Introduction
Wearable devices such as smart watches and fitbits have become the norm in recent years. As we become more aware of our health we are more inclined to monitor ourselves much closer than we ever did before. The younger people of the world have taken to wearable devices and the trend looks set to continue as technology improves. Let’s take a quick look at the history of wearables and see what the future may hold.
If we want to get all technical about it, wearables were actually first invented in the 13th century when eyeglasses became available. 300 years later we had the first wearable clocks which led to the invention of the wristwatch. There have even been discoveries in China of abacus rings.
Moving on another 300 years, we saw the rise of the first wearable computers, calculators, and music devices. Listening to music while you walk has only been around for the last 30 years! The hearing aid hit stores during the 1980s creating the first
bionic humans.
In 2002, bluetooth technology allowed wireless interactions with our devices and the market has grown massively since. Smartwatches and fitness devices know dominate the market. There are also other products out that can track patient seizures and exposure to sunlight.
The wearables industry looks set to expand.
We can expect wearables to be second only to smartphones in the consumer electronics industry
over the next five years. Autonomous devices look set to really catch fire as processing power looks to improve vastly. App add-ons will make wearables more bespoke to users, much like mobile phones.
Wearables will mostly dominate in the fitness market. There has been a monumental rise in the world of fitness. Devices that track your progress will improve and become even more important and popular. You will be able to input your biological data and the wearable will create bespoke programs to improve your fitness.
Healthcare is another sector that looks set to be improved by new wearable technology. Wearables will be able to monitor all different kinds of health care issues. Health care companies are investing huge amounts of cash into these technologies so look out for huge developments over the next five years.
Wearable technology will allow us to become more immersed in entertainment forms such as television and video games. Imagine being able to feel and smell things as the film progresses. Wearing technology that can allow you to physically take part in these fun and interacting activities could revolutionize the entertainment industry.
Euromonitor expects the wearable industry to be worth over 30 billion dollars by the end of 2020. Young people desire wearable tech in their lives whereas older people might actually rely on it. It looks like a win win situation for wearable tech companies. For these trends to continue, tech giants will have to keep developing and creating innovative ideas for the future of this exciting and expanding industry.
Summary
In this article, we learned about wearabe lechnologies and their history and future.