Of course, MWC isn’t just about smartphones– this year’s congress showed that the trend for wearable technology has truly taken off. As a B2B PR agency with a client who recently embraced the wearables trend, we were eager to see what MWC 2015 brought us on this front.
AVG demoed an original and possibly controversial device that might not be greeted too kindly by the police and government officials. The computer security software company exhibited a pair of glasses that make the wearer’s face invisible to facial recognition technology. They work by emitting light that can’t be viewed by the naked eye, but will be picked up by most camera lenses, distorting the face. That would mean being able to escape being recognised on CCTV. But whether it takes off or not depends on how brave we all are to wear quirky glasses like this.
The Eye Tribe, a Danish start-up, exhibited eye-tracking software that could be rolled out onto various devices. The tech company showcased a prototype of a smart watch with a built-in eye sensor. Users can activate the screen just by glancing at it, and scroll through text messages by movements of the eye.
I really hope eye-tracking wearable technology will be on the market soon. The Eye Tribe’s demo got me thinking what other wearable devices could incorporate built-in eye sensors. How about a wearable TV remote in which you can flick through the channels by looking up and down the screen? Similarly, a wearable mouse that would allow you to click on icons using your eyes might prove popular. Hyper-convenience is commonly the driving-force behind how technology in general moves forward, and I’m sure that wearables won’t escape that.
Alex Brown has just started his career at Skout PR and will be a regular contributor to the Skout blog.
