Job listing hints at Motorola Mobility's increased focus on wearable tech

The wearable device category seems to be seeing a lot of movement lately. While big names like Apple and Sony have been pushing designers to come up with their respective wearable devices, it now seems like Motorola Mobility is also looking at coming up with its own additions in this category, according to Techcrunch.

The Google-owned company was earlier seen quietly posting a job listing to find someone for the role of a Senior Director of Industrial Design for wearables. The post stated that the person will “provide strategic leadership, champion innovation and institute best practices to create a new world-class wearable’s design group within Motorola.”

While the company is clearly looking for someone to take up the post, what the company means with the word “wearable” is a bit ambiguous. With Google itself working on the Glass platform and Apple focusing on its iWatch offering, what Motorola plans to do is a big question mark.

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Motorola Mobility is hiring for its wearable devices category (Image Credit: The Verge)

However, while talking the stage at the AllThingsD D11 conference, Motorola Mobility’s Head of Advanced Technology and Research Group, Regina Dugan said that the company was “profoundly interested in wearables” and showcased an electronic authentication tattoo that was developed by MC10. The tattoo was essentially an ultra-thin patch loaded with very small antennas and sensors, which Motorola would be developing along with the company.    

While the tattoo may have very selective applications, the job listing may point in the direction of more innovations being developed. The listing repeatedly talked about the importance of consumer appeal. The hired person will have to “define design strategies that synthesise technology innovation and consumer desires” and also “ensure creative direction for design is consumer focused.” This indicates that Motorola may eventually want to come up with a device that is meant for the masses.

This is further reinforced by remarks made by Motorola consumer experience design SVP Jim Wicks last month at TechWeek in Chicago. In his keynote address, Wicks suggested that “people won’t be hunched over their gadgets in the future, and that wearable tech will continue pick up steam.”

This is not the first time that Motorola has let an upcoming initiative slip due to a publicly available job posting. Earlier in the year, the Google-owned company was caught trying to hire a Senior Director of Product Management for the X-Phone, which has now been formally announced as the Moto X.