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Overview of Wearable Technology
In the 19th century, communication relied on bulky landline telephones, which were impractical for portability. However, the late 19th century witnessed the invention of mobile phones, revolutionizing communication by allowing individuals to carry these devices. Fast forward to the present day, and we are immersed in the era of smartphones and smart wearables. These gadgets represent cutting-edge electronic technology, with smart wearables being unique in that they make direct contact with the user’s skin, enabling comprehensive monitoring of bodily functions and delivering personalized comfort. This convergence is made possible through the integration of the Internet of Things (IoT) into Wearable Technology, creating a seamless and interconnected experience for users.
What is wearable technology?
Wearable technologies, also known as smart wearables, are intelligent devices designed to establish direct contact with your skin. These remarkable devices incorporate an array of sensors capable of assessing both your physical well-being and mental state. They provide real-time notifications and display comprehensive activity data, offering a holistic picture of your daily life, all while employing cutting-edge technology to ensure user-friendliness and uniqueness.
How to wear them?
In the initial stages of wearable technology, cumbersome dimensions posed challenges for comfortable wear. However, contemporary smart wearables have markedly improved in terms of both wearability and usability. These cutting-edge wearable devices are equipped with highly sophisticated sensors that necessitate proximity to the human body for optimal functionality.
These wearables can be affixed to various anatomical regions, including wrists, chests, fingers, ears, foreheads, forearms, and other body locations, reflecting the versatility and adaptability of these devices.
Types of wearable devices.
There are so many categories of wearable devices as per their use. Let’s discuss them.
Smartwatches and fitness bands.
In the contemporary landscape, smartwatches have evolved into comprehensive health and communication tools. They not only serve as call and SMS notifiers but also enable seamless call handling when synchronized with mobile devices.
On the other hand, fitness bands have emerged as dedicated health monitoring devices. These bands offer a wealth of health-related metrics, such as heart rate monitoring, calorie expenditure tracking, step counts, blood pressure measurements, exercise duration, daily step accumulation, health risk assessments, and an array of other vital statistics. These wearables are designed for both exercise and everyday wear.
Apple stands as the dominant leader in the smartwatch market, although its products are often associated with higher costs. However, a multitude of manufacturers, including Samsung, Xiaomi, and various others, have entered the smartwatch and fitness band arena. Xiaomi, in particular, has carved a substantial niche in the market owing to its affordability and the extensive feature set it provides.
Currently, most companies are working to incorporate more advanced features like
- How a person is stressed, mood, and health.
- Measuring alcohol content in the blood.
- Monitoring sickness of the user.
- Measuring the performance of athletes.
- Advance health monitoring.
Virtual Reality Headsets & augmented reality
Virtual reality technology is rapidly advancing within the entertainment industry. This immersive, wearable tech can fool your brain, transporting you to entirely fictitious virtual worlds.
It’s not limited to any specific location, as it can transport you anywhere, even to distant planets, using cutting-edge computer graphics. With virtual reality, you can witness and explore non-existent environments.
For instance, you could step into an apartment that’s still under construction and traverse it as if it were complete. This is all made possible through the magic of virtual reality. In the realm of gaming, virtual reality has made significant strides, with the latest games heavily relying on this technology.
These wearable devices are typically worn on the head, providing an unparalleled level of immersion and interactivity.
Smart Glasses
Smart eyewear technology has emerged as a dominant player in the domain of wearables today. Sunglasses have evolved beyond UV ray protection. They show the remarkable capability to transition from one optical state to another when an individual transitions from an indoor to an outdoor environment.
These adaptive sunglasses extend their utility to fire rescue operations, where traditional human vision falls short in the presence of dense smoke. With advanced thermal tracking functionalities, these high-tech eyeglasses possess the unique ability to detect and locate individuals within smoke-filled buildings, making them valuable tools for first responders and enhancing situational awareness in challenging environments.
Wearable Technology in Healthcare,
Wearable healthcare technology offers the capability to continuously monitor a spectrum of vital physiological and biomedical parameters, including blood pressure, body temperature, blood oxygen saturation, heart rate, electrocardiogram (ECG), and ballistocardiogram (BCG).
This advanced suite of features holds the promise of enhancing patient well-being while simultaneously curbing healthcare costs.
The data streams harnessed from wearable devices furnish insights into the user’s health status, amenable to periodic analysis, ideally on a quarterly basis. This technology streamlines the identification of bodily deficiencies, offering a potent tool for health management.
Future of wearable technology
In the future, these wearables will be the most important part of human life. We will able to analyze all our body functions very well. There will be no need to pay you a lot of money for doing various tests. You will be able to track your mood, stress level, and many more.