Wearable Technology: A Carry-Anywhere Thing That Can Save Your Life

For the less initiated, wearables include devices like smartwatches, fitness trackers, token devices, rings, necklaces, shoes, clothing and similar Things that we wear every day.

Unlike their ordinary counterparts, wearables tech devices are embedded with IoT sensors that are minute in size often less than a penny coin in size. These sensors collect biological and health data of the wearer on a real time basis.

The data so collected is shared via cloud server to a mobile app interface or web backend of a health care professional where it would be used for further analysis and decision-making. Owing to this simplicity in healthcare monitoring & diagnosis, mobile app development for wearables have skyrocketed in activity in the last 5 years. The growth story of Fitbit, Cardio, Apple watch is noteworthy examples.

Wearables Never Sleep

Wearables are always ‘ON’. They are always running in the background and never shut down. They are data collectors that track your every single move without ever asking for input in the form of key punches.

However, once in awhile you will have to toggle the settings to make the wearable more aligned to your lifestyle. Like, setting the morning alarm, increasing the step count for the day, social and notifications, etc.

wearable technology devices will bring about a whole new shift in how we live live. They will help:

• 1.Quantify ourselves in exact physical activity
• 2. Document our lives over a period of time
• 3. Augment our daily physical experiences
• 4. Create new realities by merging the physical with virtual world

Although the industrial applications of wearables is boundless, the maximum positive impact will come in the form wearable technology healthcare devices. As Vala Afashar writes in this Huffington Post, “Wearable health technology brings three distinctly beneficial trends to the table – connected information, community, and gamification.”

Wearable Technology Applications in Healthcare

Providing healthcare until the Digital infusion happened has been an insurmountable challenge. Healthcare professionals wanted quick access to patient information, possibly on a real-time basis with accuracy so that the right health advice can be administered.

Patients, on the other hand, did not want to make regular hospital visits and subject themselves to inspection that cost time, money and effort. Not to mention that often unavailability of medical equipment and doctors for conducting the elementary health checkups.

Wearable technology devices fix the problem. It forges a virtual connection between the patient and the doctor or the healthcare giver over the Internet (cloud) with accuracy, real-time information, and accessibility. It saves time, money and also effort. All points checked!

Patients cannot complain either. Wearable technology healthcare devices are:

• 1.Stylish in looks
• 2. Offer hands-free usage
• 3. Comfortable to wear all day long and even while sleeping
• 4. offer quick accessibility
• 5. Require near-zero maintenance

Apart from these minor wearable technology benefits, there is a bigger impact of wearable technology in healthcare industry. They are detailed as under:

Quick Medical Data Access

Wearables can give a host of real-time access to healthcare data like physical activity levels, deep sleep rate, pulse rate, sugar levels, etc. These information helps healthcare professionals to proactively diagnose symptoms of diabetes, heart problems and other chronic health problems.

Proactive Health Monitoring

Wearables help understand the user’s lifestyle in detail. This helps in proactively preparing for possible health issues that do not exist now, but have a large probability of happening in the near future.

Weight Control & Physical Activity Moderation

Fitbit, Apple + Nike Watch are predominantly used by people to monitor their physical activity like steps count, calories burnt, weight loss, etc. Unlike traditional systems, wearables give accurate measure of physical activity that helps users reach their health and wellness goals easily.

Patient-Doctor Connect

Wearables help create a virtual patient-doctor connect. Basic data reports of health activity and stats like pulse rate, sugar levels, slepe rate, etc. can be sent to doctor’s email or hospital’s cloud server for timely diagnosis.

Real-time Emergency Alerts

Wearable apps can trigger can raise emergency alerts in the event of the user suffering a health failure, sudden drop in sugar levels, fainting, accidents, etc. to healthcare professionals or hospitals in near vicinity.

If you want to know the story of VAlart – an IoT wearable based emergency alert app that Contus Connect created, click here.

Other Life-changing Healthcare Applications of Wearables

Apart from health monitoring and reporting statistics, there is lot more that healthcare wearables can do. They come in the form of enhancers that can help users with disability to navigate the physical world safely and without any external help.

Hearables

Electronic in-hear devices that help people with hearing disability to listen to sounds with better clarity. Hearables also have advanced applications in defense and military environments where communication needs to take place through wireless means with advanced facilities like navigation and warnings.

Vision Impaired Navigation & Wearable Translator

Wearables like necklaces, in-ear devices and glasses that can guide blind or vision impaired individuals to see with better clarity. Tiny devices that can be worn like earphones with microphones that can translate foreign languages into native language as chosen by the user.

The Times Ahead

Wearable technology and healthcare are a great combination. They bring together the best of both worlds. The world of wearables is one that is growing in number and popularity with every passion hour. Statistia estimates 35 Million smart wristbands and fitness trackers to have been shipped worldwide in 2016.

The number is all set to rise. Apple, Microsoft, Fitbit, Google, Intel, every tech giant is in the works to create healthcare wearables that track our every move and predict healthcare remedies. In fact, luxury smartwatch makers like Tag Heuer and Louis Vuitton have also smartwatches that run on Android.

All said one cannot undermine the explosive potential of wearables in saving human life from fatal health issues.