The wearable technology field is rapidly expanding, bringing transformative benefits in healthcare, business, fitness and entertainment. However, it also poses challenges in areas such as privacy, affordability and reliability.
Health monitoring wearables are used to track and monitor a number of values including heart rate, sleep patterns, steps, blood pressure and calorie intake. They have been shown to motivate individuals to adopt a healthier lifestyle and reduce their risk of developing certain diseases.
These devices often include an app that helps users to set and achieve goals. They may also provide feedback on performance against targets and help to identify sources of self-efficacy. It is important that wearables are designed to be able to adjust the nature of the feedback provided based on the user’s momentary state. This will help to reinforce the success of positive changes while supporting them through any difficulties in meeting their targets.
Wearables can be embedded directly into clothing, shoes or jewellery. For example, smart jackets that enable the wearer to activate their mobile device to answer calls or play music are one such product. Other popular wearables are wristbands, earbuds and smart watches.
Wearables are also being used by the military, such as for virtual reality (VR) training and simulation exercises. Other applications are being explored such as augmented reality (AR) headsets, which overlay virtual content on the world around us. Examples of AR headsets include Snapchat’s Spectacles, Google Glass and Microsoft’s HoloLens.
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