Smart Rings and Ai-Pins-The Future of Wearables: From B2B applications to post-smartphone era

Published on: March 29, 2025 / update from: March 29, 2025 - Author: Konrad Wolfenstein

Smart Rings and Ai-Pins-The Future of Wearables: From B2B applications to the post-smartphone era-Keativ picture: Xpert.digital

KI, Mixed Reality and more: the rise of modern wearables

Smart Rings and glasses: How the Wearable Revolution changes companies

The market for portable technologies develops rapidly from simple fitness trackers into complex devices with AI integration and mixed reality skills. While smart all around and networked glasses offer increasingly sophisticated functions, visionaries such as Mark Zuckerberg predict a future in which AI-supported wearables could become everyday companion. New developments such as the Humane AI PIN indicate a possible “post-smartphone era” in which specialized wearables could take on the functions of smartphones. A significant growth potential is particularly evident in the B2B area, since companies recognize the advantages of these technologies for productivity and security.

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AI glasses focus: Can wearables replace smartphones? How to change Wearables industry, medicine and everyday life

The current wearable market and its development

The market for wearables has expanded significantly in recent years and now not only includes smartwatches and fitness trackers, but also innovative devices such as smart rings, mixed reality glasses and AI-based wearables. According to market analysts, the global B2B market for enterprise and industrial wearables will grow with an annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 15% in the period 2021-2026. This development is driven by increasing demand for hands-free devices, IoT integration and improved security in industrial environments.

Smart Rings as a discrete alternative

Smart Rings have established themselves as a subtle alternative to larger wearables such as smartwatches. They are small, light and hardly interfere when wearing. The Oura Ring is considered a top dog in the market, was the first to make it to an international fan base and was originally financed through crowdfunding. Other providers such as Ultrahuman, Evie and Samsung are also trying to gain a foothold in the growing market for smart rings.

A big advantage of this technology is the impressive battery life: While most smartwatches have to be charged daily, many smart rings last several days up to a week. However, the compact design also brings restrictions with it, since the missing displays mean that users are more dependent on their smartphone in order to read the data collected.

The AI integration in smart rings is also progressing. Oura recently introduced a AI update with functions such as the “Oura Advisor”, which combines sensor data with a large Language model. This enables the ring, for example, to recognize increased stress levels, to ask the user about the reason and to give individually adapted tips for reducing stress.

Wearables in the B2B sector

The B2B area represents a particularly promising market for wearable technologies. As early as 2015, experts predicted that the trend towards “Wear Your Own Device” (WYOD) would have huge consequences for companies. While in Germany 41 percent of the respondents went out of a clear increase in private wearable devices, expectations in other European countries were somewhat more due.

Enterprise and industrial wearables are specially designed for use in industrial and entrepreneurial environments. These devices are usually robust and durable, can withstand rough environments and conditions and are often equipped with various sensors and technologies to improve efficiency, security and productivity. Examples of B2B-Wearables include smart glasses, smartwatches, head-mounted displays, portable cameras and exoskeletons that can be used in various industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, logistics and construction.

Challenges for IT managers

The increasing spread of wearables in the company context poses new challenges for IT managers. Similar to the BYOD trend (Bring Your Own Device), network administrators must develop solutions to ensure the performance and stability of company networks. According to experts, these new technologies are not yet taken seriously by many IT managers, which could lead to them “overrun” by the rapid development.

Mixed reality: the fusion of AR and VR

Mixed Reality (MR) represents an innovative form of expanded reality that integrates aspects of both augmented reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). This technology enables seamless fusion of real and virtual worlds, which means that users can interact with the physical and virtual world at the same time.

MR creates an environment in which physical objects from the real world can influence digital elements in the virtual world and vice versa. The practical application of this technology usually requires specialized MR headsets and powerful hardware, with the Microsoft Hololens, which was first presented in 2015, is considered an outstanding example.

Technical properties of MR glasses

Mixed reality glasses typically consists of a stereoscopic display, headphones for stereotone and sensors to pursue the head movement. More advanced models can also contain eye-tracking sensors that register eye movements and be supplemented with gaming controllers for control.

The image quality depends on the display resolution, the refresh frequency and the field of vision. In contrast to normal screens, a VR headset provides a separate image per eye for the three-dimensional effect. Since the displays take a large part of the human field of view, MR glasses require a very high resolution to ensure a high-quality viewing experience.

Zuckerberg's vision and the AI-controlled future

Mark Zuckerberg predicts a future in which AI-controlled glasses become everyday technology. During a conversation with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, the Meta-CEO said: "I believe that in the end there will be a whole range of different potential glasses in different price ranges and with different technological levels".

Zuckerberg assumes that AI glasses without a display will be a product at a price of around $ 300 that "dozens or hundreds of millions of people will have", with a "super interactive AI with which they speak". Meta brought his intelligent glasses onto the market, a collaboration with the glasses brand Ray-Bans, and announced an update of the Meta-KI in early 2024, which should enable the technology to work for the carrier.

At the Siggraph Conference, Zuckerberg emphasized that the company's next generation of AI glasses, which was designed with a view to fashionable carriers: "The goal was to limit the form factor to something that looks good". This development underlines the trend that wearables not only have to be functional, but also aesthetically appealing in order to find broad acceptance.

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The “Post smartphone era” and innovative Ki-Wearables

A particularly interesting example of the possible “post-smartphone era” is the humane AI PIN, which has been designed as an alternative to the smartphone and has attracted a lot of attention in recent months. This AI-Wearable is a magnetic badge that can be attached to the clothing and is completely screenless.

The AI PIN from Humane uses the Large Language Model GPT-4 from Open AI and does not have to be linked to a smartphone or other accompanying device. The device has AI-based optical detection and a laser-projection, driven by a Snapdragon platform from Qualcomm Technologies. The data protection aspect is particularly interesting: the AI PIN has no alarm function and therefore does not constantly listen. It has a “Trust Light” that always illuminates when the camera, the microphone or other sensors of the device record data.

The renowned Time Magazine is already one of the “best inventions of 2023”, and last but not least Sam Altman, the CEO of Open AI, is one of the company's first investors. It remains to be seen whether this device can actually replace the smartphone, but it clearly shows the direction in which wearable technology could develop.

Mixed reality and AI pins: The next generation of portable technologies

The wearable technology is at an exciting turning point. From smart rings to mixed reality glasses to AI-based infection-the innovation in the area of portable technology is progressing at a remarkable speed. These technologies open up new opportunities for productivity, health surveillance and immersive experiences in both consumer and B2B sectors.

While visions such as those of Mark Zuckerberg indicate a future in which AI-supported glasses could be part of everyday life, innovations such as the human Ai Pin show that the “post-smartphone era” may be closer than we think. The global B2B market for wearables will continue to grow, driven by the increasing demand for IoT integration and hands-free solutions in industrial environments.

The real challenge for manufacturers will be to develop devices that are not only functional and powerful, but also to wear aesthetically appealing and comfortable. In addition, data protection and security will continue to be important factors in the development and acceptance of these technologies. However, one thing is certain: Wearables will play an increasingly important role in our everyday life and working life in the coming years.

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