According to a recent report from ABI Research, wearable wireless sensors are set to grow to more than 400 million devices by 2014. The research firm believes demand will come from professional healthcare, home healthcare and sports and fitness markets, but each market will develop at different speeds and support different applications.
ABI estimates that the sports and fitness market represents more than 90 percent of the wireless sensor market today.
"These are very early days for wearable wireless sensors in the healthcare market, but a number of factors are coming together to support strong growth over the next five years," ABI Research principle analyst Jonathan Collins said in a statement. "Technology and product development, wireless protocol standardization, and the potential already seen in sports and fitness monitoring will help drive investment in the healthcare market."
ABI noted that Bluetooth Low Energy, ZigBee, 802.15.4 and proprietary offerings are the typical technologies wireless sensor developers consider when designing their systems, but the industry is keen on standardizing products wherever possible. As we have noted in the past, Bluetooth Low Energy and ZigBee are the two standards that Continua Health Alliance picked for its second generation guidelines.
For more on the ABI Research study, check out the company's press release after the jump.
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Market for Wearable Wireless Sensors to Grow to More than 400 million Devices by 2014, Says ABI Research
LONDON -- Around the world multiple social factors are putting strain on existing healthcare operations, but a new wave of interest and investment in wireless body sensors will help healthcare providers to improve treatment as well as increase efficiency and cut costs. Key to these benefits is the development of wireless sensors to measure important body parameters and communicate the data to remote systems. These developments are examined in a new study from ABI Research.
Over the next five years the market for wearable wireless sensors is set to grow to more than 400 million devices by 2014. Demand will come from the professional healthcare, home healthcare and sports and fitness markets, but these markets will develop at different speeds and will support different applications. The sports and fitness market represents more than 90 percent of the market today.
"These are very early days for wearable wireless sensors in the healthcare market, but a number of factors are coming together to support strong growth over the next five years," says principle analyst Jonathan Collins. "Technology and product development, wireless protocol standardization, and the potential already seen in sports and fitness monitoring will help drive investment in the healthcare market."
Bluetooth Low Energy, ZigBee, 802.15.4 and proprietary offerings are all under consideration for wearable wireless sensor systems and the industry is keen to turn to standardized products wherever possible.
The new ABI Research study, "Wearable Wireless Sensors" (http://www.abiresearch.com/research/1004149) examines the factors fuelling demand for wearable wireless sensors as well as the short range wireless technologies that may be used by them. It also identifies the key players in the market, describes the regulatory and industry environment, and assesses the dynamics of patient care that will affect market development. The report examines the potential market in three broad categories: health and fitness, at-home health monitoring, and professional healthcare telemedicine. It includes forecasts for the growth for wireless sensors by market type, by region, and by technology protocol.
It forms part of three ABI Research Services, Short-Range Wireless (http://www.abiresearch.com/products/service/Short_Range_Wireless_Researc...), Wireless Healthcare (http://www.abiresearch.com/products/service/Wireless_Healthcare_Research...), and Wireless Sensor Networks (http://www.abiresearch.com/products/service/Wireless_Sensor_Networks_Res...), which also include other Research Reports, Research Briefs, Market Data, ABI Vendor Matrices, ABI Insights, and analyst inquiry support.
ABI Research provides in-depth analysis and quantitative forecasting of emerging trends in global connectivity. From offices in North America, Europe and Asia, ABI Research's worldwide team of experts advise thousands of decision makers through research and advisory services in eight key practice areas. Est. 1990. For more information visit www.abiresearch.com, or call +1.516.624.2500.
