Wearable technology advantages and disadvantages: What you miss?

Technology is evolving continuously. There is one purpose of the continually evolving technology. It is to make lives better. Regardless of the technology being a simple one like a light bulb or a complicated one like mind-controlled prosthetics, the aim is to facilitate life. It is the same with wearable technology. Wearables are becoming increasingly mainstream. However, they still have quite a way to go. Sales of wearable technology are expected to reach $100 billion by the year 2023.  What can be said about the experience that people have had with wearables until now? They have mostly been the use of a smartwatch or a fitness tracker. Below, we discuss some wearable technology advantages in the lives of people.

Keeping people fit is among the wearable technology advantages

The most important of the wearable technology advantages is making people healthier. 71% of Americans vouch for the improvement that wearable technology has brought about in their health.

A trendy health-oriented wearable gadget of today is “FitBit Flex.”

• This bracelet is equipped with several monitoring features for helping users create objectives and improve their fitness
• Users can keep track of their activity levels, their sleep cycle, and their nutrient ingestion while checking their progress and creating objectives
• This app tracks the calories, steps or the distance that users travel in a day to keep tabs on their physical activity
• Moreover, the app monitors calories burned

This bracelet can sense when users have a lighter sleep cycle. Next, it starts waking them by vibrating gently, sometime before their morning alarm. “FitBit” also syncs with the smartphone of users. Users can view data and graphs on their devices. 

“Lumo Back” is another exciting device and can keep track of the users’ sleep movement and stance.

The future of wearable technology for fitness appears promising. At present, Thimble Bioelectronics is working on a wearable pain relief patch for sending electric currents to persistent pain spots. The implication is that we are soon going to treat pain just as we treat cuts. We place a bandage on wounds and leave them to heal.

The future of swallowable sensors also looks promising. A sensor from Proteus Health utilizes an Ingestion Event Marker.

• The marker is a minute chip that is embedded in a pill. It reacts on coming in contact with stomach fluid and sends a time-stamped ID signal
• A particular patch that the users wear picks up this signal and transmits it to a smartphone app
• Thus, the users get information about their body position, heart rate, and activity level

Wearable Technology is life-saving

Eating right and keeping fit is vital for the health of a person.  One of the wearable technology advantages is that some of them are even more vital to health and even life-saving.

A great many older adult patients have started wearing heart monitors as well as GPS location devices. These wearable inform caregivers

• Whenever anything is wrong
• Whenever the older adult patients wander off

There are even wearable devices for monitoring patients remotely. The devices alert caregivers whenever the individual falls.

What are the advantages of these wearable to patients?  They

• Prevent complications
• Minimize individual costs
• Facilitates the independence of patients

LifeShirt is another interesting device. LifeShirt is basically a costume that features sensors. These sensors monitor the key signs and 30 different key biometric readings of

• The elderly
• The chronically ill
• People with a cardiac problem
• Patients afflicted with life-threatening diseases

Wearable Technology keeps people safer

People nowadays are almost always connected to their devices. Going by statistics, smartphone users check their phones 34 times daily, on average. People are constantly checking their devices when they are on the move increases the risk of accidents. Examples are accidents while walking and driving. This is where wearable technology advantages become apparent.

Some devices that include Bluetooth headsets let people talk over the phone hands-free. Thus, people can focus on what is happening in front of them

There is also wearable technology, such as Google Glass.

• The benefit for users is staying connected to their email, phone, and applications while keeping their eyes on the road ahead
• Users can use voice commands and thus don’t need to use hands to get digital information. Therefore, they can concentrate on the highway or sidewalk and get digital information at the same time

Wearable Tech for Fun

Wearable technology advantages are not limited to facilitating things and improving the health of people. People can enjoy from wearable devices.  A number of wearable technology are already offering enjoyment to people. A couple of examples are refrigerated shirts and color-changing scarfs that complement all outfits,

However, wearable technology for fun goes beyond clothing accessories. It has offshoots to the intimate category. A case in point is “Durex Fundawear.” Technicians are still working on this device that’s a vibrating pair of underwear. Couples who wear them can control the garments of one another online. According to many, it is the new variant of phone sex. Many also consider it to be the “future of foreplay.”

Regardless of what people feel, this device can add some fun and excitement to a relationship, particularly a long-distance relationship. Thus, it can make life better.

However, everything is not perfect with wearable technology.

Some downsides are keeping Wearable Technology from being perfect

A good number of people consider Wearables to be cool. However, a good number of studies reveal that many consumers still find wearable technology too pricey.

• An apple watch costs $349, a pair of wireless earbuds cost $249, a connected shirt costs $300, and there are more
• What can we infer from these costs? That, purchasing wearable technology is more of an indulgence rather than a requirement. At least, that is the bigger picture for now.

Okay, a person is using a wearable device for fitness. He/she ventures out for a jog. After going a distance, he/she finds out that he did not charge their smartwatch or their earbuds. It is a very annoying situation to be in.

• Talking about wearables that are flooding the mass markets, their battery life is a critical concern. The reason is that a good number of wearable batteries don’t last an ample time, and must be charged on a nearly everyday basis
• Some devices are an exception. An example is the simpler Fitbit trackers that last for quite a few days. However, quite a few more cutting-edge wearables that include the Apple Watch last for just a day or so

This problem is also very frustrating for developers of wearable devices. The reason is that because battery life does not progress as fast as many other technologies.

A person has to remember to charge his/her smartphone every day, and this is a hassle.

What else we miss?

There are reports of inaccurate date measurement of some wearable.

• This can be hazardous for vital data measurements like heart rates
• Individuals who have heart conditions could have overexertion and other health issues due to such inaccurate readings

With time wearable technology is becoming smaller and more intricate. The same can be said for their charging mechanisms. How can consumers integrate wearables in their day-to-day living if they have to fidget with minute gadgets and several cords?

• Just close your eyes and think the difficulty of an older person if he must fidget with his hearing aid day after day
• It is just as difficult for a professional sprinter to plug in numerous pieces of minute wearable sensors into separate chargers

However, efforts are being made of doing away with this problem. The NEST wireless charging station from Humavox is an example. It does away with the troubles of continuously having to plug in wearables with a plain drop and charge experience!

Humavox has come up with a new technique for RF wireless charging. Designers can customize, fine-tune, and integrate wireless charging into practically all wearables of all shapes and sizes. Users can place their devices in a bowl, backpack, or drawer, and they are going to charge!

Summary

With the fantastic developments of wearable technology, it is natural for people to get carried away. However, people must assess the real requirement for wearable technology. Several articles have on wearable technology have come out. The writer of a fascinating one among them is Don Norman. He states that the reason that a good number of wearable technology are under development developed is that they are possible.

It is a fact that many users still aren’t certain about wearable technology. They are not confident that they want to walk about wearing devices all day. However, there is no doubt that if done well, wearable technology can offer quite a few advantages.

Finally, it’s the choice of people. They have to decide if a wearable device is a thing that they are going to benefit from. Wearing technology is progressing and becoming popular day by day, and this trend is going to continue. Thus, people have to consider the pros and cons ahead of choosing one.