Five Industry Changing Wearable Technologies

February 18, 2016

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February 18, 2016 – Today’s guest blogger is Jim Burch. This is his first contribution to 21st Century Tech. Born and raised near St. Louis, Missouri, Jim is a devoted baseball and St. Louis Cardinals’ fan. He studied creative writing and journalism while working as an editor for the Murray State News in southern Kentucky. Today he lives in Chandler, Arizona and writes about health, fitness, movies, television and consumer technology. In this posting he describes how wearable technologies are becoming the norm in the second decade of the 21st century. Imagine what another decade will bring? As always your comments on this and other postings are welcome. Thanks for dropping by.

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While smartphone and tablet technologies are making small incremental technological advancements, wearable tech is making giant leaps with innovative products and features you didn’t even know you wanted. While Apple Watch and other smart watches were featured at this year’s Consumer and Electronics Show in Las Vegas, many more wearable technologies were also on display. It’s not a stretch to say that in just a few years you’ll be covered head to toe in gadgets (and they’ll look great).

If you want to be one of the first to wear the latest look to these industry changing trends.

Clothing

While Apple and Google are scrambling to make the best new devices, such as smart watches and augmented reality glasses, other companies are looking at items you already wear every day: shirts, shorts and socks, all being transformed into technology pieces that assist in everything from fitness to daily life. For example, Sensoria Fitness produces socks that use anklet and textile sensors to detect foot pressure, cadence and how you land with each stride. The data is analyzed through an app on your smartphone to determine if you need to change your running game and to provide tips to improve your workouts. Ralph Lauren makes a man’s shirt called the “PoloTech” that uses silver fibers to measure your heart rate, breathing depth and other metrics to evaluate the quality of your workout. With Ralph Lauren on board it shows that big names are taking wearable fashion seriously.

Jewelry

The FitBit is one of a number of dedicated devices revolutionizing personal fitness but not everyone wants to wear such overt technology. That’s why companies like Cuff and Misfit are creating smart fitness devices that fit inside pieces of stylish jewelry. These startups are following in the foot steps of Apple and Google to make wearable technology more attractive.

Solar

The more wearable tech you add to your wardrobe, the more you have to think about power and charging your devices. So solar power is being integrated into wearables. One example comes from Tommy Hilfiger who in 2014 launched a jacket with built-in solar panels so wearers could charge their smartphones while they were out and about. The solar panels on the jacket are easily visible, but clothing makers are working to make solar less obvious in the same way Cuff and Misfit are working on their fitness product lines.

Audio

Even headphones are making a fashion statement while improving their sound quality, function and features. Sony is getting rid of wires with Bluetooth noise-canceling headphones that connect to your smartphone or audio system. Headphones like these are perfect for long flights, lounging around the house and working out at the gym.

Watches

And finally we come back to smart watches, where it all started. The smart watch remains the premier wearable technology with the big players, Apple and Google, fighting hard for the top spot. Apple Watch took the biggest chunk of market share so far and a sequel is planned for launch later this year. On the other side, Google is no slouch with great pieces like the Samsung Gear 2 that Android users are happy to wear on their wrists.

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Tell us about your wearable technology experience. Or if you are a product developer maybe you want to let us announce your latest invention in our Gizmos & Gadgets feature postings.