LOPEC 2016 Will Show How Wearable Tech Boosts Electronics Sector

LOPEC 2016 will be taking place from April 5–7 in Munich, Germany, where the latest products, technologies and trends in printed electronics will be on display. Smartwatches, fitness trackers and other wearable tech will be among the focal points at this year’s international trade fair, and they will also be on the agenda at the LOPEC Conference, where top-class speakers from companies such as adidas will be in attendance.
 
Smartshirts, GPS running watches and other devices that are worn on the body to track health data or sporting performance and allow users to connect with their surroundings are steadily gaining in popularity. According to the experts, this is causing the European market for wearable technology to grow by around 25% each year, with sales expected to exceed €9 billion by 2018.
 
One of the highlights is set to be the Plenary Session on wearable electronics for athletes to be given by Burkhard Dümler, director Program & Projects IT Innovation at adidas, at 10:05 on April 6. With its activity tracker wristbands, GPS running watches and a wide range of other similar products, adidas has played an active role in the field of wearable tech for some time now. Printed electronics, with their thin, light and flexible characteristics, allow for new products to be developed and increase levels of comfort for users.
 
“At LOPEC 2016, we will be looking to explore the ways in which textiles and electronics can be combined even more effectively,” said Dümler. “It’s a process with lots of potential, so printing electronic components is certainly something that we at adidas are taking into consideration.”
 
It is not just in the health and fitness sector that printed electronics are in demand as an addition, or indeed alternative, to conventional silicon technology. Dr. Gordon Smith of GSI Technologies will be providing an overview of wearable printed electronics on April 7 as part of the “Wearable Electronics” module at the LOPEC Conference, and Dr. Thomas Kraft from the University of Technology in Tampere, Finland, will be speaking about how wearable tech is making life with networked technology even more regular, facilitating the breakthrough of the Internet of Things.
 
Research institutes including the VTT Technical Research Center of Finland and the Holst Center in the Netherlands will be tackling the topic of wearable tech, as will materials manufacturers DuPont, Heraeus and Henkel, who will be presenting conductible inks and pastes that can be printed onto flexible substrates. Product highlights from the smart wearable electronics sector will also be showcased on the jointly held Wearables Exhibition Stand, as well as at the stands of GSI Technologies and, of course, the OE-A. Applications from companies including adidas will be presented at the Innovation Showcase, an exhibition area dedicated to product innovations and prototypes.