SMART HEARABLE enhances hearing measures vital signs plays music translates uses biometric identification SMART JACKET receives alerts makes calls plays music assists with navigation SMARTWATCH receives alerts makes calls controls music tracks fitness goals measures heart rate SMART PANTS send haptic feedback on how to improve movements SMART HAT connects to Bluetooth plays music makes calls SMART GLASSES uses facial recognition provides info about scenery records and photographs SMART SHIRT records heart rate records breathing records activity records sleep data SMARTPHONE SMART SHOES measure athletic performance analyze posture regulate temperature
5 One Our Wearable World SOCIETY'S NEXT TECH REVOLUTION Our world is exploding with wearables Researchers think that by 2030 over 700 million smartwatches will have been sold worldwide You might have one already or know someone with one of these devices Until now they've been the most popular kind of wearable But that's changing with the next generation of devices We won't be strapping wearables wearables only onto our wrists Our brains skin eyes ears and other body parts and our clothing are becoming the new ways we'll connect with technology Robotic suits are making us stronger Immersive technologies such as augmented reality AR and virtual reality VR are changing how we learn work and play And brain computer interfaces BCIs are helping us control objects with our thoughts Wearable computers are boosting our human capabilities capabilities They're becoming extensions of our bodies to help us think move communicate control our emotions and more Tagged Microchips implanted under our skin could store information about our identities and behaviors and could connect to the loT Should we get them ALEXEY GALTUVA SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
Kachala Continuous glucose monitors track blood sugar glucose levels throughout the day and night A sensor worn under the skin transmits levels to a device such as a smartphone People with diabetes can easily know if their level is too high or low ARTUR DEBAT GETTY IMAGES Elaine We're acquiring superpowers and possibly changing who we are as human beings WHAT IS WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY It's a Computer Is a wearable a computer Yes Wearables are electronic devices that can store retrieve and process data At the core of wearable technology is a computer system Often the computer is part of the wearable itself If it's not then the wearable transmits data that is processed by a computer Some wearables process data using more than one computer such as a smartwatch that connects to an app on a smartphone and cloud computing computing accessed through the internet Hardware software and connections connections wearables need them all in order to work The terms wearable technology wearable computing and wearables mean the same thing 3
7 Approach Swipe Enter 5G is a game changer for connectivity It's the fifth generation of mobile networks 5G has ultra wideband for faster uploads and ultra low latency lag to support smoother connectivity across more devices WEIQUAN LIN GETTY IMAGES Sensors are important pieces of hardware They collect data that is processed and uploaded to the internet via a mobile network Wi Fi or Bluetooth Algorithms turn data from the sensors into information people can use And the data is stored on a personal hard drive at a storage facility or in the cloud Wearables need connections to a smart environment to produce useful information Most wearable technology is part of the Internet of Things IoT The IoT is a system of connected smart devices that can gather analyze send and receive data via the internet This system allows for speedy data transmission storage and way more powerful data processing than a wearable device could do on its own IoT is at the heart of how our smart devices learn about us and figure out how to work better It's Personal Wearables are computers but they're different from desktops or laptops tablets or handheld devices because they live on in or attached to people's bodies They're intensely personal TECH_BYTE Sensors Are the Secret Wearable technology relies on sensors to gather information from the body and its surroundings There are many different types of sensors geared toward what information is being picked up For example GPS is a standard sensor in smartwatches for tracking location So are sensors to measure heart rate Immersive technology devices like VR goggles rely on combinations of sensors that capture and measure movement rotation twist depth pressure and more Electronic skin patches use sensors to measure electrolytes in sweat
