Wearable Technology: What Is It and What Can It Do?

Wearable technology is a category of electronic devices worn on or close to the skin that are used to track information in real time. This statement is both a definition of wearables and an answer to the question: how does wearable technology work? Wearables can provide immediate feedback to users or serve as internet of things (IoT) devices that exchange data with other devices and central processors without human intervention.

A wearable may be an accessory you wear, an implanted device or a sensor tattooed on the skin or embedded in clothing. It has its own microprocessor, power source and communication capability. It’s a standalone electronic device that’s always on you. This may prompt the question: is wearable technology safe? The answer is yes. Wearables are usually small to tiny low-power devices that are safe to wear even if they’re always on.

While consumer products represent a huge chunk of the wearable market, enterprise applications of wearable technology are fast gaining ground. Companies can deploy wearables to track employees’ efficiency and optimize productivity. They also use them to help teams collaborate on product ideas and quickly provide service to customers. Health care represents a major field for wearable technology. Wearables are also increasingly popular in fields ranging from sports and entertainment to fashion and the military.

While it’s only recently become popular, wearable technology is not a new concept. Pocket watches, wristwatches and hearing aids that have existed for decades are examples of wearables. However, the introduction of the internet and the ability of wearables to connect to wireless networks has rapidly transformed the product category.

Modern wearables are rarely single-function devices. They’re smart devices and IoT gadgets with wireless connectivity. The best wearable tech can perform multiple functions and improve users’ quality of life by helping with daily living activities. The most popular categories of wearables include fitness bands, smartwatches, virtual reality (VR)/augmented reality (AR) headsets, smart glasses, and smart clothing and accessories.

Wearables aimed at improving health and fitness are revolutionizing medicine and sports. These include smartwatches, fitness bands and smart athletic wear. The best wearable fitness trackers and smartwatches let users monitor their heart rates, track sleep health and record steps taken. These basic fitness metrics can identify trends and patterns to help improve overall health and meet fitness goals. Soon health and fitness wearables will be able to send their data to doctors’ offices to make it possible to monitor patients’ health remotely and in real time. Even now, they’re helping users pay more attention to their health and reduce the number of visits and costly copays.

Some wearables have advanced sensors for taking electrocardiogram (EKG) readings and measuring blood oxygen levels. Other models have fall detection, a must-have feature for the elderly and users with impaired mobility. If you’re looking for a wearable to monitor your sleep health, choose a fitness band, smartwatch or sleep tracking mat that can accurately detect when you fall asleep and wake up, as well as the different sleep stages. The best wearable sleep tracker is the one that’s also capable of measuring the duration of these stages, calculating sleep scores and offering helpful advice on how to improve the quality of your sleep.

The best wearable tech gadgets for entertainment purposes are head-mounted displays like VR and AR headsets and glasses. While they’re mostly for gaming, these wearables are also useful for watching movies and enjoying educational interactive experiences. AR/VR headsets can also serve as workplace wearables and are the most common wearable technology in offices. They’re useful for visualizing and collaborating on complex ideas and designs.

Some organizations are also encouraging employees to join virtual meetings with remote teams using VR headsets. VR meetings are more immersive than video teleconferencing calls and can help workers overcome the feeling of isolation even when working from home.

Wearables are not as common in the fashion industry as they are in the consumer electronics industry. The best wearable tech applications in fashion are mostly niche products or concepts shown to demonstrate the capabilities of wearable technology. Clothing is an obvious target for wearables, as clothes cover large sections of the body and rest directly on the skin. Therefore, it’s possible to use smart clothing to track body functions and diagnose latent diseases.

While mainstream clothing brands debate the advantages and disadvantages of wearable technology, a few tech-forward startups are already offering smart clothing. These include wearable baby monitors for tracking babies’ heart rates and blood oxygen levels and smart socks for detecting movement. There are also smart athleisure and activewear items that can monitor heart rate, track muscle activity and help improve your form during workouts.

Besides smart clothing, popular fashion wearables include accessories like smart rings. However, some are simply peripherals for mobile devices and computers. These include rings that alert users of phone calls and notifications and those used for gesture control for paired computers and phones. There are also smart rings with NFC used for contactless payments at store checkouts.

While fitness trackers and smartwatches are some of the best wearable tech products available, there’s much more to explore. Whether you want a wearable to keep you healthy or if you want to stay connected to information, there’s an option designed to fit your specific needs.