Wearable Technologies Bring about a Revolution
The growing penetration of smartphones has nearly brought the world to our fingertips.
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Updated November 2026. This was first published on 2 February 2022. The idea is the same. Any number below is what the original piece said then. It is not a new count.
Key takeaways
- The growing penetration of smartphones has nearly brought the world to our fingertips.
- From checking mails online to transferring money and booking flights to checking health parameters, mobile technology has made it all feasible.
- Indeed, clinical care and management is a major area where mobile technology has made its presence felt, in the form of wearables.
The growing penetration of smartphones has nearly brought the world to our fingertips. From checking mails online to transferring money and booking flights to checking health parameters, mobile technology has made it all feasible. Indeed, clinical care and management is a major area where mobile technology has made its presence felt, in the form of wearables. Experts have reason to believe that these products can aid patient and disease management, thereby impacting clinical decision making. They are also believed to help enhance the quality of patient care and reducing healthcare costs.
More than a decade back, wearable technologies for healthcare was a fairly novel concept. In the years since, it has come a long way ? today, practically most people above 60 and a considerable percentage of the youngsters use wearables to manage their health and understand what their body has to say.
What is wearable technology? #
Wearable technology in healthcare essentially includes electronic devices that are designed to be worn by users, during the course of which the product in question collects the users? In laymen terms, these products are embedded with sensors designed to receive data about the person wearing them. Wearables work wirelessly and are connected to smartphones or tablets through which they display information. Basically, they send information to the processing unit, from where the processed information is transferred to the user.
Since the last few years, wearable technology has become more popular than ever, considering the sudden awareness regarding health and fitness. Wearable technologies assist in continuously monitoring human physical activities and behaviors, Also to everyday biochemical and physiological parameters. Commonly measured vitals include body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, posture, blood oxygen saturation, etc. Wearables thus provide a consistent chart of a human being’s vitals on an everyday basis, delivering additional clinical information that help in managing a patient’s condition. According to a report by Accenture, consumer use of wearables in the U.S. increased from 9% in 2014 to 33% in 2018.
Advantages of wearable technologies #
Monitoring Vitals #
Wearable technology helps users conveniently monitor fitness levels and other vitals. It helps them track down locations with GPS and view text messages more quickly.
Unlike other devices that are heavy and a hassle to handle, wearables are rather simple to use and are portable. Using these devices enables that our hands are free as opposed to always holding the device, thereby helping us do other stuff simultaneously and even reducing the need to sometimes take the devices out of our pockets.
Even prior to the advent of wearables, it was possible to monitor user vitals, But, it was quite a task to be accomplished, and demanded devices that were inconvenient and time-consuming. Wearables on the other hand, are connected to smart devices and are designed to transmit user information to the same, thereby allowing users to view it whenever convenient. Also, these devices help consumers set fitness goals and track their progress, ensuring that they are followed diligently.
Top 10 wearable technology products #
Fitness trackers are one of the most popular wearables ever. Irrespective of whether you’re an athlete or someone just trying to get fitter with each day, these products will help you understand and monitor your daily physical activities in a better manner. They are designed to monitor your average heart rate through the day, track the steps you take, the duration of your sleep, etc. This data, when synced with another device, enables you to view patterns in your activity ? say, like how far you’ve walked over the last one hour, or how many calories you’ve burned in a week.
Fitbit is one of the most popular fitness tracker brands, as are Misfit and Basis. One of the more recent ones gaining momentum lately is the Amazfit, that has almost all the features of the Fitbit trackers at a more affordable pricing. The Amazfit helps monitor user sleep cycles, heart rate, and blood-oxygen saturation.
Smartwatches, almost as popular as fitness trackers, have also been witnessing a massive rise in sales since the last few years. Presumably, there might actually be a very less percentage of people not using a smartphone these days. Oftentimes, you may be getting a lot of notifications from the various apps on your phone. If looking at the phone very now and then tends to irritate you, a smartwatch may be the savior you’re looking for. Once synced with your smartphone, all your notifications, such as messages, emails, missed calls, etc., will appear on the smartwatch and you will be able to check them by merely glancing at your wrist and not even taking the smartphone out of your pocket. Also, smartwatches boast of a number of other features.
Many smartwatches may also be deployed as basic fitness trackers, but unlike the latter, they are very expensive. Even the most simple, basic smartwatch begins at around USD 200.
Recently, Just Corseca made it to the headlines for launching a new salt-water resistant smartwatch called Ray K’anabis. As per reports, this smartwatch comes with a 400mAh lithium polymer battery, magnetic charging USB cable, and a blood pressure monitor, menstrual cycle monitor, blood saturation tracker, heart rate monitor, drink water reminder, and multiple sports modes.
Wearable ECG monitors are one of the best wearables available for people suffering from heart ailments or those who prefer keeping their health in check at all times. These products are designed to measure the real-time electrocardiograms of users. In fact, they can even be used to identify atrial fibrillation (Afib), a medical condition known to be a leading cause of stroke. The occurrence of Afib is unpredictable, as are other heart ailments. A wearable ECG monitor can help monitor heart health consistently and can measure readings at any time, thereby making it a reliable health tool. Also, some of these wearable ECGs are also designed to track distance, pace, and elevation.
The H9 heart rate sensor is one of the best wearable ECG monitors available in the market currently. This chest strap monitor is highly accurate, and it boasts of all-around versatility on account of the Bluetooth and ANT+ (a wireless sensor network) compatibility.
Although a sphygmomanometer is conventionally used to measure blood pressure, not everyone necessarily has access to one or prefers to purchase one for their homes, Even though hypertension occurs in a massive percentage of the population worldwide. To that end, wearable blood pressure monitors have come to the rescue.
The first wearable blood pressure monitor, called HeartGuide, was introduced by Omron Healthcare in 2019. The HeartGuide is an oscillometric BP monitor that is designed to measure blood pressure as well as daily activities, such as calories burned, distance travelled, etc. HeartGuide has the ability to hold around 100 readings in memory. All these readings can be transferred to HeartAdvisor, a corresponding mobile app, where they are reviewed and compared. Using HeartAdvisor, users can store and share the readings with their physician and also understand how their personal habits affect their blood pressure.
Recently, Aktiia announced that it will soon launch its 24/7 Blood Pressure Monitor to the United States. This wearable automatically gathers more than 100 times the data and boasts of over 10 times the engagement of other BP monitors.
Safety wearable devices are basically the ones that help consumers in circumstances where they feel threatened or are in danger. They’re usually disguised as regular wearable items, such as jewelry, and are operated with the help of a button that sends an alert to others. These alerts can be either recorded voice messages or pre-programmed texts. Many of them also have built-in GPS, which enable users to immediately share their location with friends, family, or the police.
Blackline Safety recently launched a portfolio of cloud-enabled G7 wearable safety devices to help people work smarter and safer. These safety wearables can accurately detect falls, gas leaks, and other health events in numerous work environments. They can also be used for contact tracing purposes.
Wearable biosensors are the latest among wearable technologies that allow continuous physiological monitoring. They wary as per requirement and are functionally quite different from fitness trackers and smartwatches. For example, self-adhesive patches for pain relief or those that collect patient vitals can be considered wearable biosensors. These devices create a sort of feedback system between patients and physicians as they provide a new level of exposure into a patient’s real-time health status. Wearable biosensors may very well help in early detection of health issues and avoiding unnecessary hospitalization. Also, they help in enhancing patient outcomes and reducing staff workload.
Abbott recently announced that it plans to launch a line of consumer biowearable sensors called Lingo designed to collect a massive range of biological readings and help consumers optimize their exercise and nutrition regimens. These sensors are still under development and will track numerous indicators pertaining to metabolic health.
Smart clothing forms a part of fashion-oriented wearables and has been gaining immense popularity of late. These wearables help provide deeper insights pertaining to both healthcare as well as lifestyle management. Apart from that though, many fashion businesses plan to use smart clothing to track brand loyalty. say for example, adding a location-tracking what it does to clothing will help a brand monitor how many times that particular product has been worn. Tommy Hilfiger was one of those that experimented with this tactic in recent times.
Recently, a group of researchers in Canada created a new smart T-shirt that has the ability to monitor the breathing of the wearer. This could be useful for numerous medical as well as athletic applications. The t-shirt includes a network of thin, spiral antennas embedded with Bluetooth what it can do. As the user breathes, these antennas deform slightly, and the movement is caught by a network of wireless sensors while the data is transmitted to a base station for analysis. That’s how a person’s breathing pattern can be monitored with the help of this t-shirt.
Smart jewelry is the result of the research community attempting to fit wearables into the smallest of devices. One of the most popular ones in this regard is the smart ring. Most smart rings appear disguised as regular rings; But, they are designed to monitor the necessary health vitals, the details of which can be viewed on smartphones. Apart from rings, smart jewelry comes in the form of smart bangles, smart bracelets, and even smart earrings.
At CES 2022, health tech company Movano declared that it plans to launch the Movano Ring, a smart wearable to help users monitor chronic illnesses and understand their medical makeup in an affordable manner. This ring is designed to measure health metrics such as sleep, respiration, calories burned, heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), steps taken, temperature, blood oxygen levels, and more. Also, it’ll take a proactive approach to resolving the user’s chronic health issues instead of merely delivering data.
As opposed to other wearables, implantables form a part of the user’s body from within. As the name suggests, these are implanted onto the skin or in the body. Not everyone may necessarily be comfortable with external wearables. In many cases, the elderly may forget to wear them perhaps, making it difficult to monitor their vitals. To that end, implantables such as smart tattoos or sensor-containing pills could help. In fact, in the future, implantables are likely to become even more popular than conventional wearables.
Tech giant IBM had been in the news for attempting to create a sort of brain implant that can analyze brain waves to prevent seizures. This could be one of the biggest medical developments since seizures are unpredictable and can be often detrimental to the patient.
Head-mounted displays (HMDs) are not exactly famed for being lightweight; they are heavier than most regular wearables. They are worn on the head and provide a display in a way that the user is able to view it comfortably, without having to bend down or otherwise. they can be used to create an immersive experience in a VR setting, function as monitors, and even provide information via AR.
Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 and Magic Leap’s Magic Leap One are some of the most popular AR HMD projects. AR HMD devices enable users to interact with the virtual and real-time worlds simultaneously. VR HMD devices on the other hand, entice the user completely in the virtual world.
The popularity of wearable technologies is at an all-time high currently, and the market for wearable healthcare technology is expected to grow at a tremendous rate through the next decade. This growth trajectory is likely to have an impact on decision-making for healthcare providers, insurers, and medical companies that are certain to use the advantages provided by wearables. In the years ahead, wearables will be used to improve patient outcomes and reduce hospital visits. Even companies will attempt to integrate wearables into the workplace, thereby ensuring good employee health as well as productivity.
Questions and answers #
In the years since, it has come a long way ? #
today, practically most people above 60 and a considerable percentage of the youngsters use wearables to manage their health and understand what their body has to say.
This data, when synced with another device, enables you to view patterns in your activity ? #
say, like how far you’ve walked over the last one hour, or how many calories you’ve burned in a week.