) took an 11-point lead and the Commanders made a 2-point conversion to cut the deficit to three, Dallas' KaVonte Turpin returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. “I didn’t make the play when it was there to make, and it cost us,” said Reaves, one of the league’s top special teams players and the All-Pro pick for that two seasons ago. “No excuse, man. I’ve made that play 100 times, and I didn’t make it today and it cost us the game. It’s unacceptable. It’s solely on me. It’s going to sting for a while. It’s going to hurt.” After Seibert made a 51-yard field goal, Daniels connected with Terry McLaurin on an 86-yard TD that made it 27-26 with 21 seconds left. Coach Dan Quinn said no thought was given to going for 2 in that situation. Seibert, who missed the past two games with a right hip injury, was wide left on the point-after attempt. “I just wasn’t striking it well,” said Seibert, who added he felt fine and did not blame a low snap for his miss. "It didn’t make a difference at all. It was on me.” Juanyeh Thomas returned the onside kick immediately after 43 yards for a touchdown to put Dallas up eight with 14 seconds left. The 31 combined points are the second most in a game since at least 2000, behind only Minnesota and Baltimore's 36 in their game Dec. 8, 2013. Cowboys-Commanders was the first game in the Super Bowl era to have two missed extra points, two kickoff return touchdowns and a blocked punt. “We got down to the end there and it was a game-situational extravaganza,” Dallas coach Mike McCarthy said. “It was like Yahtzee. Everything was in there." While Washington's skid continued, the Cowboys ended their losing streak at five thanks to strong play from QB Cooper Rush, a defense that forced two turnovers and, of course, special teams success. Rush was 24 of 32 for 247 yards and TD passes to Jalen Tolbert and Luke Schoonmaker. “Lot of games left,” Rush said. “We’re sitting at 4-7. This is why you play them.” The Commanders have some soul-searching to do after losing as a 10 1/2-point favorite in the meeting of NFC East rivals and doing so in a way that left players so emotional. “The crazy games, I know they feel a little bit better whenever you win them,” punter and holder Tress Way said. “But that’s a tough pill to swallow.” Cowboys: LG Tyler Smith was inactive with ankle and knee injuries. ... RG Zack Martin (ankle), CB Trevon Diggs (groin/knee) and TE Jake Ferguson (concussion) were ruled out prior to game day and did not travel for the game. Commanders: RB Austin Ekeler was concussed on a kickoff return in the final seconds and taken to a hospital for further evaluation. ... RB Brian Robinson Jr. left with an ankle injury in the first half, returned and then left again. ... RT Andrew Wylie was concussed in the third quarter and did not return. ... C Tyler Biadasz was evaluated for a concussion in the fourth. ... CB Marshon Lattimore (hamstring) missed a third consecutive game since being acquired at the trade deadline from New Orleans. Cowboys: Host the New York Giants on Thursday in the traditional Thanksgiving Day game in Dallas. Commanders: Host the Tennessee Titans next Sunday in Washington’s final game before its late bye week. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflLineage, Inc. ( NASDAQ:LINE – Get Free Report ) declared a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, December 10th, Wall Street Journal reports. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of 0.5275 per share on Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $2.11 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.58%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. Lineage Stock Performance NASDAQ LINE opened at $59.00 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $65.85. Lineage has a twelve month low of $56.67 and a twelve month high of $89.85. Lineage ( NASDAQ:LINE – Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported ($2.44) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78 by ($3.22). Lineage had a negative net margin of 12.18% and a negative return on equity of 9.89%. The firm had revenue of $1.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.34 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.75 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Lineage will post 3 EPS for the current year. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Lineage About Lineage ( Get Free Report ) Lineage, Inc is the world’s largest global temperature-controlled warehouse REIT with a network of over 480 strategically located facilities totaling over 84.1 million square feet and 3.0 billion cubic feet of capacity across countries in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Coupling end-to-end supply chain solutions and technology, Lineage partners with some of the world’s largest food and beverage producers, retailers, and distributors to help increase distribution efficiency, advance sustainability, minimize supply chain waste, and, most importantly, feed the world. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Lineage Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lineage and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Saudi Aramco stages major comeback in Philippine energy sector: Unioil in sight?
DENVER , Dec. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- TTEC Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTEC ), a leading global CX (customer experience) technology and services innovator for AI-enhanced CX with solutions from TTEC Engage and TTEC Digital , today announced that TTEC Digital has been recognized as the Cisco Reimagine Customer Experiences Partner of the Year – Americas. "In collaboration with Cisco, TTEC Digital is helping industry leaders in banking, healthcare, insurance, government services, and more improve their customer experiences with a strong mix of CX strategy and technology. We are honored to be recognized by Cisco for our shared success and look forward to continued partnership," said John Wolf , global Cisco lead at TTEC Digital. In FY24, TTEC Digital achieved significant milestones with Cisco including a 44% year-over-year growth in bookings. Cisco also recognized TTEC Digital for providing targeted training and certifications, expanding into the Cisco commercial space with a focus on Webex Enterprise Contact Center solutions, and developing new services such as WxCC Jet and InteractionSync for Cisco Webex Contact Center. Announced at WebexOne , the Cisco Reimagine Customer Experiences Partner of the Year award recognizes the partner who has had the most success selling and implementing Webex Contact Center solutions to help clients deliver best-in-class customer experiences. TTEC Digital has partnered with Cisco for more than 20 years and was the first partner to take Cisco Contact Center to the cloud. As a five-time Cisco partner of the year winner, TTEC Digital has a strong track record of continuously delivering innovation, leadership and best practices to clients in conjunction with Cisco. To learn more, visit https://ttecdigital.com/partners/cisco . About TTEC TTEC (pronounced T-TEC) Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTEC) is a leading global CX (customer experience) technology and services innovator for AI-enabled digital CX solutions. Serving iconic and disruptive brands, TTEC's outcome-based solutions span the entire enterprise, touch every virtual interaction channel, and improve each step of the customer journey. Leveraging next-gen digital technology, the Company's TTEC Digital business designs, builds, and operates omnichannel contact center technology, CRM, AI and analytics solutions. The Company's TTEC Engage business delivers AI-enhanced customer engagement, customer acquisition and growth, tech support, back office, and fraud prevention services. Founded in 1982, the Company's singular obsession with CX excellence has earned it leading client, customer, and employee satisfaction scores across the globe. The Company's employees operate on six continents and bring technology and humanity together to deliver happy customers and differentiated business results. To learn more visit us at https://www.ttec.com . Media Contact: Meredith Matthews meredith.matthews@ttec.com +1 281-770-2566 View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ttec-digital-wins-cisco-reimagine-customer-experiences-partner-of-the-year--americas-302332643.html SOURCE TTEC Holdings, Inc.Cubs predicted to dump $35 million Gold Glover to make way for top prospect | Sporting News
A research team from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has developed a flexible and extremely thin film to power wearable devices using just our body heat, hence eliminating the need for batteries. The new technology could also be used to cool electronic chips in smartphones and computers, as such, helping them run more efficiently as well as enhancing their stability. The breakthrough, according to Professor Zhi-Gang Chen, the founding director of the ARC Research Hub in Zero-emission Power Generation for Carbon Neutrality (ZeroPC), addresses a key challenge in creating a thermoelectric device that converts body heat into power. The device has the potential to be a sustainable energy source for wearable electronics. Talking about flexible thermoelectric devices, Professor Chen explained that: “They can be worn comfortably on the skin where they effectively turn the temperature difference between the human body and surrounding air into electricity.” Building an Exceptional Thermoelectric Wearable Device Devices that can convert body heat into energy, while a topic of immense interest and exploration, currently face the challenge of high costs, complex manufacturing, limited flexibility, and insufficient performance, preventing its mass production and adoption. Source: Queensland University of Technology In the latest study published in the journal Science , the QUT team introduced a cost-effective method for creating flexible thermoelectric films. For this, they used tiny crystals or ‘nanobinders' that form a consistent layer of bismuth telluride sheets, boosting both flexibility and efficiency. Bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) is a popular material used by researchers to build such devices. The gray powder is a compound of bismuth and tellurium. The chemically stable semiconductor showcases excellent properties that convert heat into electricity, making it ideal for low-power applications like movement, heart rate, and temperature monitors. So, the QUT team created a printable film of A4 size “with record-high thermoelectric performance, exceptional flexibility, scalability, and low cost, making it one of the best flexible thermoelectrics available,” said Professor Chen. The printable film from the QUT team comprises Bi2Te3-based nanoplates as highly orientated grains and Te nanorods as “nanobinders.” The technique used here was “solvothermal synthesis,” which forms nanocrystals in a solvent under high temperature and pressure. This technique was combined with “sintering,” which heats the films to near-melting point to bond the particles together, and “screen-printing,” which enables large-scale film production. The method used by the team could also work with other inorganic systems like silver selenide (Ag2Se)-based thermoelectrics, which are potentially cheaper and more sustainable than conventional materials, showing the technique's broad applicability. “This flexibility in materials shows the wide-ranging possibilities our approach offers for advancing flexible thermoelectric technology.” – The study's first author, Wenyi Chen The device, as per the study, attained a normalized power density of >3 μW cm−2 K−2, which the team states is “ranking among the highest in screen-printed devices.” With that, the latest research offers a powerful solution for wearables like smartwatches and personal thermal management. In addition to powering up the wearables, these thermoelectric devices can also be applied in a tight space, such as the inside of a mobile phone, to help cool chips and improve performance. For instance, when applied inside a device, the film can bring down the chip temperature by up to 11.7 Kelvin, as such, helping maintain optimal performance in electronic devices. If the team successfully improves the performance of this flexible electric device, they'll be able to power directly for smartphones of the future, stated Chen in the official video titled, “Breakthrough brings body-heat powered wearable devices closer to reality,” posted on the University's YouTube channel. Other potential applications of the device include air conditioning systems and ventilation. The QUT research team also envisions the use of thermoelectric devices in smart clothing and automotive components. This is just the beginning, though; in the next step, the team will focus on optimizing the technology's performance and scaling it. Taking the tech commercial, after all, requires overcoming the challenges of cost-efficiency at scale, durability, and integration with existing devices. Further research and continued development will help these devices revolutionize energy efficiency in various sectors, from consumer electronics to medical and automotive applications. Click here to learn how health wearables are advancing preventive care. Advances in Wearables Technology In today's technologically advanced world, wearable devices have emerged as a popular and highly beneficial innovation. Wearables are simply mobile electronic devices that are designed to be worn on the body or attached to clothes. Some of the common types of wearable technology include smartwatches, smart glasses, and smart jewelry like rings and wristbands. These devices track, analyze, and transmit personal data. One of the most prominent applications of wearables has been found in healthcare. They can be used to monitor body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, and other vital signs. The application of these devices further extends to physiological diseases like hypertension and muscle disorders as well as neurocognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Wearables are also being utilized as a drug delivery system, helping personalize healthcare. Different types of wearable devices are currently being used in the healthcare field. This includes skin-based wearable devices such as e-skin, wearable vests, smart rings, earphones, and biofluidic-based devices that make use of saliva, tears, and urine. In addition to healthcare, wearables are used to communicate with others, make payments, and track activity levels, as well as lifestyle, gaming, sports, fitness, security, and defense sectors. Over the years, wearable technology has advanced in various ways. For starters, researchers and companies are always looking for better materials to build these devices. Flexible, stretchable materials and soft, ultra-thin designs allow these devices to be worn comfortably and maintain their functionality. For instance, gallium-based liquid metals, which have high conductivity and biocompatibility, are leading the way for bioelectronics that fit better with the body. As for designs, tech has evolved significantly from conventional ways, with a greater focus now on making them seamlessly integrated with the human body. E-tattoos are a great example of this; they are extremely thin, skin-soft electronics that conform to the skin and can noninvasively digitize physiological and psychological information. Miniaturization of these devices, along with printed electronics and intelligent fabrics, has led to sensors that can monitor a variety of physical parameters while electrodes are being embedded in textiles to measure activity. For example, Wearable sweat sensors continuously and noninvasively monitor health indicators through sweat to empower precision medicine. Source: MDPI A lot of advancement is also being made in wearable smart chemical sensors , which are finding increasing application in healthcare, environmental monitoring, and safety assessment. Various innovative approaches have been taken to sensor design and fabrication, with one such system designed to detect NO2 by incorporating a polyvinyl alcohol/borax/agarose/NaNO3 electrolyte and multi-walled carbon nanotube electrodes on gold nanosheets. The system shows enhanced performance and self-repairing capabilities, making it perfect for wearable applications. Overcoming Limitations of Wearable Tech With all these innovations helping wearable devices become better and more effective, they have been seeing transforming different industries, especially healthcare. However, they suffer from limitations like stability and privacy. For instance, the data received from the sensors in these wearables may experience distortion and noise due to constant body motion. Batteries used in wearables present another significant challenge. The limitations of power sources have prompted researchers to explore various solutions, such as piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENG), which function as self-powered sensors, and triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG), which serve as miniaturized energy harvesters. Thermoelectric generators, in particular, have been gaining a lot of traction in the wearable tech space. Back in 2017, researchers from Zhejiang University and Xidian University released a paper on the design of a wearable thermoelectric generator for harvesting the energy of the human body. Much like the latest research, this one also utilized Bi2Te3-based thermoelectric material to create a device that could generate a voltage of 48 mV for a temperature difference of 12 K. When mounted onto the human wrist skin, the thermoelectric generator's output power was 130.6 nW at an ambient temperature of 25 °C, demonstrating its potential for human body heat energy harvesting and development of wearable self-powered mobile devices. Yet another study made advancements in the design of thermoelectric generators (TEGs) for body heat harvesting applications. The thing is, there's a 10-15°C temperature difference between the body temperature and the ambient temperature, but only a tiny portion passes through a wearable TEG because of the thermal resistance of the skin. To overcome the challenges for wearable TEGs, a comprehensive quasi-3D analytical model was developed, and then a microwave processing technique was used to synthesize high-performance thermoelectric nanocomposites, which led to a strong reduction of the thermal conductivity and resulted in TEGs exhibiting 4-7x higher power density than commercial TEGs on the human body. Just this year alone, several research studies have been released focusing on thermoelectric devices for wearables. A few months ago, researchers from the University of Washington also developed a highly flexible and soft prototype that can harvest energy from body heat and turn it into electricity, which can then power small electronics. For its flexible thermoelectric devices (TEDs), the UW team used 3D soft architectures, rigid semiconductors, multifunctional composites, and self-healing liquid metal conductors. In addition to energy harvesting, the focus of all these studies has been on the development of lightweight and flexible thermoelectric materials, designing adaptable surfaces to fit diverse body parts, enhancing the functionality of wearables, and achieving cost-efficiency and scalability. The Rapidly-Growing Wearable Market The advancement in wearable technology and the resulting boost in functionality have increased the adoption of these devices. The growing interest in wearable devices has its market projected to grow past $150 billion before this decade is over. The market for wearables like smartwatches and fitness trackers, in particular, has been rising for some time. They actually boomed during the pandemic as personal health became everyone's focus. These devices are also adding an increasing number of metrics, and as they move closer to that of a medical device, more and more consumers are adopting them. Besides fitness and healthcare, tech giants are taking a special interest in virtual, augmented, and mixed reality (VR, AR & MR) wearables. Smart clothing and e-textiles have also been garnering attention but continue to face challenges in terms of manufacturing scalability and product economics. Interestingly, the wearable payments services market is expected to grow at a strong pace, with a CAGR of 13.6% to $120 billion. This growth is propelled by the adoption of near-field communication (NFC) in smartphones, fitness trackers, and other wearables, Wearable technology product types further involve electronic skin patches, chest straps, smart contact lenses, and wearable cameras, which are also of interest. According to a recent report , the shipments of wearable devices globally are expected to grow more than 6% year over year (YoY) this year to almost 538 million units. This growth is driven by the improving economy and the growing adoption of wearables in emerging regions. This growth, however, will be uneven across the sectors, with wearables, representing over 60% of the wearables market, expected to see a boost as prices stabilize. Smartwatches, meanwhile, are expected to see a 3% decline, the first-ever YoY drop, though they are projected to rebound to 4.8% growth next year. This is due to rising prices and minimal design changes. Emerging Wearable Devices When it comes to emerging wearable devices, the fitness and healthcare sectors are leading the charge. In healthcare, wearable electrocardiogram (ECG) devices, which come in smartwatches and patches, are transforming remote cardiac care. These devices pair with apps that store ECG data, which physicians can review remotely and then provide proactive health management, leading to healthier lifestyles. Today's wearables also enable continuous collection of vital signs with the help of advanced sensors that provide real-time data about their wearers. For instance, Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) offers real-time insights into blood sugar levels, allowing patients to monitor their health right from the comfort of their homes. An increasing focus among companies is also seen on heart rate monitors. Smartwatches like Casio G-Shock Rangeman come equipped with a heart rate monitor to accurately detect body movement as well as changes in the natural environment with the help of GPS and sensors. Then there are Garmin ‘s ( GRMN -0.2% ) heart rate monitors, which come with a comfortable design allowing women to clip them directly onto their sports bras. As we can see, ease of access is certainly the point of focus for tech companies developing wearables. This is also true for Oura smart rings, which can be worn on a finger. The band is equipped with a 3D accelerometer to determine movement, an NTC sensor to observe your body temperature, and a PPG sensor to track your heart rate. Then there's Evie Smart Ring, which has taken a women-first approach to its design by enabling tracking sleep, heart health, and menstrual cycles. Wearable biosensors, meanwhile, offer promising avenues for stress management by detecting subtle changes in biomarkers like cortisol levels. Companies are also building headphones that guide wearers during workouts, while special gloves like GyroGlove are created for Parkinson's patients to reduce tremors and improve quality of life. In the world of entertainment, wearables like Xreal Air allow users to watch content and play games, while Meta ‘s ( META +0.72% ) smart glasses enable content creation and sharing. Then there are wearables like the Ai Pin, which runs on an eight-core, 2.1 GHz Qualcomm processor and can take photos, send text messages, and answer calls. Click here to learn about thermal earring. Companies Dominating the Wearable Sector Now, when it comes to companies, Apple ( AAPL +1.1% ) has been leading the space thanks to its robust portfolio of smart products like the Apple Watch. Key health metrics covered by the watch include heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, blood oxygen, and sleep duration. Apple Inc. ( AAPL +1.1% ) (function () { var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = 'https://s3.tradingview.com/external-embedding/embed-widget-advanced-chart.js'; script.async = true; script.innerHTML = JSON.stringify({ 'autosize': true, 'width': '100%', 'height': '440', 'symbol': 'NASDAQ:AAPL', 'range': 'YTD', 'timezone': 'Etc/UTC', 'theme': 'light', 'style': '3', 'locale': 'en', 'hide_top_toolbar': false, 'hide_legend': true, 'allow_symbol_change': false, 'save_image': false, 'calendar': false, 'hide_volume': true, 'withdateranges': true, 'support_host': 'https://www.tradingview.com' }); document.currentScript.parentNode.insertBefore(script, document.currentScript); })(); The world's largest company in the world by market cap of $3.75 trillion has its shares currently trading at $248, up 28.88% this year. Apple has an EPS (TTM) of 6.07 and a P/E (TTM) of 40.88 while having a 0.40% dividend yield. For the quarter ended September 28, 2024, in which the company launched its iPhone 16 lineup, AirPods 4, and Apple Watch Series 10 with features for hearing health and sleep apnea detection, the tech giant posted a revenue of $94.9 billion. Meanwhile, Google is capturing the wearable market through Fitbit, which it acquired in 2021. The Chinese company Huawei also launched its TruSense system this year to power upcoming wearables. Other notable names in the space include Samsung Group ( SSUN.F -0.26% ), Sony Corporation ( SONY -0.9% ), Microsoft ( MSFT +0.91% ), and Garmin. Conclusion Wearable technology is a rapidly growing market that is seeing a lot of interest and development. Moreover, breakthroughs in thermoelectric technology, as achieved by the QUT team, are paving the way towards a more advanced future where these devices are not dependable on batteries anymore, in turn leading to lightweight and more efficient wearables. But while all these advancements in material and design are driving the global wearables market, there are still challenges with regard to cost, scalability, and durability. It is only through further innovation, continued collaboration, and increased investment that all these breakthroughs can be put to use in practical applications and integrated into our daily lives! Click here for a list of top wearable health tracking companies to invest in.Will Kamala Harris run for California governor in 2026? The question is already swirling