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
Cash App taps Timothée Chalamet for youth-friendly money talk

News

Cash App taps Timothée Chalamet for youth-friendly money talk

Cash App has launched an integrated brand campaign featuring Academy Award-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet which aims to foster intergenerational...
Finance : Gen Z : Youth
Foresight Friday: Rose Coffey, senior foresight analyst

News

Foresight Friday: Rose Coffey, senior foresight analyst

Every Friday, The Future Laboratory team offers an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, ...
Beauty : The Synthocene Era : Virtual Beauty
Stat: Southeast Asia is TikTok’s largest advertising audience

News

Stat: Southeast Asia is TikTok’s largest advertising audience

Southeast Asia now accounts for nearly a quarter of TikTok’s global advertising audience, according to the Digital 2025: July Statshot report.
Statistic : Stat : Southeast Asia
Spktrl’s AI diamond ring aims to cut screen time

News

Spktrl’s AI diamond ring aims to cut screen time

Parisian start-up Spktrl is reimagining wearable technology with the launch of its AI-powered Light Ring, a piece of high jewellery designed to cur...
Wellness : Augmented Human : The Synthocene Era
Represent launches in-person fitness competition 247 Mission Rivington

News

Represent launches in-person fitness competition 247 Mission Rivington

British fashion brand Represent has held its first-ever fitness event, 247 Mission Rivington, with 100 athletes competing in a 12‑hour endurance ch...
Sport : Fashion : Fitness
Stat: Technological innovation is driving the future of beauty

News

Stat: Technological innovation is driving the future of beauty

Wealth divides, digital tools and regional identity are reshaping the international beauty market, according to The State of Fashion: Beauty Volume...
Statistic : Stat : Beauty
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
You have 2 free News articles remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN