Wearables were supposed to take the world by storm. IoT or the Internet of Things is all about embedding Internet connectivity into everyday things and wearables were supposed to play a big role in that. But so far, we’ve seen the failure of Google Glass and most people aren’t wearing smartwatches yet.
Who knows, one day a new iteration of smart glasses or even smart contact lenses might be a success and perhaps smartwatches might become more commonplace as manufacturers begin to create watches that don’t have to be wirelessly tethered to smart phones. But to see the future of wearables, we need to look beyond glasses and watches.
Here’s a look at three other categories of wearables that could be the shape of things to come.
CLOTHES
Clothing is something we all wear, every day, and almost all our waking hours. It would make sense then that a connected future would involve connected clothing. And one area where that would be very useful relates to health monitoring. Imagine if the very clothes you wear can actually monitor your health and wellbeing?
Well, imagine no more. In March this year, a tech-clothing start-up called Emglare announced a line of smart clothes that included an ECG and heart rate sensor. Their smart apparel will send the health data of your body to your phone through their special app.
The app will automatically send a notification if your heart rate is higher than usual. It will also inform your doctor and loved ones.
Its line of clothing consists of an undershirt and a sports t-shirt for men, and a sports bra and normal bra for women.
“We designed our products so that we can wear them under the clothes all day without being uncomfortable,” the company said. “All data are transferred into a mobile application, where they are displayed directly for the user.”
SHOES
If you saw the movie “Back to the Future II”, starring Michael J. Fox, you might recall a scene where his shoelaces were able to tie themselves. That was way back in 1989. It became a reality a few years ago when Nike made a special version of that shoe for charity purposes.
In late 2016, Nike unveiled the Nike Mag, complete with “Adaptive Fit”, which was being released in partnership with the Michael J. Fox Foundation in an effort to find a cure for Parkinson’s Disease (which Fox suffers from).
“Though it initially shared only a few seconds of screen time with Michael, the idea behind the Nike Mag unlocked something much bigger at Nike,” says Nike CEO Mark Parker. “It sent us down an uncharted path of innovation, but it also opened our eyes to our ability to fight some of the world’s biggest challenges. We feel privileged for the opportunity to raise even more awareness for the fight against Parkinson’s.”
Nike took the first step in introducing adaptive footwear in early 2016 with the introduction of the Nike HyperAdapt 1.0, a performance shoe that automatically laces and fits to the unique shape of each athlete’s foot. A newer version, released later that year, incorporated new technologies and the result is an individually responsive system, called Adaptive Fit, which accurately senses the wearer even more and tightens or loosens accordingly.
Only 89 pairs were created (the movie was released in 1989, remember?) and auctioned off to raise funds for Parkinson’s research. The technologies developed to make these shoes are certain to be used to make affordable adaptive sports shoes for the future. In time, adaptive shoes will be common place.
BIKE HELMET
Livall, a tech start up that raised financing through crowdfunding, has come out with the world’s first smart cycling helmet which provides safety, health monitoring, communications and entertainment all in one helmet. If you look at all its functionalities, it’s quite stunning.
Its heart rate monitor tracks your heart rate throughout the entire ride. If your heartbeat were to reach dangerously high levels, the device will give you a warning you through voice alerts.
Making a turn at night can be dangerous as other drivers can't always see your hand gestures. With the Livall smart helmet, you can control turning signals through the bling remote controller to ensure cycling safety.
If, however, you’re unlucky enough to suffer an accident and are too injured to call for medical attention, the helmet is there as a back-up. It detects when you fall and automatically sends a message to a pre-set emergency contact person who can locate you via the message.
The helmet has communications abilities too. It’s hard chatting with other cyclers when you are on the road but with this smart helmet, you’re able to do so using its handy walkie-talkie functionality.
Lastly, for long rides, you might want to have some music. But listening to music on earphones can be dangerous as you will not hear any other sounds. The Livall helmet solves that problem as you will be able to hear both music and ambient noises around you.
All of these functionalities and more are controlled by its Bling remote controller which can be attached to the bike’s handlebar. It allows you to easily control the LIVALL helmet and mobile app, while remaining stable and focused.
Oon Yeoh is a consultant with experiences in print, online and mobile media. Reach him at oonyeoh@ gmail.com