With so many smart devices on the market at the moment, it is extremely promising that healthcare is one of the main concerns when looking at the future of wearable technology. Research suggests that healthcare is the largest opportunity in the wearables market, with experts predicting fitness trackers to occupy more than 50% of the wearables market by 2019. Recently there has been a huge focus on keeping people connected with the outside world through technological applications such as social networking, dating and gaming. The time has now come for people to start focusing on what is going on in the inside.
Improvements in the data collected by devices such as wristbands will show both the wearer and medical professionals vital measurements that will not only help to improve overall health, but will be able to predict future ailments such as cardiovascular disease. By capturing data related to health such as blood pressure, heart rate, breathing and temperature, wearable devices can provide invaluable insight into a person's future health.
Once collected, predictive analytics will be used to interpret both real-time and historical data. This information can then be visualised to show a person's vital signs and other health-related statistics in a way that will not only encourage us to keep healthy but will alert us when action is needed.
This idea of making healthcare predictive rather than reactive is wonderful news for everyone. It will enable us to keep a measure of control over our general health and nutrition and will help us to take action against health issues before they become a major problem.
Wearable health devices will also benefit the health department. By helping to prevent any future health concerns and improving health overall, there will be an increase in the quality of medical care available as costs will be massively reduced.
Although the novelty of wearable health technology such as wristbands and monitors has started to wear off, looking ahead, these wearable devices will definitely increase in popularity again as they become far more desirable to consumers. People will start to see monitoring devices become almost invisible.
Various companies around the world have recently unveiled technology hidden inside clothing to make them less conspicuous and therefore more desirable. These biomedical garments come with sensors hidden within the layers of fabric that are close to or touching the wearer's skin and will record vital signs such as ECG, respiration and temperature. There are also plans to incorporate devices inside items of jewellery to encourage people to wear health technology all day, every day without worrying about the fashion aspect of continuously wearing a health monitor.
It is clear then, that the future of wearable health technology devices to monitor and help prevent health concerns looks very promising indeed. Set to become a hugely profitable and beneficial market, devices that collect data from the wearer will be much more accessible, simpler to use and easier to interpret. This in turn will see a rise in the level of care that can made available when something actually does go wrong and medical help is required.
