If the IDC’s recent figures are right, Apple is apparently the world’s second largest wearable maker, and it seems that their efforts with the Apple Watch are paying off. According to a report from Reuters, it seems like Apple along with Boeing and Harvard, just to name a few, will be working with the Pentagon in developing wearables.
These wearables appear to be mainly focusing on flexibility because apart from being worn by people, the idea is that these wearables could potentially be molded where they can be equipped on the outside of jets or even ships, wearables that can be worn by soldiers or used to monitor structural integrity.
It seems like this is something that the Pentagon has been working towards for a while now. According to Defense Secretary Ash Carter, “I’ve been pushing the Pentagon to think outside our five-sided box and invest in innovation here in Silicon Valley and in tech communities across the country. Now we’re taking another step forward.”
It is unclear as to what will be the result of this new partnership, but the US government will be spending $75 million over the next five years towards this project, and companies managed by the US Air Force Research Laboratory will also be contributing $90 million, along with local governments it is expected to hit $171 million.
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