Wearable electronics ... Michael Corbett (bio) Co-Founder and General Manager of WEEL Technologies (a world leader in development and manufacturing of wearable electronics), joins Marc Raco, Rob Sanchez and Nataliya Makulova at The 2016 Smithers Apex WEAR Conference in Boston, MA. This interview is the first of three focused on manufacturing and scalability of direct-to-consumer products. Invisibility, an MP3 player belt, and sensors Corbett reviews how his work as president of a Taiwanese-based Chinese cut and sew factory put him in the right direction, about his first big work with a belt holding an MP3 hands-free 15 years ago, making electronics and working to make invisible and integrated with apparel, while withstanding washing and harsh conditions. Consumer desire vs. leading with innovation, what’s exciting in sensors, the aim towards comfort such as heated apparel and gyro/accelerometers, and the efforts to equal the data provided by high-speed video capture in apparel with sensors that one takes with them. 50 years from now, sports and military, and becoming superhuman Being technology agnostic, how technologies are made somewhere else, then integrated into what we wear, and Corbett’s view into the future when manufacturing will enable conductive yarns to be woven into fabric. He sees this as “roads and bridges”, providing conductive elements. Sensing to inform vs. sensing to adjust, devices for military helping with tasks and running, applications in the industrial world, his pipeline to innovation, the use of informative electronics and wearables by those who are performance driven to get closer to superhuman, the reality of sports and military pulling new opportunities. A focus on medical wearable electronics for the aging population and to inform on medical issues. A new American Dream, America vs. Asia, and boundaries Wearable electronics as an American Dream, why the market is in its infancy, the challenges of straddling American and Asian markets, and extreme importance of protecting IP. Off the Grid Questions include first phrase in a new language, new Chinese families, and boundaries References: Nike Phillips SRI International