Engineering wearable tech that expands human possibility

Tokyo stretched endlessly before Martin Klinkigt as he rode the bus in from the airport, thousands of miles from his childhood home in Germany. The city was not the one he had imagined from the news or the anime he had watched, but it soon led to a lifelong exploration of how Japan’s culture and innovation could shape his work as an engineer.

Two decades later, Klinkigt is still in Japan, shaping a career built on curiosity as an AI researcher for Kyocera—a leading Japanese diversified technology company—in its Future Design Lab, where he works on turning advanced technologies into tangible products that improve the public’s quality of life.

Klinkigt’s current focus lies in human augmentation—an area of technology that extends human capability and reshapes how people interact with the world. His work ranges from mobility to sensory perception, with one major initiative being the Walking Posture Check System.

As emerging research recommends that individuals walk thousands of steps daily, poor posture can lead to injuries, chronic pain, and reduced mobility over time. To help the public analyze and improve their gait and posture, Klinkigt and his team developed a device composed of three small sensors that attached to the ankle, wrist, and head to translate biomechanical data into simple feedback, making posture improvement accessible.

With the Walking Posture Check System, the aim is to empower users with an understanding of their walking style so they can move with greater ease, recover from injuries more quickly, and maintain independence.

At the same time, Klinkigt is contributing to an auditory augmentation device designed to enhance awareness of one’s surroundings by capturing, storing, and playing back information that may have been missed during conversations, supporting personal safety and convenience in busy or noisy settings.

Given the pace of technological change, Klinkigt sees wearable technology as a natural progression—a global market estimated to grow over 13% annually and surpass $200 billion by 2033, with the medical segment projected to reach $149 billion.

For Klinkigt, freedom and curiosity are central to engineering—a perspective shaped by personal experience and Kyocera’s human-centered philosophy. “The freedom we have in how we think about the problem, how to approach it, and how to solve it is one of the most important things in the work environment,” he says, recalling the childhood influence of his grandfather, a nuclear researcher who made learning engaging for a young Klinkigt.

That same curiosity now drives his work in wearable technology, where the aim is not to overwhelm users with data but to design tools that encourage confidence in everyday life.

Early in his career, Klinkigt often felt disconnected from what he was developing, delegated to specific tasks that didn’t allow him to interact with the final product. Now working within Kyocera’s employee-centric culture, Klinkigt is given freedom to explore both product and process. To develop the Walking Posture Check System, he was afforded two years to the project that involved studying over 200 walking models, creating six walking categories, and building an algorithm to quantify and evaluate people’s walking styles.

Kyocera’s mission to embrace challenges and develop technological solutions is realized through collaboration—both within the company and with external partners. Klinkigt notes that, unlike traditional corporations that move in slow cycles, Kyocera’s ‘Amoeba Management’ system—which consists of small, agile, autonomous units—can adapt quickly, testing concepts, iterating rapidly, and finding practical paths forward.

Engineers are also encouraged to take on roles in additional company projects where they have personal interest, enabling cross-functional experience and collaboration in an employee-led environment. “Being able to join other meetings means you get new information and come up with new ideas, and it also makes it easier to ask for help,” he explains. In the case of the auditory augmentation wearable, for example, the team drew on the communications department’s Bluetooth expertise to solve challenges around the device’s data transmission capacity.

That collaborative spirit extends far beyond Kyocera’s own research teams. Over the decades, the company has worked with engineers and innovators around the world, applying its expertise in fine ceramics technology, also known as industrial ceramics, to areas ranging from semiconductors to aerospace—all with the shared goal of addressing societal needs and building a better future for humankind. By supporting partners with its deep knowledge in materials, components, communications, and systems, Kyocera helps innovations take shape and transform into solutions capable of improving lives.

Klinkigt’s journey reflects the essence of wearable technology: freedom, and for him, this means the freedom to explore. His most common phrase at work is telling: “Let’s do it. What’s stopping us from going forward?” Guided by the commitment to innovation and collaboration fostered by Kyocera, engineers like Klinkigt can continue to envision a future full of possibilities.