The Benefits Of Wearable Technology
Wearable technology mainly refers to the incorporation of technology in regular accessories which will impart greater ease in routine activities. There have been considerable advances in the field of wearable technology. Many breakthroughs have been made which have made our day-to-day life easier. Anyone who is familiar with the latest smartphones is aware of the new smartwatches which have been released. This technology aims to provide us faster access to our technology, thereby saving time and effort.
This technology comes in all shapes and sizes. Watches have come a long way from just being timekeeping pieces. There has been exponential improvement and advancement in the field of watches and now even the basic smartwatch can perform the tedious tasks of calculations, passing on notifications including the ability to respond to them without utilizing your cellphone and allowing translations. More technical ones perform like miniaturized computers; having their own operating systems and the capability to run applications. These watches are now being equipped with sensors which will allow them to work as activity trackers and Personalized Digital Assistants, all the while fulfilling their original function of tracking time.
Watches have long since established a place in the collection of any man or woman. High end watches portrayed style and status alike. Now, with the advent of the iWatch and Galaxy Gear, people can have faster and smoother access to their phones, and all the while making the wearer look fashionable.
Perhaps the most advanced development in the field of wearable technology. They aid and assist the user in real time. Modern day smartglasses are now equipped with the very best in technology including access to the internet, usage of applications, taking pictures, activity tracking and navigation. They are light and easy to wear. These wearable glasses aspire to knock out the need of having multiple gadgets in your repository. While the benefits still outweigh the phobias that normal people have but, it will be wrong to overlook them. People tend to have privacy issues when using smartglasses since they believe their activity could be recorded without them knowing. Some people believe that smartglasses such as Google Glass impact a not-so fashionable look and think that shuns the wow factor of owning such an expensive piece of technology.
Many people require fitness assistants; activity trackers are doing a good job at that. Mainly designed to monitor the activity of their user, these bands notify the user when they deviate from the regular physical activity that is required. They can also simply be used to provide information about the physical activity that has happened. Posture correcting wearable bands exist which beep or vibrate to notify the person when he slouches or puts himself in a position which could have adverse effect on his health.
Similarly, arm and wrist bands exist for fitness freaks which employ accelerometer and altimeter technology to record the number of steps a person takes throughout his day; they can also estimate the caloric expenditure that occurred over the day. These steps could then be synced with your Facebook account or your smartphone to formulate an accurate log that tells you about the physical activity that you did over the day. An activity band is currently being developed which gives the user a mild electric shock if it fees that the user is slacking off. Some trackers have gone the extra mile to employ heart rate sensors which effectively monitor the heart activity throughout the day. Having a good log about your heart activity can be beneficial and aid the physician in diagnosing any complications if they arise. The benefits somewhat fade out when one looks at the privacy complications which have arisen due to the usage of such technology. When activity loggers dawned, there were many involuntary publications about the activity of the user on the social network. This led to many embarrassed and infuriated users. Many people using activity trackers also feel that their privacy is being violated.
Some of the pedometers that Nike developed actually had to be incorporated into your shoe. One India based start-up; Ducere Technologies has taken this technology further, developing something that they call, the smartshoe. These shoes sync themselves with the user’s smartphone. When a destination is set, you can head straight out and a vibration in the left or right shoe will tell the user when to turn.
The one major drawback of current wearable technology is its price. Not everyone can afford Google Glass, which has the normal edition priced at $1000 and the Explorer Edition priced at $1500. Or the Galaxy Gear, which is priced at $350. The smartshoe seems more affordable, with a tag of $100, tech enthusiasts would easily be able to afford them. Ducere Technologies is looking to lower the price even more. It is a well-known fact that the latest technology often has the highest price tags. It will not take more than five years for tech giants such as Google, Apple and Samsung to lower their prices on these amazing products and it is highly likely that one day, wearable technology such as smartglasses, smartwatches and even smartshoes, will be as common possessions such as smartphones.
By Margaret Evans
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