Now, bring your own wearable

More than 75 million wearable devices will be deployed in work settings by 2020, according to a report released by technology research firm Tractica. The report says smart watches will be the largest category of wearables in the workplace, followed by fitness trackers and smart glasses. Also, on the horizon is 'smart' clothing. The adoption of wearables in the workplace will occur both in corporate enterprise environments and in industrial settings. The use of wearables in the enterprise will include devices that are part of the 'bring your own wearable' (BYOW) trend, as well as fitness trackers or smart watches provided by employers as part of their corporate wellness programmes.

Key industry players that will shape the workplace wearables industry are Apple, Google, Salesforce.com, Microsoft , Fitbit and Vuzix. According to the report, corporate wellness programmes will be the main driver of wearables at work.

Not just wellnes, wearables will also be adopted by warehouses, manufacturing shop floors and field maintenance sites in a variety of industries, including oil and gas, mining, aerospace, warehouse, engineering services, transport/logistics, field maintenance, and mobile workforce management. Internet-connected eyewear made by several companies is being tested for use in airline customer service, auto manufacturing, medical education and remote office-machine repair, among other applications.