Engineers are integrating thin, flexible electronics and sensors into belts, glasses, headgear, jewelry, shirts, shoes, watches and a wide variety of other products. Wearable electronics promise to radically alter everything from medical devices to sporting goods by providing an easy way to monitor the vital signs of patients, soldiers, athletes and other users.
The technology is expected to have an impact everywhere from the battlefield to the factory floor. Law enforcement applications alone are expected to skyrocket over the next decade, in the wake of recent high-profile police abuse incidents in Ferguson, MO, and New York City.