1 incredible attire You’re playing soccer with your friends Suddenly your shirt buzzes Its sweat sensors have detected that you are getting dehydrated You need a water break You jog over to grab a drink Just as you finish your cell phone buzzes with an alert The phone's battery is almost dead You’re not worried You can plug your phone into your shoes on the way home Your footsteps will generate enough energy to charge the battery This is the power of wearable technology Wearable technology is devices accessories and clothing worn on the human body These items are electronic or computerized They include everything from smartwatches to fitness clothing and even robotic suits tech tidbit Technology is considered smart when cons it operates automatically by it electronic means is interactive and is connected to a network
Wearing a smartwatch is like having a computer on your wrist Many smartwatches can monitor your heart rate provide navigation and more Wearable devices collect and analyze data about users and their surroundings Some technologies provide users with helpful information Others are made to use for entertainment With new advances a future in which every item you wear is a cutting-edge device is closer than you think 5
2 early wearables Some of the earliest versions of wearable technology were eyeglasses The first mention of eyeglasses was recorded in Britain in 1268 But even before this people in Europe and China wore magnifying lenses in frames to help them see better Next people invented wearable timekeeping devices The first watch was created in the 1500s and called the Nuremberg Egg People wore the heavy oval-shaped watch around their necks In the late 1600s people started using pocket watches These watches were smaller and lighter than the Nuremberg Egg The first electric lightbulbs appeared in the 1880s By 1884 the Electric Girl Lighting Company embedded battery-powered lightbulbs into dresses Then they sent young women wearing the dresses to entertain people in their homes Watches continued to develop too Some people wished for one that was easier to check than the pocket watch Pilot Alberto Santos-Dumont wanted one he could check without taking his hands off his flying machine’s controls He spoke to his friend 6
Pocket watches were not well suited for action It was difficult and distracting for the wearer to reach into his or her pocket during activities businessman Louis Cartier who designed the wristwatch in 1904 During World War I many soldiers wore wristwatches so they could time their attacks By the time the war ended in 1918 wristwatches had become popular among the public as well 7
