Smart bracelets hit the fashion runway
Wearable tech is going high fashion with a new smart bracelet designed by fashion company Opening Ceremony and engineered by Intel. The MICA bracelet -- short for My Intelligent Communication Accessory -- is making its debut on Sunday at the fashion company's Spring/Summer 2015 show at New York's Fashion Week.
The bracelet features semi-precious gems with two different water snakeskin designs. But its more innovative features are its advanced tech capabilities. Those who wear it can receive SMS messaging, meeting alerts and notifications accessible on the curved sapphire glass touchscreen display. There is no need to sync the band with a smartphone.
While wearable tech is already a growing trend -- products ranging from smart watches to shirts with built-in sensors have been cropping up across the country over the past several years -- the latest fashion and tech collaborations may help boost its popularity in the luxury accessory and clothing market.
The MICA bracelet will be priced at under $1,000 and will be available in Barney's New York during the 2014 holiday season.
Other high-end retailers are getting in on the wearable tech trend. This summer, designer Ralph Lauren unveiled the new Polo Tech Shirt, which has sensors that track and relay biometric data to a wearer's smartphone. Also this year, consumer electronics company Fitbit teamed with Tory Burch to design a line of accessories incorporating the FitBit Flex, which tracks a wearer's distance, steps and calories burned.
The wearable computing market, which includes smart accessories, is experiencing a boom, according to April report from International Data Corporation (IDC) which found that 19.2 million wearable devices will be shipped globally in 2014 and is expected to triple last year's sales.
Yet many smart devices remain fashion challenged, limiting their appeal in the marketplace.
To inspire new ideas and designs with functionality, Intel has encouraged entrepreneurs to join the wearable technology movement with its 2014 "Make it Wearable" challenge, which will reward the grand prize winner $500,000 for their best concept for a wearable design later this year.