From July 20-23, 2015, Africa and indeed the whole world will converge at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, Nigeria’s political capital, for the 2015 edition of the Digital Africa Conference & Exhibition, and the third in a series, following two previous successful editions in 2013 and 2014.
The two previous events had provided the platform for renowned ICT experts to discuss the development of Africa’s ICT sector and proffer solutions to the challenges limiting the continent’s advancement to the point of digital singularity with the rest of the globe. This year’s edition is themed:“Expanding African Capacity for Digital Technology,” and is expected to address broad range of topics aimed at broadening Africa’s IT capability. ROMMY IMAH writes…..
One of the topics that’s high on the list for Africa’s digital transformation is Wearable Technology. These are devices, unlike mobile phones, that are worn on the body and have built-in sensors to monitor certain functions (like steps taken or precise location) and then communicate information through Bluetooth and the cloud.
Bracelets, necklaces and garments that fuse utility with fashion, function with form, can make the daily life of Africans healthier, safer and keep them in better contact. They’ll enable everything from commerce to managing chronic illnesses. And they’ll revolutionize the fashion industry with clothing that interacts with the environment. The Wearables industry is still in its infancy, but the market is expected to skyrocket to $19 billion by 2018.
According to a 2014 IDC report, “The worldwide wearable computing devices market (commonly referred to as ‘wearables’) will reach a total of 19.2 million units in 2014, driven
primarily by complex accessories such as Fitbit devices, Jawbone's UP bracelet, and Nike+ FuelBand.
New accessories like the Apple Watch allow you to shop, exercise and get personal email and text notifications. You can even use your wrist as your phone. Other smart accessories from companies including Misfit, Withings and Samsung are creating wearable platforms that will let you do any number of things from taking a photo, to making a note, to paying a bill, to tracking your heart rate, all from the wearable device. Finally, smart Wearables like Google Glass and Oculus Rift, though still being perfected, have the potential to meld the physical and virtual worlds in both the entertainment and business sectors.
For Africans on the go, the power of Wearables is transformative. Banking by touching your wrist, measuring an unborn child’s vital signs with a small pendant, sending an emergency notification by tapping your earring, these are just some examples of products that are on the market today. For healthcare, Wearables offer the ability to gain feedback about your personal physical state: blood pressure, heart beat, brainwaves, sleep, pregnancy, and body temperature are but a few of things that today’s devices can monitor.
Other more communications-based Wearables can track family and loved ones especially those who are in any sort of imminent health of physical danger. They can detect environmental factors: providing information about everything from pollution levels to shopping and retail information. A wearable’s functionality seems to be limited only by the imagination of the inventor.
That is why we’ve created a series of insightful and thought-provoking presentations focusing on unleashing the potential for wearable technology throughout Africa and the world. At the Digital Africa Conference & Exhibition, you’ll hear expert veteran speakers explore and showcase these freshly evolving technologies that can boost the socio-economic development of Africa.
To bring the topic to life, this year’s Digital Africa Conference & Exhibition will also feature the first Wearable Technology Fashion Show. We’ll showcase everything from dresses and jackets to hats and handbags with Wearables integrated into their design. The curated show will provide a live look at the latest marriage of fashion and tech and some of the designers who are marrying the two.
One of the conference’s veteran speakers is Robin Raskin, founder of Living in Digital Times (LIDT). Her team of technophiles bring together, top experts and the latest innovations to showcase the intersection lifestyle and technology. Throughout the year, LIDT focuses on how technology enhances every aspect of human life through the eyes of today’s digital consumer.
Raskin believes that Africa’s current digital technology penetration level is deep enough to accommodate wearable technologies. “In many ways new technologies like mobile payment systems and wearable trackers have an easier adoption trajectory in Africa than in markets that are hampered by old infrastructure without high speed broadband. Africa’s embrace of the mobile wireless market puts it on the fast track towards Wearables. And now that Wearables are more practical, functional and integrate easily with existing mobile technologies the adoption curve will accelerate,” she said.
Raskin suggests that the benefits of wearable technologies are many for the African consumer. In her words: “The ability to gain feedback about your own physical state- blood pressure, heart beat, brainwaves, sleep, pregnancy, illness will allow consumers to take control of their healthcare without relying solely on doctors. Most behavioral factors that lead to premature death can all be monitored and modified using devices, and hopefully effect outcomes.”
That’s not to say that the adoption of wearable technology doesn’t have its challenges. Some Wearables are frivolous rather than useful; others are not rugged enough for wear, others have battery or data transfer issues and still others have a steep learning curve for the user.
And Africa have some unique challenges. In a continent ravaged by poverty, poor economic planning and a slow approach to adoption of new technologies, some have doubts about Africa’s willingness and readiness to embrace the global trend in wearable technologies.
Raskin believes that a sensible approach to Wearables will benefit Africa. “My hope is that the first smart wearable gadgets promote things we care about universally -staying in touch with loved ones and helping people adhere to medical and healthy lifestyle regiments. As Wearables continue to become smaller and show up in new form factors you’ll see them in everything from shoes to correct a bad gait, to posture- monitoring belts, to bike helmets smart enough to detect ambient surroundings.”
“As for price, the cost of Wearables is a fraction of the cost of what a laptop or desktop PC was just a few years ago,” says Raskin. “A commitment to a cloud-based, high speed broadband environment will drive the cost of devices down because expensive things like storage and processing are offloaded to the infrastructure.”
It is no doubt that wearable technology has caught the interest of the world. This year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) which was held in Las Vegas, USA, in January and the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, demonstrate how fast the market is developing. As Africa is witnessing a fast growth in the technology market, it is expected that it will not take long before wearable technology makes a heavy showing on the continent.
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