United Kingdom Wearable Sensors Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 - 2026)

The UK wearable sensors market is estimated to register a CAGR of about 39.50% during the forecast period (2021 - 2026). The major trend driving the UK wearable sensor market is miniaturization and improved communication capabilities, which enable their integration into various devices and machines without compromising other functionalities. The market is also stimulated due to the rising awareness of health and fitness, where wearable sensors play a vital role. Innovations in fields as diverse as connectivity, sensor technology, material and data sciences, robotics, and e-textiles, are driving rapid advances in wearables sensors in a broad range of consumer and commercial sectors in the United Kingdom. With the increasing expectation of being connected anytime and anywhere, wearable sensor technology has grown to be one of the biggest growing industries in the United Kingdom. New opportunities in the market, such as the internet of things (IoT) and smart mobile devices, have accelerated the development of wearables since they provide many benefits to users.

• In the United Kingdom, wearable sensors are being used in various domains, such as healthcare, sports, and fitness, defense, and travel. These sensors have been used in the military for multiple applications, like heads up displays. In the entertainment industry, these sensors are being adopted in cinemas, gaming, and flight simulator. The wearable sensors market is helping the augmented reality market in entertainment. Products, like Oculus Rift and Sony HMZ-T3Q, are gaining a lot of popularity among gamers, and the United Kingdom is a prominent gaming market.
• In the region, wearable biosensors are being developed to help monitor the health of livestock, particularly dairy cows, to identify the disease brucellosis at an earlier stage. A transportable test is being designed to enable accelerated confirmatory diagnosis of suspected cases. The UK-China project is financed by the Department of Health and Social Care (administered by Innovate UK) and Cranfield University, working with Scottish companies Biotangents and IceRobotics.
• According to Mark Allen Engineering Ltd, the global number of remotely monitored patients is expected to reach 50.2 million by 2021, and with the growth in wirelessly connected devices for the Internet-of-Things, wearable sensors, capable of monitoring patients remotely, recording information and communicating it back to healthcare professionals, are becoming increasingly important.
• Trending is the graphene-based wearable sensors self-power to monitor vital signs and capable of tracking people’s vital signs while they go about their daily lives are being developed in the United Kingdom. Researchers at the Exeter University of the United Kingdom are integrating graphene-based sensors into the textiles. The graphene-coated textiles change when exposed to external stimuli, such as variations in temperature or fluctuations in temperature, allowing them to be used as sensors.
• Wearable healthcare is expanding the country. For example, BT and the University Hospital Birmingham, the United Kingdom, recently demonstrated the ‘connected ambulance’ consisting of a 5G-equipped ambulance crew equipped with a VR headset. The clinician can visualize what the paramedic sees in the ambulance. Using a joystick, they are then capable to remotely manage the paramedic in real-time to perform any essential scans, as well as get close-up footage of the scars and injuries of a patient.
• The expansion of the AI ecosystem assets such as conversational computing, Machine Learning, smartphone apps, and others will have a profound impact on the delivery of care. 5G and the burgeoning IoT sector will inevitably have a profound effect on the whole wearable sensors market. Technological advancements have progressed the robustness and scope of application of wearable sensors, but reluctance from end-users in employing innovations due to their expensive nature is a significant challenge for the wearable sensors market in the United Kingdom.
• The recent COVID-19 pandemic has an impact on the wearable sensors market in the region owing to the rising influence of telemedicine. People are supposed to avoid public gatherings to follow social distancing. This is why doctors are taking the telemedicine route where they can treat patients from a distance without creating a scope for any virus spread. The development of applications to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) in its systems to assist medical personnel, as well as the growth of telemedicine, has encouraged wearable medical devices market growth.

Key Market Trends

Healthcare Sector Expected to Occupy the Highest Market Share

• The demand for wearables with health applications is firmly on the surge in the United Kingdom. As patients are increasingly utilizing wearable technology and mobile apps in health monitoring and management, healthcare service administration is changing. The digitization of healthcare is being realized, with many providers and patients already utilizing AI-powered healthcare services, including home-based diagnostics, and virtual health assistants. One such instance would be Babylon Health in the United Kingdom.
• Another typical example of wearable healthcare technology that has a practical application is Current, which has designed a wearable device that can remotely monitor patients after their discharge from the hospital. The device uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to analyze patient data delivering actionable insights to clinicians. The Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust Hospital reported a 22% reduction in-home visits after deploying the technology.
• Wearables as medical technologies are growing an integral part of measuring physical status, personal analytics, recording physiological parameters, or informing schedule for medication. In the United Kingdom, businesses developing wearable devices for the healthcare sector will continue to witness the market expansion, with AI ecosystem assets, such as Machine Learning, and Smartphone apps, expected to have a profound impact on the delivery of care.
• Further, active partnerships and research efforts are an ongoing trend in the wearable sensors market in the United Kingdom. For instance, in a research project funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (administered by Innovate UK), wearable biosensors are being developed to help monitor the health of livestock.
• The Apple Watch is the most apparent use of a wearable device for healthcare monitoring. The current iteration of the Watch can monitor the wearer’s heart rate and inform them if there is a possible issue. And with cases of diabetes on the increase, devices such as the Dexcom CGM offer a suitable monitoring solution.
• The molecular diagnostic device developed at Biotangents Ltd is suitable for pen-side testing and will allow quick and accurate identification of infectious diseases, such as brucellosis, in livestock.

Increasing Adoption of Wearable Devices for Continuous Monitoring of Vital Signs

• Wearable devices have emerged as rapidly developing technologies that have the potential to change people’s lifestyles and improve their wellbeing, decisions, and behaviors as well as enhance core business processes.
• Owing to the growing penetration rates of urbanization, the need for aesthetically appealing advanced featured products with the capacity to better serve consumers’ daily necessities, such as time schedules, have propelled the market for smartwatches, globally.
• Beating the 2019 list is the Apple series four that comes amongst the few watches with an inbuilt electrocardiogram to alert in case one is receiving a heart complication. Additionally, the watch automatically recognizes panic, for instance, in case of a fall, which will trigger it to send help notifications to the physician and close family members.
• Wearable Devices from other popular models like Fitbit, Huawei, Garmin, and Samsung, can keep track of day’s activities such as the distance covered and stay in track of health goals more so when one wants to reduce calorie intake and burn fats.
• Moreover, the vast millennial population has been embracing smartwatches, owing to enhanced spending for their regular work hours tracking as well as luxury standards. For instance, European millennials are predicted to witness an average expenditure growth by 18%, to above USD 53,000, by 2022.
• Additionally, various efforts are being taken by the players in the market to get a competitive edge in this fast-growing market, mainly catering to the need of the millennial generation population. In 2018, Fossil Group launched seven next-generation smartwatches, magnifying the technological innovations on the wrist, while keeping the aesthetically fashioned designs for Indian millennials.
• With growing cases of health issues that are primarily attributed to the sedentary lifestyle, the use of fitness trackers is now becoming even more popular. Xiaomi Mi Band 2S can keep track of health even when you are asleep, which makes it easier for the doctor to make an accurate diagnosis.
• There is an accelerating demand in the use of medical wearables owing to its affordability and comfort as opposed to regular checkups that not only comes at a cost but also expensive. Google smart lenses, and Cloud DX vitality, health patch MD are competent in detecting body changes and analyzes the data and cautions individuals of contracting diseases.
• The use of wearable technology is growing and becoming a need owing to their affordability. With the most advanced development, these devices can now read lots of data and monitor vital signs and are more superior to their earlier version.

Competitive Landscape

With the entrance of principal players, such as Infineon Technologies UK Ltd, STMicroelectronics Ltd, Panasonic UK Ltd, NXP Semiconductors UK Ltd, and TE Connectivity Ltd, in the wearable device technology market, the requirement for wearable sensors in the consumer electronics sector has increased swiftly in the region. This growing demand is a result of the strong demand from young customers, enhancing the competition among the current players. Hence, many organizations are continuously unfolding and innovating to match demand. For instance, Fitbit, one of the significant players in wearable device technology, in the market, is an exceptional example of a growing demand for fitness trackers.

• April 2020 - Infineon Technologies AG announced the closing of the acquisition of Cypress Semiconductor Corporation. The San Jose-based company has become part of Infineon useful as of the closing. The addition of Cypress lets Infineon further strengthen its focus on structural growth drivers and a broader range of applications.
• March 2020 - TE Connectivity Ltd, a global industrial technology company with leading positions in connectivity and sensing solutions, completed its public takeover of First Sensor AG. TE now holds 71.87% shares of First Sensor. The business combination with First Sensor is a milestone in TE Connectivity's commitment to being a leader in the sensor space and continuing to provide customers with a high level of product innovation and service.

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