Wearable tech includes the sensors and electronics that go in or on your body rather than inside a device. They often have multiple functions and improve users’ quality of life. They include fitness bands and smartwatches, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) headsets, smart glasses and even smart clothing and accessories.
Health and fitness wearables help people track their heart rate, blood pressure and calorie intake and support their goals for exercise, weight loss or muscle building. The COVID-19 pandemic boosted the popularity of apps and devices that monitor sleep beats per minute and heart rates, as well as monitor symptoms like fever, flu or respiratory infections.
In business, wearables can help improve collaboration and accessibility by eliminating the need to unlock and manipulate handheld devices. Bluetooth-enabled headsets, wearable push-to-talk devices and smart glasses allow workers to communicate and retrieve information hands-free. In the military, wearable technologies help track the vital signs of service members and offer VR-based training exercises.
However, the accuracy of wearables can be a concern. For example, fitness and activity trackers can overestimate or underestimate steps taken or calories burned. Children and young people with body image issues might fixate on these numbers, misunderstanding or misinterpreting the data and potentially causing mental distress. Also, some wearables require frequent charging and can be inconvenient or impractical to use for extended periods. Research into energy-harvesting wearables is addressing this issue. In addition, some devices can raise privacy concerns in corporate settings by monitoring worker productivity and location and sparking debates about workplace surveillance.
About the Author
