Apple was scheduled to launch a wearable device by the name iWatch by Tuesday this week, when iPhone 6 was revealed, in Orlando Florida.
For some years now, fitness trackers have become popular accessories among runners and athletes. These bracelets use biometric sensors that counts distance ran and calories burnt with significant improvements in every new gadget.
However, the future of the so called “wearable technology” has brought some excitement among the healthy industry insiders.
Dr. Bob Duggan, an Orlando foot and ankle surgeon who is a member of Physician Associates, use to tell how his patients feel. He focuses to a day when he will be in a position to get the answers before patients undergo examinations. He concurs that it will be possible with the wearable technology.
Dr. Bob says it is not to much a stretch to get patients coming in and sharing information about their blood pressure for the past one month and can download it as they sign in for an appointment.
Saying that they are about to enter a new era of wearable technology, Duggan says that better sensors are continually being developed and can track a great number of parameters.
The technology giants, Apple, Samsung and Google and others have flocked the wearable market to put health research dollars behind the healthy technology.
Duggan says that the gold standard is in a [position to non-invasive measure blood sugar, adding that if they get such a way to acquire such information and relay it to a physician, they can discover it as an alert on their chart.
According to Duggan, wearable technology is moving from a focus on fitness to a focus on health care and most people will benefit from its improved features.
Just like with other technological advances, Duggan says they sort through the usefulness of both patients and physicians and perfect mesh of that technology. This is a great advantage to the patients, he adds.
However, it could be difficult to convince people to wear them. In a recent poll conducted by the consulting firm Endeavor Partners, it was found out that 34% of people who purchased the wearable devices abandoned them 6 to 12 months later.
Taking Google glass as an example, people who wear them are being termed as “Glassholes”. They don’t look attractive at all and perhaps someone will fix that. People want a wearable that don’t disrupt their social outlook. Size, shape and color are some of the major considerations that people make when adopting new products for regular use.
Wearable Hopes and Fears
Though it’s good being optimistic, advancements in technology have greatly influenced our behaviors in several aspects, with majority being in a positive way. It is evident that upcoming high- tech gadgets will bring some improvements in human life. What mostly concerns is the enterprise and education. One may wonder where the wearable will lead us. Where will the wearable technology take you as an individual? And will it bring more good than harm?
The wearable technology movement began as sensors in running shoes which were designed to track performance in 2006. Nike and Apple teamed up to come up with first killer collaboration to launch a wearable technology known as Nike+iPod Sport kit.
It is therefore not a surprise that the fitness is where wearable sectors have done the most of early developments, with occasional forays in vests and jackets that had torn-down laptops attached to heads up displays googles – and the truly unfortunate keyboard pants.
Later, Google came up with Google Glass, an eye wear functioning as a wearable computer when paired with a Smartphone connected to the internet.
Developers and entrepreneurs are continually embracing the wearable technology which has taken the potential to transform health care industry.
