Wearable technology checks how we move and breathe and live

We wear everything from smart watches, activity trackers, baby pacifiers that record vital signs, smart glasses that let us see and search online, smart clothing that registers vital signs and controls music. Its influence today seems boundless.

Wearable technology can provide us with more convenience and data than we were ever able to get before through more conventional methods. The list goes on…

Smart watches let us read emails, messages and notifications without taking out our phones.  Activity trackers help us stay healthy and report our habits of movement or the lack thereof.  Smart baby pacifiers tell parents about their babies without disturbing nap time - but the largest benefit from wearables is in the health, medical and sports sectors.

With smart clothing, we can design suits or patches that keep track of signs and allow for movement when athletes train.  We can also see if medications are taken at the proper time and how the body is responding to treatment.  

The NFL fitted 1,696 players with RFID chips that sent back details of position, pace, distance travelled and acceleration in real time during games.  Such data helps better understand how hard are our bodies when we exercise, along with performance information.

Climbers and divers can track heart rate, blood oxygen levels and body temperature.  We can have smart coaches that provide a fitness platform for us when we exercise and monitor our body movements when we practise yoga – giving feedback performance and what can be improved on. 

Golfers can track and analyse their swings to improve their game. We can even collect environmental information such as UV exposure and have our clothing remind us to put on more sunscreen at the beach. 

The data that wearable technology provides will help us better understand how we can make life easier and in many cases, the solution to making life easier.  Feedback helps analysts gain insights into behaviour, habits and patterns which then lead into better marketing, product development, innovation and services.

Wearables have security applications too. Many places use them as tracking devices in prisons and offices providing access and location information.

Wearables don’t have to be just about information.  They have entered the fashion world, with clothing that lights up and changes to music or movement.  Celebrities strut illuminated gowns in shows and on red carpets.

Wearables don’t just focus on fashion but can add to safety.  Cyclists wear jackets or backpacks that track speed to monitor if they need to slow down; indicators light up red to let road users behind know they are reducing speed or indicate they are turning.

Traffic police and emergency crews have vests that light up to help identify them and make them more visible to motorists.  The application of wearables provides whatever information we may want to know about our bodies and our surroundings - or just make our outfits standout in the crowd.

 

Badee Somboonpakron is technical director at Havas Worldwide Bangkok