The first industrial robot, Unimate, went into operation at a General Motors plant in 1961. Over the next few decades the use of industrial robot arms in the automotive industry matured.

Whilst the majority of wearable technology products sold today still fit with the components-in-a-box design, 2015 has been a record year for investment in smart clothing and e-textile products.

Ever since Sony launched the first television with quantum dots in 2013, these highly engineered materials have been back in the spotlight.

Ten short years ago 3D printing was almost the exclusive remit of rapid prototyping. Nobody was putting 3D printing into mass production back then.

Defining and exploiting value proposition is an essential part of wearable technology's journey from early adopters into mass markets, and sensor platforms enable the key value proposition in most wearable devices today. This is why made-for-wearable sensors are being developed around the world, and this is why IDTechEx Research finds that made-for-wearable sensors will represent 42% of all sensors in wearable devices in 2026, up from a measly 7% in 2015.

Flexible electronic devices are starting to experience significant proliferation, with more and more devices with innovative form factors being brought to market, from small components such as disposable sensors that have been in the market for quite some time now, all the way to new flexible smart phones currently being demonstrated by consumer electronics giants like Samsung and LG.

Interfacing with machines undergoes a constant evolution, allowing for wider adoption of computing devices over time, as interaction becomes more "natural". According to IDTechEx Research, smartglasses are bringing about the next big step in this ever-changing space.

Today's emerging technologies are varied, vast - and moving at the blink of an eye. Here are the top 10 key trends we'll see at the show that are changing the way the world lives, works and plays.

The transparent conductive film industry will nearly be a $430 million industry in 2015, according to the IDTechEx Research report Transparent Conductive Films (TCF) 2015-2025: Forecasts, Markets, Technologies. This is counting the value of the entire un-patterned film, and excluding markets based on glass (most thin film PV and LCD displays).

Quantum dots have been developed since the early 80's but it is only recently that they made an appearance in consumer products such as TVs and tablet computers. IDTechEx Research has published a new market report on quantum dots titled Quantum Dots 2016-2026: Applications, Markets, Manufacturers, and as part of this study we have looked at their impact on the display industry. Is this the technology that will enable LCD to rival OLED?

The graphene industry is at a critical juncture for many small to medium sized companies: it is time for them to generate revenues and pre-empt any pending cash flow issues. These companies cannot often afford to take the long view, which many research groups and government are rightly taking.

Europeans won the Nobel Prize for their work on graphene but they are not necessarily winning on the commercial front. In fact, it is the Chinese who might overtake them.

Advanced microelectronics are moving on from the Moore's Law era to be More-than-Moore. Denser chips have higher internal and external clock rates, and higher power dissipation.

Jetting binder on layers of plastic powder was originally developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1993. This binder-on-powder process was the first to be known as 3D Printing technology.

RFID is thriving, reaching total sales of $10.1bn in 2015 with a large scope ahead for continued roll-out in many established markets and growth in new markets. However, companies must consider their positioning as many new players enter the market while the value chain consolidates, finds IDTechEx Research in the new detailed report, RFID Forecasts, Players, Opportunities 2016-2026 which covers the entire industry.

Graphene finds users in California (Our most exciting graphene conference so far).

Thought leaders IDTechEx were among the first to identify three new megatrends in the world of technology: Structural Electronics (SE); 3D Printed Electronics (3DPE); Energy Independent Electric Vehicles (EIVs).

The printed electronics equipment and consumables supplier base consists of over 100 global organizations, according to IDTechex Research in their report Printing Equipment for Printed Electronics 2015-2025. The majority of these are based in Europe, followed by a roughly even share of US and Asian based companies. Within Europe itself, Germany is home to more equipment makers than other European countries.

Haptics are an essential feature of the UX platform in many electronic products today. Whether as notification provision in a vibrating smartphone, tension building in a video game controller, or input confirmation in an industrial scanner, this billion dollar industry is something that most people will experience every single day.

This video provides an overview of the opportunities for sensors in wearable technologies.