The Wearable Technology

The technology today is so present in our lives that it is almost essential. It helps to make our life easier and we cannot live without it. Today the big components in technology are the smart phones and all kind of portable computers, almost everybody in the world has at least one of them. However, the new trend is the wearable technology. The wearable technology is what the name says, the computer is wearable so people can wear their devices. Today we have some kinds of wearable technology like smart watches that bring the basic functions of people’s phones to their arm or even a glass that is a computer with an optical head-mounted display. We can say today that the wearable devices are the next big leap in technology and it will be a great impact in our lives and certainly will change our way to live.

            These devices are bringing a new way to use technology. Today, we already can answer or call someone, or even take a picture through a smart watch. When people wear technology they are in a new level of interaction with technology. They are always in contact with this technology. These devices come with an objective: improvement of the performance of the user in many activities like a simple travel, with a GPS in front of the user’s eyes or even assisting in a recipe.

The wearable technology will be very effective in the healthcare field too. The technology provided by wearable computing devices will monitor health and could easily call some ambulance to save the user. These devices could also continue transmitting health data to the doctor even when the user returns home. “For example, in an emergency room an incoming patient would receive a wearable device upon admission, tracking a variety of vital signs that would assist the caregiver by providing automated triage to determine levels of urgency and types of care needed” (Schroetter). Today, there is a company making a functional contact lens. This lens uses nanotechnology to monitor the sugar level in the patient’s blood. It will help diabetic patients to easily verify the sugar level in their blood. According to Babak Parviz, "There are quite a few people who work on building these contact lenses, […]. We have a number of electrical engineers that build miniaturized devices, design and build sensors, and build radios or interface circuitry. We work with material scientists who think about issues related with the contact lens material. And we directly work with ophthalmologists to make sure that these devices are safe and medically relevant" (Tan).

The wearable technology will be present also to help soldiers. “The soldier of the future is most likely going to be the protagonist of the practical application of wearable technology. Armed forces from different countries are seeing the solution for many battle field necessities in the so-called ‘wearable computing’ field” (Pastor). The American soldiers may soon be able wear a uniform that makes soldiers’ body heat invisible. This means that the enemies’ heat sensors will not be able to detect anything. These include facilitating the attacks, invasions and even soldiers escape. According to Margaret Kearney “An average thermal sensor can detect body heat around 5,000 feet away, or from a distance of about 16.5 football fields. But if someone is shrouded in the suit, the sensor won't pick up anything, said Margaret Kearney” (Daileda).

These devices will eventually cause apprehension to some people, and today this is already part of the difficulties in some companies. Anything that can change human habits will be weird for someone. This kind of technology will be a big problem in the beginning, we are already having some problems about adaptation with the Google Glass for example. Another big problem actually is the high price of these devices, a simple Google Glass today is approximately $1500.00 dollars and this is too high for its functionalities. There are people who do not agree with being in the same place with a person using a device that could be recording anything. The wearable device will go through a long journey before it becomes popular. However; some companies are already making campaigns to popularize their devices.

            In conclusion every new technology has difficulties in the beginning, but they grow. The wearable technology will not be different. These wearable devices will certainly help and make the life of a lot of people easier. They will, with no doubt, be present in our lives in the next decade; moreover, they will be essential in our lives like the cellphone is today. 

Works Cited

Schroetter, Jeremy “The Future of Wearable Computing in Healthcare” 08 January 2014. Web 31 March 2014 <http://www.mdtmag.com/blogs/2014/01/future-wearable-computing-healthcare>

Tan, Desney “The Functional Contact Lens Monitors Blood Sugar Without Needles” 8 December, 2011, Web 31 March 2014 <http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/collaboration/stories/nui_contactlens_cs.pdf>

Pastor, Javier “The military Industry: a niche market for wearable Technology” 24 October 2013. Web 4 April 2014 <http://mobileworldcapital.com/en/article/225>

Daileda, Colin “The Uniform That Makes Soldiers' Body Heat Invisible to Enemies” 27 March 2014. Web 30 March 2014 < http://mashable.com/2014/03/27/uniform-soldier-body-heat/>