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Iain Ferguson
Contributor: Iain Ferguson
The tech innovators to watch in 2015

Australia is the home of many astounding inventions, from Wi-Fi to the pacemaker to the black-box flight recorder. Today’s generation of tech entrepreneurs is proudly continuing this tradition with innovative, industry-disrupting products and services.

Some amazing Australian companies are helping drive global advances in wearable technologies, in particular, and are bringing new products and services into the mainstream.

M.J. Bale

Business-apparel maker M.J. Bale partnered with Queensland’s Heritage Bank to sew contactless Visa debit payment chips into the sleeves of its 'Power Suit'. The chip includes a small near-field antenna that can communicate with nearby payWave terminals.

The chip removes the need for an executive to carry a wallet that might distort the appearance of their suit. More broadly, the project supported the trend of consumers adopting the most convenient payment systems and channels.

Emotiv

Established in 2003 by a neuroscientist, a chip-design pioneer and two tech entrepreneurs, Emotiv describes its vision as being “to introduce the immediacy of thought to the human-machine dialogue”.

With this in mind, Emotiv will launch a wireless headset in April that could allow individuals to monitor their cognitive health and wellbeing and optimise their brain’s performance.

Catapult Sports

Australian wearable tech leaders are also making headway commercialising their products and services. One example is Melbourne-based Catapult Sports, which has grown quickly since its launch in 2006 and is now a leader in athletic analysis.

The company’s wearable tracking monitors are reportedly used by 350 professional sporting teams around the world, providing data on more than 100 fields, including heart rate and acceleration.

In 2014 Mark Cuban, billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team, decided to move beyond the role of customer and become an investor in Catapult Sports.

Despite some recent setbacks internationally, wearable technologies are gaining significant momentum. As ever, timing will be key for many entrepreneurs and innovators as the market develops. With a fertile ecosystem of wearable technology startups and maturing businesses, Australia is well positioned to become an international leader in the field. 

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