2. What are wearables?
Wearable refers to the set of electronic
devices that are incorporated in some part of
our body interacting continuously with the
user and with other devices in order to
perform a specific function, smartwatches,
sports shoes with built-in GPS and bracelets
that monitor our health status are examples
among many others of this technological
genre that is gradually becoming more
present in our lives.
3. History of wearables
• The year 1500: when German inventor Peter Henlein created small watches that were worn
as necklaces. A century later, men began to wear watches in their pockets as the vest became
a fashionable garment, which led to the creation of pocket watches.
• Year 1600: Hand watches were invented and were mostly worn by women as bracelets.
• Year 1904: The aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont pioneered the use of the wristwatch as an
element that did not occupy his hands when flying, this proved that the wrist is a convenient
part of the body to wear a watch.
• 1970s: Origin of wearable technology.
• 2010s: is when this technology has evolved enough to attract a wide group of consumers.
• Year 2014: The international consumer electronics fair can be considered as the official
presentation to the world of the great activity of companies that bet on these new forms of
technology, companies like Sony, Rebook or Adidas exposed to the public different gadgets
considered as wearables. On the other hand, most experts point to the official market launch
of Google Glass and Apple Watch from Apple as the turning point in which technology enters
the lives of users.
4. What is Wearable technology based on?
The principle is the same as that of smartphones, but on a smaller scale. In order to control them,
they must be connected to a smartphone or a PC, so they usually include wireless technologies such
as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Often, they also incorporate specific sensors and GPS so that they can
determine the user's position.
In addition to transmitting information, the wearable can display the information it collects with
these sensors, such as the number of steps walked today, the number of calories expended or
simply the time, on its screen.
Finally, the APP that manages the wearable, from the mobile phone, can also transmit information
to the wearable to let us know that we have a call, that we have received an SMS or a Whatsapp.
5. Main components
Human bodies are not static, they do not have straight lines, and after a
while they get dirty. So, wearables must be robust, flexible and ideally
washable. These are the main components of wearables:
1. Control
The specific microcontrollers for wearables are small, so that they are
comfortable and unobtrusive. On the other hand, distinctive shapes and
colors can function as a decorative element. Several of the available cards
are hand washable.
2. Input/Output
Instead of pins, these cards have metal grommets on which you can wind
a thread conductor to sew soft circuit connections. Some cards also have
snaps and grommets large enough to solder snaps for easy removal.
3. Conductive textiles
A material containing metals, such as silver or stainless steel, through
which an electric current can flow. Wearables can make use of these
materials in many ways, such as:
• Wire for circuit fabrication.
• Fabric for captive touch sensors.
6. Main components
4. Sensors
Sensors collect information about the environment, the user, or both. Examples of sensors include
light, temperature, motion and location (GPS). Examples of the latter include heart rate (ECG), brain
waves (EEG) and muscle tension (EMG). A few portable microcontrollers have basic sensors on
board. Other manufacturers offer a range of external sensor modules that connect to the main
board.
5. Power supply
When evaluating the scope of a wearable design, one of the first things to consider is the power
demand. Do you just want to light up some LEDs, or do you want to run a servo motor? The
integrated lithium button cell battery backplanes are nice for low power projects that need to be
autonomous. However, boards with a standard JST connector are more versatile.
7. Main components
6. Actuators
A generic way to describe a wearable system is: In response to X, where X is the input from a sensor,
Y happens. Actuators such as LEDs, buzzers or speakers, and servo motors are what make things
happen.
7. Communication
To communicate with smart devices, internet or other wearable systems, you need wireless
connectivity. In addition to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, wearable-friendly options include:
• BLE, which has a lower power consumption than classic Bluetooth, a range of 50 meters and
a data transmission rate of up to 1Mbps.
• NFC, a frequency field with a range of approximately 20cm and a data rate of up to
approximately 400 Kbps.
8. Characteristics of the
wereables
The wereables, to be considered as such, must meet 4
characteristics:
1. Be practical devices: Wearable technology must be easy and
practical to wear and use. That is why chips, small screens,
microprocessors and other hardware of tiny dimensions are
used.
2. Wireless connectivity: The smart clothing, depending on its
function, should have a wireless connectivity that allows data
exchange. This is possible via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
3. Sensors: Depending on their function, the sensors will be
able to collect and emit data constantly, considering that the
device will be in regular interaction with the person using it.
4. Specific functions: In general, the programming of this type
of products is developed to fulfill specific functionalities.
Unlike conventional mobile devices that cover many tasks.
9. Use of Wereable Devices
Wearable
(Uses)
Sports
How many steps I have taken.
Distances traveled
Level of calories burned
Exercise time
GPS location
Health
Blood pressure
Heart Rate
Body temperature
Glucose control
Soil cycles
Oxygen saturation
Daily Tasks
Answering calls
Receive calls
Check email
Alarms
Listen to music
Social Networking
Language translator
Make wireless payments
Weather
11. Smartbands
• Smartbands are very popular devices right now: they are
so simple, small and effective that we will wear them on
our wrist without worrying about anything but charging
the battery and starting them up.
• These devices incorporate a series of sensors that
measure our daily activity: how many steps we take, how
many kilometers we run, how many calories we burn, how
we sleep, etc.
• Of course, all the information is merely estimatory, since
they are only sensors on the wrist and not on other parts
of the body, but even so it is totally useful to know
ourselves better and try to improve certain aspects or
exceed our personal goals. All the information is shown
summarized in the form of graphs on our smartphone or
computer, depending on the bracelet and depending on
the application used for it.
12. Smartwatches
• It is a fact that nowadays watches have been somehow
removed from society, in the sense that their main
function, which is to show the time, is provided by the
telephone.
• This has changed in recent years, extra functionality
has been added to the watch, turning it into an
intelligent device, with a wide variety of sensors,
capable of bringing a lot of information to our lives. All
these changes have made the watch regain its lost
prominence. Watches are now very powerful
computational units, including touch screens, sensors,
microphones and cameras.
• Smartwatches are digital watches that add a great
variety of options to the functions of a watch, such as
call alerts, communications, social networks and in
general functions that synchronize them perfectly with
the owner's Smartphone.
13. Hearables (Smart
Headphones)
• The smart headphones, apart from being wireless,
have no wires to connect them, are small, handy,
with enough autonomy for a whole day, we can use
them for sports, and usually bring with them a box
where we can leave them and charge them. There
is no need to connect, disconnect and link them:
they link automatically, they connect when we take
them out of the box and disconnect when we leave
them in it.
• The smart earbuds can constantly monitor your
vital signs, goals and physical activity development.
But not only that, but it also allows you to
communicate with other users, sound cancellation
or music playback.
• It is expected that the smart headphones will soon
have the following functionalities:
• Instant translator, tour guide, personal fitness
monitor or GPS for bikers.
14. Smartglasses
• They are smart glasses that through
voice instructions allow you to access
the Internet, check your email, listen to
music thanks to built-in headphones,
take pictures, share them on social
networks and much more, just as we do
with the virtual assistant of our
smartphone. In addition to the option
of using voice commands, they also
have touch panels on their sides to
scroll through the menus.
• The purpose of these lences is to be
able to display all the information
available at the time it is needed and to
share everything you see.
• Like all computers, it has a hardware
that is composed of a camera, the
touchpad, the lenses, the frame, the
battery and its software.
15. Smartclothes
• Smart clothing, with built-in sensors that can
continuously track heart rate, monitor emotions,
track location and help you sleep better, are just a
few of the many functionalities this industry offers.
• One of the main applications for this type of
clothing allows for daily tracking in order to obtain
a medical-grade electrocardiogram, measure
breathing rate, body temperature and even know if
the wearer is standing, walking, lying down,
sleeping or has fallen. At present its main use is for
clinical and health reasons, as it is being used in
patients with heart problems in order to monitor
them constantly.
• Additionally, there are smart clothes for babies,
they come in the form of socks or a device that is
placed on the baby's clothes, can send to a
smartphone data on breathing, temperature, body
position or activity level.
16. Smart Rings
• The smart rings synchronize with the user's
smartphone and allow the user to check
notifications, receive calls and messages,
check the battery status or activate the
phone's camera, among other functions.
• The smart ring includes Bluetooth 4.0
technology to check notifications in real time,
whether messages, phone calls or notifications
from Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
• In addition, the user can control the music,
accept or reject calls or activate the phone's
camera. It also allows the user to activate an
alert if the phone is out of sight or if it moves a
certain number of meters away.
• Moreover, it is waterproof, and its LED display
allows it to be used in any type of lighting. In
addition, it incorporates a wireless charger
with which to charge the phone as the smart
ring.
17. Smart Shoes
• Shoes with integrated chips to help
active runners monitor, analyze
and store data, without the need
to carry or wear an additional
device.
• Smart insoles that go inside any
shoe and, thanks to their GPS, can
locate the person from any
smartphone or computer. They fit
easily into most adult shoes and
allow you to monitor the
whereabouts of your loved ones
who may tend to wander or at risk
of becoming disoriented or lost.
• SmartSoles are completely sealed
inside a water-resistant
polyurethane material; a must for
people with autism.
18. Smart Jewelry
• This wearable modality has been around for
some years. Several technology companies
have teamed up with fashion brands, such as
Michael Kors, to develop beautiful smart
jewelry. Fitness trackers, stress managers or
step counters take the form of earrings,
necklaces or rings, to beautify the outside as
well as the inside.
• Wearable translators, in the form of pendants
or bracelets, to facilitate our communication
with speakers of other languages.
• There is a pendant capable of measuring heart
rate, monitoring calories expended and daily
exercise.
• All this can be monitored by a pendant that
communicates with the smartphone via
Bluetooth.
19. Why are wearables successful?
The emerging popularity of these devices can be reduced to three benefits
provided by the current technology:
Continuous collection of information
• Efficiency in data storage has allowed for continuous data collection.
Quick Access
• The ability to alert a diabetic when his serum glucose levels are inadequate, a
cardiac patient when his cardiac activity is compromised or an athlete who is
becoming dehydrated as it happens can mean an appropriate intervention to
avoid further risk.
Versatility
• The biosensors and microprocessors that make up these wearable technologies
can take many forms. While most integrated into a watch, they can also be in
the form of an arm patch, a sole, a ring or a headband. The form they can take
depends on the designer and the purpose they want to achieve.
20. Conclusions
• Wearables have undergone a boom that has incorporated them into everyday life in recent
years, and they are going to be one of the fastest growing consumer technologies.
• The possibility that they may even replace smartphones will be a reality within everyone's
reach in a few years, and they are not only limited to advancing the user experience of current
digital media but take it further by helping people to be healthy and do sports in a fun and
personalized way.
• The Wearables of the future are only limited by our imagination. As technology advances,
thousands of new uses will be incorporated into a world full of possibilities. Looking even
further ahead in time, it is very likely that wearables will enter the realm of nanotechnology
and ultimately become invincible to the human eye.
• In the field of medicine, new possibilities are opening, as they could replace many treatments
or preventive medical care consultations.
• If unusual values occur in the body, the software will automatically generate an alarm and
inform the physician.
• The final use of wearables depends not only on the user who wears them, but also on the
trends in society.
