Gadget

The Future of Wearable Technology in a “Smart” World

Future Of Wearable Technology

Wearables are for everyone and now they have grown up from fancy gadgets to something that can be used by everyone. Smartwatches and wearable technology are part of a solid market, and have become a separate market from smartphones and tablets.

As enterprises are keen to explore and leverage their mobile marketing strategy, smart watches, and wristbands are already affecting businesses worldwide. Most of them are disruptive in more ways than one. According to IDC, the adoption rate of using wearables has grown tremendously since more than 45.7 million units in 2015 are being shipped worldwide. By 2019, the number is expected to rise to 126.1 million units.

The Wearable World Today

Smartwatches and fitness trackers are now taking up more than 80% of the total market of wearables. As many leading-edge projects are brining wearable tech to life, chances are that the wearable world is soon going to expand several other gadgets.

  • The new generation of wearables is soon building its credibility from the first launches. The prices were considered too high at first glance, but now customers are understanding that this technology can actually benefit them.
  • Wearables such as Google Glass, Oculus Rift, Apple Watch are defining the wearable world in multiple ways. Each of the products are now delivering the real distinctive value. Featuring powerful operating systems, both Apple Watch and Android Wear have stabilized the markets and injected real life into the wearables space.

Wearables have become part of customers’ life, since most technology plays on diverse points of association. Wearable technology is now associated with proximity marketing contents. Here are some of the core features of each of the wearables of the future:

  • Invisible: components are smaller and integrated within gadgets and garments.
  • Personalized: complete focus on personalized approach with wearables.
  • Accurate: tracking and analytics are more and more precise.
  • Efficient: Energy-saving power supply and efficiency in performance with minimal lag.
  • Respectful: Privacy issues resolved with customers’ acceptance.
  • Sentient: Evolved and progressive along with customer capabilities.
  • Inter-connected: Integrated and communicative with other devices.
  • Seamless: IoT and wearables co-exist in a single world.

Healthcare segment and the consumer segment is witnessing major growth in wearables owing to the varied unique features brought by technology with GPS, monitoring and sensors. The wearables find use in fashion, defense and even sports and even luxury brands are trying their best with tie-ups with technology. Wearables now imply more than sports watches and wellness wristbands.

The Wearable Future – What is Beyond the Present

Smart Garments

Gartner believes that wearables can find a huge market for growth in smart garment category as more and more designers are embedding smart technology in garments aimed for the high income bracket. Many designers and tech start-ups have started exploring the fashion side of wearables with trackable accessories, weather-sensitive garments, solar-powered dresses, LED bags and countless other inventions.

Smart Fitness

Wearables are now attracting investors since consumers are now keen to open their wallet more willingly than before especially with regards to wellness and healthcare. Fitness is a major segment for applied wearables and millions are at stake with healthcare. Apple’s HealthKit is part of the big ecosystem.

Smart Gaming

The new name for smart gaming options is called ‘total immersion’. Now gamers need something more to feel the game. Virtual reality including Samsung Gear VR try to bring videogame design as gamers interact with real world and let them feel the virtual world.

The Influence on the Future

Wearable tech is sure to prevail in the future in varied ways and there are marketing opportunities for businesses to leverage the genius behind the field. Brands now have to rebuild their image from scratch, and involve every human organ including wrist, head, eyes and body to make a comprehensive impact on the minds of consumers.

The challenge—and opportunity for companies who deal with wearables is find smarter ways to make sense of the information stored through wearables. The future can well hold different avenues related to data-facilitated care, personalized wearables, active sports coaching, gesture-based gaming and the like.

  • Wearables can fill in many gaps in technology by having continuous, accurate data about human behaviour that is empowering healthcare professionals to make better decisions.
  • With advances in nano-technology, companies like Nike are now embedding sensors in apparel. Athletes and coaches get a better idea about the players’ health with the trackers and sensors. Also, sports authorities are fetching data relevant to sportspersons to improve performance and engagement.
  • Human-to-computer interactions including everyday movements and gestures can be used for performing complex tasks and to enhance user experience like Google Glass does. The new watch from Apple is also taking a leaf from gesture-based adaptive learning.
  • Wearables are also useful now for authentication as a unique signature from the individual. Use of distinctive characteristics will be used for identification and authentication of an individual instead of outdated credentialing methods.
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Paul Tomaszewski is a science & tech writer as well as a programmer and entrepreneur. He is the founder and editor-in-chief of CosmoBC. He has a degree in computer science from John Abbott College, a bachelor's degree in technology from the Memorial University of Newfoundland, and completed some business and economics classes at Concordia University in Montreal. While in college he was the vice-president of the Astronomy Club. In his spare time he is an amateur astronomer and enjoys reading or watching science-fiction. You can follow him on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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