Summer 2019 – Inside Outdoor Magazine

Inside Outdoor | SUMMER 2019 37 Product Market Showcase | WINTER 2019/2020 Tech Savvy The base layer, constructed from a combi- nation of stretch knit and woven fabrics, con- tains interior pockets that hold the removable hardware and rechargeable lithium-ion bat- teries. The strength layer contains the robotic components – located on the outer leg, extend- ing up to the hip area and including the lower back – that replicate the functionality of mus- cles, tendons and ligaments. Seismic’s robotic “muscles” contract and relax, just as the body’s muscles do, to assist the wearer’s motion, such as standing up from a seated position. If the wearer is in a prolonged standing position, the muscles co-contract around the hip to promote stability and proper posture, said Seismic. This layer also includes sensors that track body orientation, as well as the force applied by each robotic muscle. The intelligent layer is contained within an external pack, worn on the lower back, that is akin to the suit’s brain. “The impetus for starting Seismic was when I realized a very simple truism: no one wears ro- botics, everyone wears clothing,” said Mahoney. “That is why we are an apparel company first and foremost. The more we fit into people’s life- styles, the more they will use the technology.” A new survey from Oracle Net- Suite found that 79 percent of re- tail executives in in the U.S., U.K and Australia expected the pres- ence of artificial intelligence and virtual reality (VR) in-stores will drive up sales. But just 14 percent of consumers polled thought AI and VR would significantly impact their purchase decisions. These lukewarm findings coin- cide with Bizrate Insights polling from December 2018 which found that half of U.S. internet users had no interest in using VR or AR (aug- mented reality) while shopping. More than one in 10 weren’t even familiar with these technologies. The data suggests that newer technologies with the potential to “fundamentally reshape” how people shop may still be climbing the steep-incline stage of “inflated expectations” on Gartner’s famed Hype Cycle. That doesn’t mean radical changes in the retail sector aren’t on the horizon. AI, for example, has the poten- tial to introduce a host of opera- tional cost savings, such as chat- bots and self-checkout. According to an August 2018 Capgemini survey of 400 retail executives worldwide, AI could save retailers $340 billion annually as soon as 2022, with most of those savings resulting from supply chain and return improvements. At the same time, consumers often underestimate the value and their level of interest in technologies they have yet to see and feel. m Retailers, Shoppers on Different Pages About AI, VR OR booth 51015-UL | eartheasydistribution.com