Wearables
On the back of increasing consumer interest and demand, the wearable technology sector is growing rapidly. There is an increasing number of products that offer their wearers a plethora of ways to track movement, monitor health and analyse performance
While tech giants such as Apple and Google are pouring millions into ‘the next big thing’, the wearables market is also courting innovation from a range of exciting start-ups.
Sports companies are also getting in on the act – Manchester City recently became the first club to launch its own exclusive wearable match day app. Elsewhere, billionaire entrepreneur and Dallas Mavericks NBA franchise owner Mark Cuban is leading a transformation in how athletes are tracked by working together with Australian company Catapult Sports and developing a pioneering GPS device.
The wearables market is expected to be worth at least US$2bn (£1.32bn) in global revenue by 2018, with sport and physical activity trackers currently representing around 61 per cent of the sector.
The ramifications for health and wellbeing are huge. Medical institutions are already using the technology to monitor patients’ vitals – aiming to identify problems early – and there’s potential for sports and fitness clubs to monitor customer biometrics as well.
Wearables are infiltrating corporate wellness programmes too, as US employers harness information from health trackers to determine employees’ health insurance premiums. Many feel this is just the start for wearable tech, which has the potential for seamless integration with the Internet of Things – the advanced connectivity of devices, systems and services – as it gains momentum.
We look at the latest innovations in health and fitness wearables, to assess which ideas could leave rivals stuck in the starting blocks.
RALPH LAUREN POLO TECH T-SHIRT
From 2015, tennis enthusiasts will be able to record metrics and data from recent performances to improve their game, thanks to a movement tracking shirt from fashion designer Ralph Lauren.
The luxury brand’s Polo Tech T-shirt uses sensors knitted into the fabric to read heartbeat, respiration and other biometrics. Data collected by the shirt is stored by a ‘black box system’, which also captures movement and direction metrics.
These findings, along with data related to energy output and stress levels, are sent to the cloud and are viewable on a tablet or smartphone.
Attachable Smart Tennis Sensor
Sony is preparing to launch its attachable Smart Tennis Sensor early next year. The US$200 device attaches to rackets to record up to 12,000 shots of swing and serve data.
Freewavz earphones
FreeWavz is creating a set of earphones which will collate health and fitness metrics and audibly relay this information to exercisers – particularly useful for cyclists and joggers, who won’t have to take their eyes off the road.
Designed by US-based otolaryngology specialist Dr Eric Hensen, the earphones will operate without the need for any other wearable tech, also offering wireless connectivity to music streaming, a step counter, plus heart rate and oxygen saturation monitoring.
Hensen was frustrated by poorly-fitting headphones which can disrupt workouts by falling out – or worse still, cause injuries when the wires become entangled – hence he set out to invent wireless ones.
Freewavz allows exercisers to change or pause music through voice commands and connect to a smartphone to collate health metrics.
The earphones also feature an extra speaker above the standard earbud, which allows users to listen to music while at the same time keeping ears alive to the sound of passing cars – improving safety.
The first production run of the innovative headphones began in January 2015.
Lechal Trainers
While most wearable technology focuses on above the ankles, an Indian company wants to get to the heart and sole of fitness tracking through its Lechal wearable tech trainers.
Secunderabad-based Ducere released its interactive haptic feedback footwear at the end of 2014. The shoes are built with bluetooth-enabled insoles (which can also be bought separately) which connect to a smartphone and provide user feedback through insole vibrations. They can be connected to Google Maps, enabling directions to be disseminated without the need to look at a screen – handy for running in busy streets – while the usual pedometer/calorie counter is also present.
The company has indicated the insole will initially be priced at US$100 (£67, €94), with the cost of the shoes likely to be similar.
The creators were initially developing a shoe designed for the visually impaired, before realising the concept had broader applications.
Apple Watch
Apple will launch its long-awaited smartwatch offering in the UK in April 2015, featuring a host of health and fitness-related functions.
The Apple Watch features photo-sensitive sensors to record pulse information, while connectivity with an iPhone allows for wifi and GPS usage to track movement, pace and distance travelled. It also has an accelerometer, which measures total body movement, as well as the quality and intensity of movements made.
The Watch includes two specific health and fitness apps: Fitness and Workout. The Fitness app tracks all types of activity goals, with a series of visual ‘rings’ signifying daily progress. Workout facilitates fitness plans and displays workout metrics in real time.
With so many apps tracking aspects of wellbeing, Apple has also moved to unify the fragmented market by launching its Healthkit platform (compatible with the watch) which pulls in data from third- party health apps and presents the data in one manageable dashboard.
Google Smart Lens
While Google is undertaking a “change of direction” for its Glass product, the tech giant is also working on producing smart contact lenses.
First announced last year, the lenses will be able to monitor blood sugar levels via an antenna smaller than a strand of human hair.
This will open up new methods of self-management for chronic diseases such as diabetes, as well as tracking uses applicable to fitness.
With a camera potentially being used the lenses could have virtual reality applications and people’s vision could be corrected much like the auto-focus on a camera. This could create new interactive opportunities for the visually impaired in terms of sport participation and health and fitness, as well as virtual reality applications.
Google is partnering with pharmaceutical company Novartis to take the project forward, aiming to come up with a prototype in 2015.
PAVLOK
Be it sleeping in or skipping the gym, everyone wishes they could kick those bad habits that which productivity and prevent physical activity. Now, a new wearable is bidding to not just track activity, but use pain and shame to ensure users have no choice but to reach their goals.
Due for release in 2015, Pavlok is a fitness tracking wristband which also serves as a behavioural conditioner, with a pre-order price of US$149.99. Aside from the usual tracking of steps, activity and sleep, this wearable has the ability to give away your money, shame you on social media, or even deliver a 340v static shock if you slip back into bad habits. It also offers rewards – as yet unspecified – as well as posting encouraging social media posts if you stay on the straight and narrow.
Triallists have mainly been using the device to help programme their body to wake up earlier and exercise more, although there’s clearly potential for such technology to be applied to diet control and smoking cessation as well.
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