News 21.07.2023

Need to Know

BMW’s smartglasses for bikers, Gabriela Białkowska’s Foresight Friday and why the luxury hospitality sector is booming.

BMW introduces ConnectedRide Smartglasses for motorcyclists

BMW Motorrad ConnectedRide Smartglasses, Germany

Germany – Car-maker BMW is set to launch its new ConnectedRide Smartglasses, designed to enhance safety and provide real-time data projection for motorcyclists. The goggles feature head-up display technology and allow riders to access information such as gear, speed and navigation data directly in their field of vision without the need for display panels.

Scheduled for release in the US by the end of 2023, the glasses are said to offer motorcyclists a safer and more efficient journey, enabling them to anticipate road conditions. They are designed to fit various helmets and boast a lithium-ion battery providing up to 10 hours of use at temperatures ranging from –14 to +122°F. Bluetooth connectivity also allows seamless integration with smartphones and a corresponding app enables pre-ride settings.

BMW Motorrad will offer two sets of certified UVA/UVB lenses with an anthracite frame, and for those with prescription glasses, opticians can use an RX adapter to adjust lenses to the required visual acuity.

BMW’s venture into wearable technology demonstrates the firm’s commitment to advancing vehicular technology while also showcasing how the automotive sector is drawing from virtual platforms and extended reality, a trend we revealed in Auto Entertainment.

Strategic opportunity

Extended reality tech such as BMW’s ConnectedRide Smartglasses has the potential to unlock creative branding opportunities – in this instance, for on-the-go retailing. It is just one example of a new era of spatial tech opportunities for businesses as consumers become accustomed to blending and processing real-world and digital information at the same time

Foresight Friday: Gabriela Białkowska, creative foresight analyst

Every Friday, The Future Laboratory team offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, creative foresight analyst Gabriela Białkowska discusses heat, truffle ice cream and space tourism.

: With global temperatures rising rapidly, the race for novel cooling strategies is heating up. In the thick of it, Tokyo-based Gloture brings us WearCool, a wearable air conditioner in the form of a belt. As heatwaves become the new norm, such contraptions could shift from a novelty to an everyday essential. Is climate reactivity just another iteration of Safety Fits?

: Talking about heat, Japan’s Cellato has introduced byakuya, a luxurious scoop priced at £4,840 (¥873,400, $6,220, €5,580), crowned as the world’s most expensive ice cream by Guinness World Records. This gelato is re-engineering indulgence by boasting rare white truffle from Alba, Italy, edible gold, Parmigiano Reggiano and sake kasu, a sake by-product.

: Are our eyes set beyond our horizon? Virgin Galactic is launching its first private tourism flight to space on 10 August, to be live-streamed for all to see. With the topic of space travel’s commercial reality explored in depth in our latest Innovation Debrief report, one wonders: is celestial tourism our next frontier, both for leisure and refuge?

Photography by Victoria Ling for The Future Laboratory

Quote of the week:

‘I don’t have anything big planned. Just a giant blowout party with all the Barbies, and planned choreography, and a bespoke song. You should stop by.’

– Barbie in the Barbie Movie

Stat: Luxury hospitality sector to boom in 2023, say investors

The Standard hotel, Thailand The Standard hotel, Thailand

Global – In its Global Fashion & Luxury Private Equity and Investors Survey 2023, released in June 2023, consulting firm Deloitte confirms a rise in investor interest in luxury experiences. Nearly half of the investors surveyed (49%) said they believe that hotels and restaurants will be the fastest-growing sectors in 2023. Compared to luxury apparel and accessories, watches and jewellery, cosmetics and fragrances, cars and private jets, the hotel industry saw the most growth in 2022 year on year, according to the survey. Investors suggest the best-expected performance for the next three years will come from hotels, with most stating that they believe the industry will grow by more than 10% per year.

When asked about the sectors hit hardest by the Covid-19 pandemic and their projected recovery and growth for this year, 28% of participants said they believed that hotels would experience the quickest recovery, closely followed by restaurants, which were chosen by 21% of respondents. Surprisingly, cruises secured the third position, with 7% of those surveyed anticipating significant growth in 2023. This highlights an intriguing trend in which experiential luxury has surpassed the performance of luxury goods in the past year and is expected to maintain its flourishing trajectory in the future.

In our viewpoint report with author and analyst Erwan Rambourg, we previously highlighted how the future of luxury lies in escapism, with luxury groups diversifying into the travel and health categories.

Strategic opportunity

Luxury fashion designers should consider how the next step for them is to translate their craftsmanship and design direction into experiences (think a branded hotel, restaurant, bar or spa) to make sure the connection with their client is never confined to a high-end store or e-shop – the brand experience should be a journey worthy of repetition

Previous News Articles
AI-generated images of animals in plastic help WWF-Korea raise awareness about pollution

News

AI-generated images of animals in plastic help WWF-Korea raise awareness about pollution

WWF-Korea has launched Animal Trash Fashion, a powerful out-of-home campaign using AI to starkly illustrate the devastating impact of plastic pollu...
Sustainability : Design : Advertising
Rixo launches pre-loved resale platform

News

Rixo launches pre-loved resale platform

British fashion brand Rixo is expanding its circular ambitions with the launch of Rixo Pre-Loved, a resale platform where customers buy and sell it...
Retail : Fashion : Sutainability
Stat: Global business travel spending hits historic high

News

Stat: Global business travel spending hits historic high

Business travel is set to reach a record £1.18 trillion ($1.57 trillion, €1.36 trillion) by the end of 2025, according to ...
Stat : Statistic : Global Travel Market
Axe gamifies fragrance sampling with arcade-inspired bus stop activation

News

Axe gamifies fragrance sampling with arcade-inspired bus stop activation

Axe is making fragrance sampling fun again with a new campaign for its Cherry Fizz body spray.
Advertising : Fragrance : Retail
New wearable tracks hydration levels in real time

News

New wearable tracks hydration levels in real time

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have developed a non-invasive wearable that continuously monitors hydration levels in real time.
Wearable Technology : Healthcare : Hydration
Stat: Online resale is booming in Britain

News

Stat: Online resale is booming in Britain

Online resale is booming in Britain, with pre-owned shopping now worth £4.3bn ($5.8bn, €5bn) annually and is set to rise to £4.8bn ($6.4bn, €5.5bn)...
Retail : Fashion : Technology
Prada’s 2025 Qixi campaign turns Shanghai’s bridges into a stage for love

News

Prada’s 2025 Qixi campaign turns Shanghai’s bridges into a stage for love

Prada’s campaign for the 2025 Qixi Festival – often referred to as Chinese Valentine’s Day – reimagines China’s legendary love tale through an...
Luxury : Fashion : Chinese Folklore
M&S tracks plastic’s afterlife with invisible UV packaging tags

News

M&S tracks plastic’s afterlife with invisible UV packaging tags

M&S : Sustainability : Retail
Stat: Britons are increasingly turning to biohacking through wellness supplements

News

Stat: Britons are increasingly turning to biohacking through wellness supplements

According to a July 2025 YouGov poll, one in five Britons (21%) have taken a wellness supplement in 2025 – pointing to the rise of personalise...
Health And Wellness : Supplements : Stat
Ocado’s Shopping List Stories campaign finds emotional value in the weekly shop

News

Ocado’s Shopping List Stories campaign finds emotional value in the weekly shop

Ocado is reframing grocery shopping as an emotional experience with Shopping List Stories, a new campaign by Uncommon Creative Studio.
Food And Drink : Supermarket : Branding And Advertising
You have 1 free News articles remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN