Designing handhelds, wearables, and tomorrow’s smaller medical devices comes with a unique set of design challenges. Engineers and designers are striving to drive size, weight, and cost from their devices, looking critically at every component, including medical device connectors.   Handhelds, wearables and more: Smaller medical devices mean smaller, multi-tasking connectors New technology in connectorRead More

Soldiers have always worn technology to keep them from harm and help them do their jobs better. In the information age, the technology they wear is built on information itself.   In contrast with 20th-century technology that reached its peak with highly destructive atomic weapons, in the information age the key military technology will beRead More

Industry 4.0 is the point where automation, the Internet of Things, wearables, and customization converge.   “Industry 4.0” is still a bit of a buzzword, but it gets closer to realization every day. Industry 4.0 refers to the fourth industrial revolution. In earlier articles, we discussed the first (industrialization), second (mass production), and third (IT integration)Read More

The TE low-profile block connectors offer a flexible, cost-effective solution for wearables, smartphones, and mobile devices. TE Connectivity introduced three low-profile block connectors, including the 0.3H block SIM card connector, 0.3H block side-entry SIM connector, and 0.3H block micro SD connector — all new additions to its SIM card connector portfolio for smartphones, wearables, andRead More

Connector companies are meeting SWaP challenges as we move to mobile and wearable devices, but is there a time or a function when tiny is too small?     Electrical connectors just keep getting smaller as companies push size and weight out of their devices. Connector companies have risen to meet the SWaP (size, weight, and power) challengesRead More

Once distinct markets, wearables, smartphones, and tablets are merging into one product segment. What does the future hold for these devices and related technologies?      The smart computing device market includes wearables, smartphones, tablets, and laptops. One can define this segment as a market because these previously distinct product areas are converging – andRead More

As consumers try to warm up to Google Glass, Apple’s iWatch, and their Fitbit wristbands, TE unveils its latest “collection”: A Silicon Valley-based incubator team to enable the next generation of wearable devices.   Nicholas Langston, Jr., insists he’s the luckiest guy you’ll ever meet. Langston heads up TE Connectivity’s Wearables Lab in Menlo Park, Calif.,Read More

Military wearables enhance soldier capabilities, but the next generation of battlefield equipment will require an evolution in connector technology.   New wearables, including augmented reality technology and devices connected to the Internet of Things (IoT), will not (yet) make the new soldier or airman look like Iron Man, although “Iron Man Suit” is the nickname usedRead More

Building on the success of smartphones and other mobile consumer devices, medical device manufacturers continue to improve on portable and wearable monitoring devices. What does this mean for interconnect designs?   Designed to be worn on the body or attached to clothing, wearable electronic devices, also known as wearables, integrate biosensors that detect physiological markers. HealthcareRead More

Connectivity will be key to expanding the world of wearables in the future.   The world of technology is going through another transformation. We went from mainframes to desktop PCs in about two decades; from desktops to laptop PCs in one; and from laptops to smartphones and tablets in less than that. Another revolution isRead More

Traditionally employed in heavy industrial applications, robots are moving into other industries. In the medical field, they are used for surgery, therapy, diagnostics, and much more.   Robots for specialized medical applications such as surgery bring together robotics and biology, and we’re seeing an increase in the number of robots specifically designed and developed for thisRead More

To address rapid growth in the wearables market, TE opens a wearables lab focused on consumer, medical, industrial, and defense applications.     TE Connectivity announced the official opening of its TE Wearables Lab in Menlo Park, Calif.,US. Exclusively focused on wearable technologies across consumer, medical, industrial, and defense businesses, the lab serves as aRead More