Smartwatches are associated with high price tags and fancy features, but the KAUST Paper Watch smartwatch takes things in a different direction. The KAUST Paper Watch consists of low-cost sensors that are crafted out of paper that are thin in design and enable the piece of technology to perform a bevy of different tasks.
The KAUST Paper Watch can keep track of body temperature, blood pressure and much more without having to utilize the expensive technology seen in other devices. The KAUST Paper Watch smartwatch is the design work of electrical engineer Muhammad Mustafa Hussain who is looking to continue to decrease the cost to help incite high rates of adoption. On this note, Hussain said, "I really would like to disrupt the technology world by making technologies available to everyone, especially those who cannot afford them. My objective is to reduce the price by $5 per year in the next five years until it reaches to a point where literally everyone has one."
3D-Printed Smartwatches
The KAUST Paper Watch Smartwatch is an Affordable Device
Trend Themes
1. Affordable Smartwatches - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create smartwatches with low-cost materials and sensors to make them accessible to a wider consumer base.
2. Low-cost Sensor Technology - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop inexpensive sensors made from unconventional materials, such as paper, for various applications.
3. Increasing Accessibility to Technology - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Continuously decrease the price of technology over time to make it more affordable and available to everyone.
Industry Implications
1. Wearable Technology - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Introduce affordable smartwatches to the wearable technology market, increasing accessibility to wearable devices.
2. Healthcare - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Incorporate low-cost sensor technology in healthcare devices to enable more cost-effective and accessible health monitoring.
3. Electronics Manufacturing - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Explore the use of unconventional materials, such as paper, in the production of electronic devices, leading to cost reduction and new design possibilities.