Constantly Connected: The Wearables Revolution
These days it's hard to walk down the street without seeing someone with an Apple Watch or OURA ring, but the evolution of wearables has been a long time coming and is still in its early days.
In an era where technology seamlessly integrates into nearly every aspect of our lives, wearables have emerged as a revolutionary frontier, reshaping how we interact with the digital world and enhancing our daily experiences. From fitness trackers monitoring our physical activity to smartwatches keeping us connected on the go, wearables have transcended novelty to become indispensable tools for modern living.
The concept of wearable technology is not entirely new. Early examples dating back to the 1960s with Edward Thorp’s wearable personal computer. In the following decades, several devices emerged onto the scene, such as the calculator wristwatch, launched by Pulsar in the mid-1970s and made popular by Casio. It wasn't until the most recent decade that significant enough advancements were made in connectivity, sensor technology, and downsizing allowing for wearables to break into mainstream market.
As consumers became more conscious of their health throughout the following decades and fitness became standard practice, there emerged a massive market for products and services across the health and wellness space from innovative connected fitness to digital holistic health platforms. During COVID, the wearable space received a ton of attention due to their ability to monitor patients vitals remotely and the broader digitization of fitness in response to social distancing and quarantining. As awareness about their utility increased and people became more in touch with their health data, companies flooded the market to take advantage of the opportunity.
Fitbit is widely noted as the first modern day wearable. Released in 2010, the step tracker offered limited features, but became a staple amongst a society that was becoming more health conscious. The next wave of wearables came in the form of smartwatches. One of the most popular devices, the Apple Watch launched in 2014 and offered users more than just step count, including fitness applications, voice assistants, mobile payments, vitals tracking, and more. Almost a decade and nine iterations later it is still the most widely used wearable.
Beyond the wrist, wearables have expanded to include smart clothing, augmented reality (AR) glasses, and even smart jewelry. Smart clothing embedded with sensors can track biometric data, monitor posture, and even enhance athletic performance by providing real-time feedback to the wearer. AR glasses promise to revolutionize industries ranging from healthcare and manufacturing to gaming and entertainment, overlaying digital information onto the physical world and unlocking new possibilities for productivity and creativity.
Today, wearables encompass a diverse array of devices designed to cater to various aspects of our lives. Wearables offer users insights into their activity levels, sleep patterns, and overall well-being, empowering individuals to take control of their health in ways never before possible. OURA conquered the sleep tracking market with a smart ring. WHOOP made its name in the professional sports and elite athlete space with performance and recovery at the center of its product. Garmin combined GPS with the latest vital tracking software to create the runner’s best friend.
No longer are these technologies reserved for the biohackers, professional athletes, or the ultra-wealthy. Over the past few decades, companies have been able to bring prices down and offer products made for everyone. The appeal for wearables continues to grow as they become a staple in consumers lives. There has even been an effort to make wearables a functional fashion statement, with the launch of various brand collabs alongside some of the most recognizable luxury brands. OURA partnered with GUCCI for one of its most successful drops. Apple Watch x Hermes offered “heritage on the wrist” combined with the most innovative technology of the modern world.
Even women’s health got an upgrade with a multitude of consumer wearables to aid in the uniquely female stages of life. Elvie, the wearable breast pump, founded over a decade ago has had immense success and is backed by some of Wall Street’s savviest investors. Ava is the first fertility wearable that tracks physiological signals that act as markers for fluctuating hormone levels. The Evie Ring, developed by Movano, helps women track their vitals, menstrual cycle, sleep quality, and activity aiming to compete against the functionality of OURA with its partnership with Natural Cycles.
The latest wave of wearables aims at more niche aspects of health and wellness such as hydration tracking (Nix Biosensors), metabolic health (Levels), and even hormone tracking. Although still in early stages, these devices have the potential to drastically impact the way consumers interact with their health.
What sets wearables apart is their ability to provide personalized experiences tailored to the individual user. Through advanced sensors and machine learning algorithms, wearables can gather data about our behavior, preferences, and health metrics, allowing for insights that were previously inaccessible. Whether it's suggesting personalized workout routines, alerting us to potential health issues, or anticipating our needs based on past behavior, wearables are becoming increasingly adept at understanding and adapting to our unique lifestyles.
Fueled by these advancements in technology, the democratization of data is encouraging consumers to play a more active role in their health and take control of their own data. Before wearables, only doctors had access to health data and it wasn’t shared freely with the patients, now we are able to measure many biomarkers and vitals around the clock through widely available consumer products.
As we look to the future, the possibilities for wearables are endless. With advancements in technology and innovation, we can expect to see further miniaturization, enhanced sensor capabilities, and even greater integration with artificial intelligence. As wearables become more sophisticated, we will see their adoption across industries such as healthcare, education, and entertainment. We are already seeing an impact on healthcare from their use for medical research in clinical trials to aiding in remote patient monitoring. Wearables have the ability to revolutionize these industries by allowing consumers to take a more proactive approach to their health, performance, and experience.
Wearables represent a paradigm shift in personal tech, offering a glimpse into a future where our devices seamlessly integrate into every aspect of our lives. From enhancing our health and productivity to unlocking new forms of expression and creativity, wearables are poised to shape the way we live, work, and play in the digital age. Although we may see some consolidation of companies producing these devices as the market becomes more saturated, the era of wearables has only just begun.