Wearable devices can bridge the gap between the internal and external, by acting as an interface between the body's inner workings and real-time data displayed on a screen. Many technologies have now reached maturity, though some technologies, including approaches to medical sensing and quantum sensing, leave much to be uncovered. IDTechEx's portfolio of Sensors, Haptics & Displays Research Reports is home to the latest research in this area.
Current and future wearable sensors
The scope for wearables is huge, with smartwatches, smart rings, and glucose monitoring devices already heavily established within the market, and other wearable sensing technologies making breakthroughs. Accelerometers and magnetometers are sensing technologies already used within wearables such as smartwatches and activity trackers to help with analysis of motion types, while optical sensors in finger clips or smartwatches can be used to measure blood oxygen levels and heart rate.
For enhanced medical applications, smart gumshields for sports players could provide data on the force and impact of a head injury and therefore assist in the decision as to whether continuing to play is in the best interest of the wearer. Additionally, devices such as wearable brain scanning helmets could provide more accurate results than regular scans that take place in one stationary position, meaning neural signals could be continuously accessed for a longer period of time and in various contexts and environments.
In the future, devices could become increasingly miniaturized and potentially even detect the body's signals from just near the body, which may come in use for babies and small children, and for more accessible remote patient monitoring and ease of accessing biometrics. Similarly, non-invasive glucose level monitoring using spectroscopic and chemical methods could provide a new way to take readings that doesn't involve the invasiveness of a needle.
IDTechEx's report, "Wearable Sensors Market 2025-2035: Technologies, Trends, Players, Forecasts", categorizes wearable sensors into motion, optical, electrodes, force and strain, temperature, chemical, novel, and wearable quantum sensors, and provides a detailed outlook on each type.
Quantum sensors for wearables
Devices that utilize quantum sensors range from being commercially available to still existing in research and development stages. Quantum magnetometers and tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) sensors are examples of devices that can be used to enhance wearables.
Quantum magnetic field sensors can be used for biomagnetic imaging, where classical sensors cannot provide the same level of sensitivity. The imaging of neurons and hearts are some of the applications explored in IDTechEx's report, "Quantum Sensors Market 2026-2046: Technology, Trends, Players, Forecasts", and are described as being where the main opportunity for biomagnetic quantum sensing lies. Brain scanning helmets using optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) do not require cooling infrastructure, unlike SQUIDs, and can therefore be used in various environments. These helmets can be used for seizure studies, movement disorder studies, enhanced PET scans, and sleep studies.
TMR sensors can be responsible for wake-up functions within wearable devices, having low power consumption and small form factor, and are expected to take the place of incumbent sensors for wake-up functionality across wearables and a number of other consumer electronic devices, according to IDTechEx. They are also currently making a name for themselves within continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and are seeing increased competition amongst some of the biggest manufacturers. Chip-scale atomic clocks are another example of quantum sensors that could eventually be used for more accurate navigation in wearables through the use of high-frequency transitions between atoms that can allow for precise timing, and therefore navigation as a result.
IDTechEx's report, "Sensor Market 2026-2036: Technologies, Trends, Players, Forecasts", provides an overview of the different types of sensors that exist across a wide range of sectors, including LiDAR, radar, printed sensors, gas sensors, battery sensors, and more. For more information, visit IDTechEx's portfolio of Sensors, Haptics & Displays Research Reports for access to all the latest research.
