How wearable technology will change your lives?

The wearable technology and its advantages

The wearable technology includes various smart electronic devices. These devices can easily fit on your body or on the clothing. In general, wearables include smartwatches, activity trackers, augmented reality devices and so on.

The wearable devices are actually IOT devices. They can connect to the internet and share all the related data to a smartphone or to a remote computer. Then the service provider can process the data and give you relevant information like your next activity goal in the fitness tracker. Thus, the applications of wearable technology are numerous.

The wearable technology is now more popular in consumer electronics as well. The fitness trackers and smartwatches are the best examples. The wearable devices use lots of sensors. These devices also have a radio for wireless communication with the smartphone. The exchange of data almost happens autonomously without any human assistance. These devices also need programming to work effortlessly.

The history of wearable technology

The use of wearables started with the invention of small watches in 1500. The German inventor Peter Henlin invented the first watch that you can wear as a neckless. Over the period, people started using watches by keeping them in pockets. Then the wrist watches came into existence.

In modern times, wearable technology is more related to computing. Through wearables, you can easily incorporate computers into your daily life, making it easier and smarter. In 2009 the Fitbit released its first activity tracker. In the upcoming years, big IT companies started the era of smartwatches.

Watch Fitbit Versa in action

Current wearable technology

In today’s world, many people own a smartphone. Hence, the need for some device that we can connect to the smartphone is on the rise. Modern technologies like Bluetooth 4.0 makes it all possible. In addition, the new app ecosystem displays all the data from wearables more precisely. So, it fuels the growth of activity trackers and smartwatches.

Earlier in 2013, Google had announced smartglasses with Head-up display. But, unfortunately, these smartglasses did not kick off. This is mostly because of its price and reluctance of people to use such technology.

The wearable technology has immense potential in health care. The sensors now can collect data like heart rate, muscle biosignals, brain wave, and calories burnt. This vital information has immense value in health care. As a result, it has the potential to change the health care industry as a whole.

The smartphone operating systems now actively integrate the wearable technology support in the original software like android wear and apple watch. The wearable industry is changing fast and there is a lot of research going on in this field.

In conclusion, the wearable technology is expanding from just wearables to an active integration of the technology inside the body. Considering its potential in health care, lots of companies are investing in the technology that can surely benefit humans.

Privacy and wearables

People are now concerned regarding the privacy of the data collected from all these devices. These wearables take the data which has a large association with vital body functioning. This data in the hands of the wrong person can create potentially dangerous implications or jeopardize someone’s life. The data privacy is a serious concern when it comes to wearables. However, still, the laws are inadequate for governing such data. So, it may open the new possibility of data manipulation for profits by the large organizations.

Wearable technology is still in the nascent stage. However, it still depends on us how we leverage the benefits from this technology, instead of using it for the wrong purpose.

Image courtesy: Fitbit, Apple