How Wearable Devices are gaining Traction

Gaurav Sabharwal
Gaurav Sabharwal, Co-Founder and Business Head at Saffron Tech
Published on Aug 26, 2019 in Wearable App Developers Resources
How Wearable Devices are gaining Traction

From the invention of the personalized computer to using the entire internet on your wrist, over time, technology has made such huge strides. Wearable devices such as smart watches, heart rate trackers, etc.are a part of the new era of technology. These devices are changing the way we live life, for better or worse. Proving their validity is tough since this concept is so new to us.

Social impact of wearable devices.

As of 2019, the wearable device market has expanded immensely. From being a mere fitness tracker, that displayed heart rates and steps, it has now become a mini-computer. Many prominent companies have made available their versions of wearable devices. They seem to be of tremendous help to their users, but how do they affect the lives of people is the real question.

Wearable technology has immense potential in the following fields:

  • Security: Wearable technology connects users to their passwords and gives them full control over their data. Since portable devices are at risk of being stolen, this technology provides a new platform for your data to be saved and is easily accessible. Connecting your wearable device to other such platforms enables you to track all of your devices at the click of a button.
  • Healthcare: This technology has a lot of benefits in the health sector. Doctors advise their patients to adopt these devices, to track their vitals, which helps them come up with results. Along with the fact that it can track the pulse rate and steps of a patient, some innovative geniuses have come up with a wearable device that can increase or decrease the body temperature. A group of talented individuals at MIT have come up with the Wristify band.
  • Fitness: The essential feature of all wearable devices is the ability to track and monitor the pulse rate as well as the steps a person takes in a day. This data can then be used to enhance the body better. Devices such as the UpRight help people achieve a better posture. Also, companies like AlignMed create shirts and bras designed to strengthen and stretch underused muscles.
  • Connectivity: Wearable devices help in increasing social connectivity. Since they are so modernly developed, they can incorporate your entire social media. This allows users to get updates, even if they don't have access to other devices. Google Glass is one of the cool examples through which you can, hands-free update your social media, through voice command.
  • Marketing: These wearable devices connect people to the Internet 24x7, which makes it the perfect platform for companies to advertise their products and services in the years to follow. Virtual Reality is promising to change the entire shopping experience for the user.

How wearables impact the healthcare industry?

Wearable technologies:

Businesses are using wearable devices to improve profitability and productivity. IoT devices has revolutionized the way we utilize devices in our daily lives. For instance, in the retail industry, workers use wireless headsets to quickly and accurately respond to customer inquiries. In the distribution industry, these devices are in the form of glasses that incorporate high definition cameras, which are used to cross-check the correct items being shipped. This helps minimize errors and improves efficiency. Similarly, in the healthcare industry, the value of this wearable technology is potentially tremendous.

Since the availability of these devices is increasing and their cost decreasing, the number of people using wearable devices is multiplying. Nearly all wearables devices have a health and fitness application. These applications collect health and fitness data, including distance traveled, calories burned, pulse rate, and sleep cycle. Healthcare providers can expect to find more and more patients wearing wearable devices capable of providing a substantial amount of information about the health and fitness of patients. Wearable health monitoring devices are an integral part of healthcare's technological branch- telehealth.

Telehealth:

When the development and application of modern computing and telecommunication technologies are used to create a system which monitors people's fitness and provides remote medical care and treatment, this form of healthcare delivery is termed as telehealth. One of the significant benefits of this system is that the devices can store the information of the users at any time and any place, thereby saving time, otherwise wasted on documentation.

Patients are using these monitoring devices and are provided with instructions, to control diseases and take proactive steps to mitigate possible consequences.

Clinical Use of wearable devices:

Wearable technology is now being used to provide institutes and physicians with more objective data regarding the patient. Specific institutes have created a research program using wearable device activity to collect real-time data from patients. The data is then used to monitor the patient's activities and is also used to collect subjective data. Solutions are then devised based on the collected information, which would help in the recovery of the patient. This process will help in achieving better results since all of the data collected is organic and is received in real-time.

Recently many tech companies have incorporated numerous wearable devices for the betterment of the health and fitness of their customers – from fitness bands that monitor the bodies activity to flexible patches that can detect hydration level, heart rate, body temperature, muscle bio-signals, brainwave and from the human body. These devices, with their unique features, on the one hand, allow customers to keep track of their health and on the other hand, help healthcare organizations enhance patients' health as well as reduces their healthcare charges by providing them with Remote Patient Monitoring (RPE) systems.

There was a time when mobile devices were considered a booming platform for companies to communicate with their customers. Presently, wearable technology has been considered a new stage for advertising. Brands and physicians now have 24-hour access to active customers. They are now able to use continuously collected personal data to create valuable communications touchpoints with individual customers and patients in the right way. Business-to-customer experiences could include:

  • Strengthening relationships through customer accomplishments:

    Getting users to share their achievements with others is a way through which they can motivate others to be more active. Also, at the same time, it would help increase their engagement.

  • Building knowledge and cognizance:

    Through these wearable devices, users are enlightened with helpful and knowledgeable facts. By understanding the physical fitness of their user, they can provide useful tips and facts, that is both entertaining and engaging.

  • Providing motivation:

    Through regular day-to-day tracking of the user's activities, motivation can be driven into them. For example, if the user hasn't completed a set amount of steps in a day, they get an inspirational quote that acts as a motivational boost.

The future of wearable technology

Wearable devices have a lot of scope in the healthcare industry, and the opportunities and challenges that the technology will have are immense. There is room for a lot of growth in the industry, and startups have barely scratched the surface in terms of possible health-specific devices. These technologies are still in their early stages, and most still need to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

These devices provide analysis that can be very useful in managing health and also helps in understanding fitness problems. Modern users are relying more on these devices as they are of the thought that it can help improve their health.

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About the author
Gaurav SabharwalCo-Founder and Business Head at Saffron Tech

Gaurav Sabharwal is the Co-Founder and Business Head of Saffron Tech. He is a thought leader and technology enthusiast who believes in empowering businesses through digital performance engineering. Gaurav likes to write about the latest trends relate...

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