A recent study by Juniper predicts that wearable gadgets will hit 130 million by 2018.  This means more manufacturers will be focusing on wearable products, each with the aim of gaining consumer appeal for these branded devices.

It’s not hard to fathom that big name manufacturers will be interested in the wearable tech industry, as Nike has already proven the lucrative market potential with its Fuel Band, and even Sony hoped to benefit from being a first mover in the smartwatch market with the release of its SmartWatch.

This week’s Wearable Tech roundup features the latest wearable tech from big brands, including Microsoft’s smart bra, Broadcom’s new Bluetooth smart chip, and Evena’s new eyeglasses.

Microsoft’s smart bra

Microsoft researchers are working on a smart bra laced with sensors to collect the wearer’s electrocardiogram.  The point of the smart bra is not to monitor the wearer’s heart but to determine if the person is experiencing stress.  Studies have shown that stress greatly affects a person’s eating habits, but more women are more likely to go binge eating than men.

Microsoft’s smart bra aims to combat stress eating, or overeating in general, by monitoring a person’s stress level and diverting their attention from binge eating to less destructive activities, such as going for a walk or a run.

“We conclude that building a wearable, physiological system (to combat overeating) is feasible.

“However, we will continue to explore how to build a robust, real-world system that stands up to everyday challenges with regards to battery life, comfortability, and being suitable for both men and women,” the researchers said.

Broadcom’s tiny Bluetooth smart chip

Broadcom is joining the wearable tech revolution but instead of releasing a wearable device of their own, it has developed a smart chip that will enable wireless charging for even the smallest wearable gadget.

The Broadcom BCM20736 is a new Bluetooth Smart system-on-a-chip (SoC) that falls in its Wireless Internet Connectivity for Embedded Devices (WICED) family.  The Smart chip aims to address the rapidly growing opportunities in different market segments for wearables and the Internet of Things.

The Smart chip is designed to consume less energy, power optimized for single mode coin cell operation and from 1.2V supply, has on-chip support for 2 serial peripheral interfaces (SPIs), supports Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) wireless charging and enhanced data security modes, PIN compatible with Broadcom’s existing Bluetooth Smart SOCs, supports secure over the air updates, and it is very small with dimensions of 6.5 x 6.5 mm.

Evena Eyes-On Glasses

Smart glasses seem to be full of potential for a variety of activities, from navigation to gaming.  But what if smart glasses can ease the pain of getting an injection or intravenous catheter?

Evena Medical recently unveiled a different type of smart glasses: one that uses the company’s patented near-infrared (NIR) visualization which allows the wearer to see a patient’s vein, as well as Epson’s Moverio “smart glasses” technology which displays images on top of real world objects.

Medical practitioners with access to the Evena smart glass solution will have their work cut out for them, and patients will be thankful that they don’t have to endure getting punctured multiple times before someone finally hits a vein.