Wearable Trends
If you have a Fitbit, then you know wearable technology. What you might not know is how prevalent this trend is today and how it will change our future.
What is Wearable Technology?
“Wearables” are electronic devices worn on your body, usually directly on your skin, to detect and capture certain data points about your biology, activity, or environment. They can send critical medical information, biochemical readings, or exercise data to the Cloud, allowing for easy reporting and tracking.
Popular Examples
The Apple Watch is an obvious type of this digital miracle. In addition to smartwatches, though, are “smart”:
- Clothes
- Helmets
- Glasses
- Hearables
- And more…
Over the next few years, innovative minds will surely add to this list in ways we can only imagine.
Uses for Devices People Wear
The power of wearables cannot be denied. They are used in several ways already, from gaming to medicine. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are already blazing a trail with how computers can change the experience for gamers. Personal medical history can be monitored and recorded for healthcare and saves lives every day. Imagine a surgeon being able to see a patient’s vitals during an operation by wearing high-tech glasses. Or having magnified vision on-demand. As for business, any sort of productivity activity be it in transportation or a warehouse is a prime candidate. Analytics regarding speed, volume, weather and so many other things that can affect efficiency can be gathered to allow leadership the opportunity to see what is working and not working in their business.
Existing Challenges
Like any new innovation, these wearable devices have some drawbacks that sometimes curb their proliferation on a wide scale. Short battery life can deter how businesses adapt because having to charge and re-charge can be a high maintenance proposition if you have hundreds of employees involved, for example. Slow internet connectivity can also hinder progress.
But rest assured, these shortcomings won’t be around for long, and we’ll be seeing more and more of these mind-blowing inventions throughout companies in no time.
