Huge growth in wearable technology sales predicted

But according to IDTechEx, the greatest percentage and absolute profits are not in the biggest sector for human wearable electronics - infotainment - they are in the merged functions of medical, healthcare, fitness and wellness.

Dr Peter Harrop, Wearable Technology Team Leader, IDTechEx, comments: "We desperately need much better human interfaces. We have the near impossible challenge of most people only wanting to wear one device on their wrist doing a burgeoning number of tasks with really simple, fast, intuitive interfaces. Doing that with a tiny wristwatch screen goes completely against the trend of mobile phones which have, by popular request, had bigger and bigger screens for ten years already."

Harrop is impressed by the interfaces of the latest electronic eyewear but believes that there is more to do. He also believes that privacy issues will largely die away as they become indistinguishable from regular glasses.