Innovation in Wearable Technology

By K.H.Mustafa – www.avenir-labs.com (Hyderabad – India)

Wearable technology is thought to be the latest trend sweeping the digital world. Today

it is one of the key technology for innovation and for many it might seem that wearable

technology is a fairly new concept but it has a very long history.

What is wearable technology?

Wearable technology is a category of technology devices that can be worn by a consumer,

it can be the gadgets or the clothes or anything what we wear on ourselves, it varies from

the watch we wear to the jacket, bracelet, lockets etc. The new age of wearables are laden

with smart sensors, and make use of a web connection, usually using Bluetooth to connect

wirelessly to your smartphone. They use these sensors to connect you as a person, and

help you to achieve goals such as staying fit, active, losing weight or being more organised.

Wearable technology down the history:

1268-89: Eyeglasses starts with their invention, believed to be between 1268 and 1289

in Italy. The inventor is unknown. The earliest eyeglasses were worn by monks and

scholars. They were held in front of the eyes or balanced on the nose. Before the invention

of convex lenses the short sighted people used precious stones like emerald in order to

see.

1505-1510: Nuremberg egg was one of the first portable timekeeping device which can

be worn around the neck, it was produced in Nuremberg. Their production was made

possible by the miniaturisation of the torsion pendulum and coil spring mechanism by

Nuremberg clockmaker Peter Henlein. Though it was inaccurate these portable watches

were a novelty and status symbol in 16th century Europe.

1600: Abacus Ring - In 17th century one pioneering designer in China created a

functioning ‘smart ring’ Called as Abacus ring and was used during the Qing Dynasty to

help traders. The Ring features a 1.2cm long, 0.7cm wide abacus that sits on the finger.

The ring's abacus has seven rods with seven beads on each rod. Due to its size, the beads

can only be moved using small tools such as pins.

1849’s: The Bonafide Ventilating Hat, invented by John Fuller & Co. in 1849 in the

Victorian era, was designed to stop gentlemen's heads overheating while wearing top

hats, a big problem at the time.

1907: Pigeon camera used for aerial photography was invented in 1907 by the

German apothecary Julius Neubronner, who also used pigeons to deliver medications.

A homing pigeon was fitted with an aluminium breast harness to which a lightweight

time-delayed miniature camera could be attached. Battlefield tests in the First World War

using this camera to capture aerial photographs of the enemy provided encouraging

results.

1960’s: Roulette shoe - Edward Thorp and Claude Shannon, two MIT mathematics

professors, designed and constructed the world’s first wearable computer. Their

successful and revolutionary pocket-size endeavour, however, took place in the early

1960s – back when computers were the size of rooms.

Thorp’s and Shannon’s invention consisted of a pair of devices: one concealed in a shoe

and another placed inside a cigarette pack. This duo of devices aided the mathematicians

in successfully predicting the outcome of a game of roulette.

1963: T.V Glasses: A pioneer in modern science fiction Hugo Gernsback thought that in

the future traditional TV sets would be abandoned in favour of TV Glasses, a small

portable TV strapped to the head.

1975: Pulsar calculator watches – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first

calculator watch. It was the first modern bit of wearable tech. It was launched in 1975,

and were available in gold and stainless steel. Case made in Switzerland and electronics

module made in U.S.A by Time Computer Inc.

1979: Sony Walkman – It changed the way people listen to music. The first commercial

personal stereo was the Sony Walkman released in 1979, created by Akio Morita, Masaru

Ibuka (the co-founders of Sony) and Kozo Ohsone. It became a popular and widely-

imitated consumer item in the 1980s.

1984: Casio data bank – one of the first digital watches that allowed to user to store

information.

1987: digital hearing aid – The first commercial digital hearing aid was created by the

Nicolet Corporation. The hearing aid contained a body-worn processor that had a

hardwire connection with an ear mounted transducer.

2000 – Bluetooth Headset – The first Bluetooth headset shipped this year. Bluetooth

earpieces have always stuck out. I mean they've literally stuck out of your ear but it has

set a new wave in wireless technology.

2000 – levis icd+ JACKET - This natty fashion and technology combo is one of the first

commercial triumphs of a collaboration between Levi's and the electronics firm Philips.

This was made to cater the needs of people who live their lives on the move, who need to

be a walking office. The jacket was designed in four styles and all had a removable wired

harness connecting a range of portable electronic devices carried by young professional

people. The jacket had strategic pockets for the Philips Xenium mobile phone, Rush MP3

player and earphones along with purpose built channels for the wiring through the

garment. A central control module connected all the devices to allow the wearer to switch

between them and control their separate functions.

2001 – Apple iPod – This invention by apple made the end of Walkman and CDman

which was singing the tunes into the people’s ear for about 2 decades. The iPod

Revolution Transformed the Lives and Economy of the society.

2006 nike+ ipod kit - The Nike+iPod Sports Kit is an activity tracker device, developed

by Nike, Inc., which measures and records the distance and pace of a walk or run. The

Nike+iPod consists of a small transmitter device attached to or embedded in a shoe,

which communicates with either the Nike+ Sportband, or an iPod.

2007 Apple iphone - The original iPhone was introduced by Steve Jobs on January 9,

2007 in a keynote address at the Macworld Conference & Expo held in Moscone West in

San Francisco, California. In his address, Jobs said, "I have been looking forward to this

for two and a half years", and that "today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone." Jobs

introduced the iPhone as a combination of three devices: a "widescreen iPod with touch

controls"; a "revolutionary mobile phone"; and a "breakthrough Internet communicator".

It debuted with the trademark home button, a metal rear casing, and just a 3.5-inch

display. Its capacitive touchscreen laid the foundations for modern smartphones.

2008: The fitbit – activity tracker - When it comes to reaching your fitness goals, steps

are just the beginning. Fitbit tracks every part of your day—including activity,

exercise, food, weight and sleep—to help you find your fit, stay motivated, and see how

small steps make a big impact.

2012: Pebble watch - The Pebble Smartwatch was designed based on a concept by Eric

Migicovsky describing a watch that could display messages from a smartphone and select

Android devices.

Pebble supports basic peer-to-peer functionality for Android and iOS phones and sports

a low res e-ink style display. Built into the core Pebble OS, it supports notifications for

calls, texts, calendar events, email, Google Talk, and Facebook notifications. So basically,

whenever your phone gets a notification, Pebble gets one. Through 3rd party apps

installed, we could control the phone’s music player, extend RunKeeper, see Twitter and

Facebook feeds, see the weather, view photos, view calendar, page the phone, and

respond to texts.

2013: Google glasses – It is a type of wearable technology with an optical head-mounted

display (OHMD). It was developed by Google X with the mission of producing a mass-

market ubiquitous computer. Google Glass displays information in a smartphone-like

hands-free format. Wearers communicate with the Internet via natural language voice

commands.

Project Glass is an effort from Google to develop augmented reality glasses. The concept

for these glasses was introduced on April 4, 2012 on a Google+ page. The launch also

included a YouTube video demonstrating the possible uses of Project Glass. The Google

Glass is now reportedly called Project Aura

2013: Samsung gear - Redefining the idea of the smart wearable Samsung Gear S allows

you to be lively and productive while on the go, with its extended features &

applications. Get to your destination with turn-by-turn pedestrian navigation, Use

enhanced S Voice to complete tasks hands free and Enjoy 24-hour News Briefing and Use

S Health to stay fit, Call, text, and email on the go.

2013: Smartwig – Developed by Sony the wig that could "be made from horse hair,

human hair, wool, feathers, yak hair or any kind of synthetic material," with a circuit

board hidden among those luscious locks. That board can talk to a "second computing

device" wirelessly -- such as a phone or even a pair of smartglasses -- and actuators

embedded in the hairpiece could "provide tactile feedback to the user." In other words,

the wig could vibrate when you receive emails and the like. The wig-chip could also

include GPS and an ultrasound transducer, with different regions buzzing to give

navigation cues.

2013: The Jarvis – a earpiece that continuously listens and responds, Intel has its own

digital assistant, and it lives right inside of an earpiece. Intel unveiled Jarvis, an oddly

shaped Bluetooth headset that wraps around the back of its wearer's ear. By pairing it

with an Android smartphone app, Jarvis is able to remotely interact with the phone,

getting directions, looking up restaurants, and doing many of the other major functions

that we've come to expect Siri and Google Now to do. It is quite a smart technology

unveiled by Intel; however, as of now Jarvis is just a design. We hope that this design or

rather concept by Intel turn it into a final, buyable product.

2013: Move – A Pilates shirt – A Smart Shirt Syncs To Your iPhone, Trains You In Pilates,

Move, designed by electricfoxy is a concept technology garment that guides you toward

optimal performance and precision in movement in an ambient, precise, and beautiful

way. From daily activities to sports activities to expressive movement, it provides a softer,

poetic, and more personal approach to physical performance that helps you alleviate

incorrect physical movement, which can lead to chronic pain or even long-term damage.

The more precise you can move, the faster you improve your fitness and overall health.

2014 – The solar powered jackets – many have thought and are trying to provide

different emergency charging devices. Tommy Hilfiger introduced the solar powered

jackets which When fully charged, the battery contains enough power to completely

charge a 1,500 mAh up to four times over, eliminating the frustration of having your

battery run out on you just as you need to use it. If you find collecting power from the sun

is time consuming then you can also pull the battery out and charge it up from an external

power source via USB.

Designed for both men and women, the two limited edition styles charge electronic

devices like your smartphone or tablet by converting energy from a series of removable

solar panels attached to the back of the garments.

2014: Fin-Bluetooth ring –It’s a trendy gadget that you can wear on your thumb, which

helps you to control your entire digital world. Fin, which turns your hand into a wireless

controller for smartphones, TVs, and other connected devices. Fin is worn on your thumb

and has a tiny optical sensor that detects movements, allowing you to send commands to

connected devices with a few swipes and taps of your fingers.

2014: Smart shoe – It is a smart footwear based on haptic technology, it uses the sense

of touch imparted through simple vibrations. Both the products works with a Bluetooth

enabled reversible and rechargeable battery that pairs with the mobile app to send

vibrations to the user. All you have to do is charge the pod and it’s ready to reuse. Set a

destination, a tap on your right foot, turn right. The shoe will take you to the destination.

Smart shoes also known as "Lechal shoes" (meaning: take me along) is developed by

DUCERE TECHNOLOGIES PVT. LTD.

Lechal could be used by fitness freaks to set goals, count steps, view an adaptive calorie

count and even share milestones with the Lechal community. It will automatically send a

notification to your phone about the places nearby, and is smart enough to warn you

through the shoe if the phone is not in proximity.

2014: Lilypad Arduino – a wearable washable etextile - LilyPad is a set of sewable

electronic pieces designed to help you build soft interactive textiles. A set of sewable

electronic modules–including a small programmable computer called a LilyPad Arduino–

can be stitched together with conductive thread to create interactive garments and

accessories. LilyPad can sense information about the environment using inputs like light

and temperature sensors and can act on the environment with outputs like LED lights,

vibrator motors, and speakers.

The LilyPad Arduino is a microcontroller board designed for wearables and e-textiles. It

can be sewn to fabric and similarly mounted power supplies, sensors and actuators with

conductive thread. The board is based on theATmega168V (the low-power version of

the ATmega168) (datasheet) or the ATmega328V (datasheet). LilyPad was designed

by Leah Buechley. The commercial version of the kit was collaboratively designed by Leah

and SparkFun Electronics.

2015: Quell - it is a wearable pain manager that stimulates your brain's natural opiates,

100% Drug Free Pain Relief Technology, 81% of Quell users reported improvement in

their chronic pain and overall health. Quell is a revolutionary new technology, wearable

intensive nerve stimulation (WINS), that is clinically proven to help you manage chronic

pain. Designed for people with painful diabetic neuropathy, fibromyalgia, sciatica and

osteoarthritis among other conditions.

2015: Ringly - Ringly connects to your phone and sends you customized notifications

through vibration and light, New York-based start-up. Ringly creates ring wearables that

connect to your smartphone. The idea - that they are both fashion-forward and practical,

Ringly uses Bluetooth to connect to your phone and will both light up and vibrate when

you receive a notification. You can customize what colours and vibrations you want to

alert you for different apps and even specific people.

2015: Oculus Rift - Motion sensing headset, headphones and built in display. The Rift is

unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. Whether you’re stepping into your favorite

game, watching an immersive VR movie, jumping to a destination on the other side of the

world, or just spending time with friends in VR, you’ll feel like you’re really there.

The Rift uses state of the art displays and optics designed specifically for VR. Its high

refresh rate and low-persistence display work together with its custom optics system to

provide incredible visual fidelity and an immersive, wide field of view.

The Rift’s advanced display technology combined with its precise, low-latency

constellation tracking system enables the sensation of presence – the feeling as though

you’re actually there. The magic of presence changes everything. You’ve never

experienced immersion like this.

Future of wearable technology:

Wearable technology is all the rage, but the craze goes beyond connected eyewear such

as Google Glass and smart timepieces such as Apple's iWatch.

Designers are creating apparel, accessories and fitness wear that can do everything from

monitor your heart rate to charge your smartphone.

Baubles and Bangles:

In the future, our own personal air purifier may defend us from all that nasty air outside.

Worn on the wrist, the Hand Tree design sucks up and filters polluted air, and recycles it

back into the atmosphere. It was created by Alexandr Kostin, a semifinalist in the

Electrolux Design Lab Competition.

The purifier gas a refillable carbon filter, a rechargeable battery and an organic light-

emitting diode screen.

Trackable Couture

Things can get lost pretty easily in those massive walk-in closets.

In his fall 2013 collection, fashion designer Asher Levine included tracking chips that let

items be located by the owner using a customized TrackR app.

Levine, who has created looks for Lady GaGa and William partnered with Bluetooth

solutions company Phone Halo on the chip.

A Sock With a Message

The start-up Heapsylon has a smart sock, Sensoria, that is paired with an anklet to

automatically detect the type and level of activity based on pressure signals coming from

the foot of the wearer.

Sensors in the sock communicate data to the anklet, which then can relay the information

to the user via an app.

For example, it can track a runner's regular form and send an alert when he or she is

making an injurious movement.

Connected Intimacy

Wearable technology is adding new layers to our personal relationships by extending the

reach and power of how we communicate and share details about ourselves regardless

of distance. They provide a continuous link between people, simulating closeness and

changing the way we understand one another.

A great example of this is the T.Jacket, a hug simulation jacket which enables parents to

calm their children via mobile devices. The jacket uses embedded air pockets to simulate

hugs without human contact. Initially developed with autistic children in mind, the

T.Jacket has an even wider application for parents who spend a lot of time away from

home.

According to a study by the Centre for Creative and Social Technology, 36 percent of

American wearable tech survey respondents said that they use wearable technology to

enhance their love lives.

Tactilu is a bracelet that is capable of transmitting touch between to people even when

they are miles apart. While Bond is a smart watch that uses touch to save long distance

relationships.

Physical and Emotional Mirrors

Another emerging trend that we see in wearable technology, is the use of embedded

tracking devices which can be used to monitor the health and physical performance of

users. For example, this tooth embedded sensor relays eating habits to your dentist. The

device fits discreetly in between the wearer’s teeth and can differentiate between eating,

speaking, smoking, drinking and breathing.

This smart diaper detects health issues for babies and communicates them to parents

via smartphone. By scanning the QR code on the diaper, the parent can check to see if the

baby is suffering from at UTI, if the kidneys are healthy or if the child is dehydrated. It will

even recommend if you should take the child to see a doctor.

However, wearables will not only be used to track physical health, but can also be used

to reflect emotional health. For example, the Ger Mood Sweater by Sensoree interprets

emotions and displays the wearer’s mood instantly as an interactive light display. Sensors

in the clothing detect bodily rhythms along with excitement levels and translates the data

into a palate of colours.

Empathic Wearables

The Doppel is an example of empathic technology. It is a bracelet that uses changes in

rhythm to change your mood. The human body has a natural response to different types

of rhythm. Whether it’s synching to the beat of a song, or to someone else’s heartbeat,

these changes in rhythm affect us throughout the day. Doppel captures these rhythms in

a wearable that emits a pulse on the inside of your wrist, emitting signals that no one else

can see or hear.

Doppel can naturally make you feel more alert or relaxed on demand using the innate

human response to rhythm. It’s designed to keep you alert for a long work day, or calm

and relaxed in stressful situations. It works in the same manner as music, up-beat music

energizes you while down-beat music has a calming effect. Doppel does this with a

vibration you feel, rather than hear. You can use it to wind down to fall sleep, to keep

going through that really long meeting or to stay calm when you’re nervous.

Source & Reference for Images and content:

www.ernestjournal.co.uk

www.chinaculture.org

www.wikipedia.org

www.afflictor.com

www.theverge.com

www.forbes.com

www.mashable.com

www.pcworld.com

www.ringly.com

www.finrobotics.com

www.electricfoxy.com

www.fastcodesign.com

www.artefactgroup.com

www.electricfoxy.com

www.staruphyderabad.com

www.fluxstudios.org

www.oculus.com

www.dailymail.co.uk

www.wired.com

www.triplepundit.com

www.cnbc.com

lechal.com