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According to an Accenture survey, roughly 9% of people in the US used wearables in 2014. That rose to one-third four years later, with the figure surely climbing.
Engineering and medical researchers have developed and taken advantage of new technology including stretchable materials, smaller sensors, mobile data and accelerometers to create a diverse array of devices, from patches to pills, contact lenses to glasses.
While many more are in development, the most recognisable wearable devices today are watches and bracelets, such as the Apple Watch or FitBit. At first, we expected wrist-mounted wearables to monitor heart rate and movement, perhaps with one or two other parameters. Thanks to some advances, however – and increased demand from an ageing population – new devices are doing much more.
Optimising treatment
For years, if you wanted your blood pressure taken it would either be done in your GP’s office or at home using a digital blood pressure monitor with a large cuff placed around the upper arm. Now, much more discreet and portable devices are entering the market.
The HeartGuide from Omron, for example, condenses the inflatable cuff down and fits it within the strap of a smartwatch. The clinically validated blood pressure monitor uses more than 80 new patents and miniaturised components for traditional oscillometric measurement, letting users take readings throughout the day. These can be transferred to a mobile application and on to a doctor.
Atrial fibrillation, which causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate that can lead to strokes, is another condition being monitored by new devices. The Apple Watch 4, for example, includes a photoplethysmogram sensor. The system monitors blood volume by illuminating the skin and measuring changes in light absorption as it is reflected by blood vessels. The collected data provides insight into a range of cardiac health issues.
More companies are offering similar services, with wearable devices linking to smartphone apps and doctors. With the remote monitoring benefits available, how long will be it until we are all joined up in an ‘Internet of Bodies’?
One thing that could push us in that direction is the Covid-19 pandemic, as governments and companies seek to prevent the spread of the virus or similar diseases. People who would never normally wear a device might suddenly find themselves being asked to.
As the UK started to consider an end to the lockdown in May, for example, tech company Tended launched a ‘social distancing’ bracelet for people working in construction, manufacturing, infrastructure and logistics. The device, aimed at “accelerating the transition back to safe working,” uses an ultra-wideband proximity sensor to automatically notify workers if they come within a set distance of each other – 2m, for example.
Social distancing
Tended said the device also “provides employers with an overview of any social distance breaches and how long employees have been in contact with others”. Such an overview enables ‘contact tracing’ in the event that an employee becomes ill, but also raises potential concerns about privacy and security.
The Lincoln firm said personal details are not included in ‘distance breach’ data and employee data is only shared if someone reports a diagnosis of Covid-19, but successful trials could pave the way for more pervasive technology from others.
One thing is for certain – with the increased accessibility of advanced wearables and the ongoing threat of disease, many more of us will join the Internet of Bodies in the coming years.
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