Wearables, the technology people wear on their bodies, are 2023’s hot trend, and it’s forecasted to become even more popular in 2024. Here’s the low down on what’s coming up

Wearables are technology’s version of the little black dress; they’re fashionable, multifunctional, highly recommended, and buzzworthy. Wearables’ retail offerings are expanding into brave new worlds, including fashion, medicine, body art, and more.

Two years ago, Senior Planet introduced its readers to wearable technology and its principal applications: fitness trackers and smartwatches. Since then, the market and product applications have grown exponentially. Research and Markets from Global Newswire recently stated that the wearables global market was valued at $32.5 billion in 2022 and is forecasted to reach $173.7 billion by 2030!

What’s new in wearables?

Glasses and Head-mounted Displays:

Move over virtual reality and augmented reality headsets! With hands-free eyewear, wearers can quickly receive information right before their eyes and capture photo and video moments. It’s also possible to control other devices and make video phone calls!

Rings:

Pay for coffee with your ring! A European startup introduced a hypoallergenic ring to make contactless payments. The setup is simple and quick. The ring connects to the user’s bank account, and users create their position and proximity ring settings to enable payments and ensure security. Mission accomplished, onto the mall!

How about a ring for at-risk people, such as children and older adults, that monitors their whereabouts in real time? A U.S. startup developed a ring with those capabilities and a panic button that sends an alert and location information to their emergency contact.

Footwear:

A startup from the Boston area invented insoles that monitor fitness and location biometric analytics in real-time as wearers walk, jump, or run. The insoles stand out because they are self-chargeable, creating kinetic energy from the user’s footsteps. Good bye charging cables!

Clothing:

Smart clothing reads like a love story between technology and fashion. In design-friendly Italy, a company created a smart t-shirt for athletes. The manufacturer embeds sensors in fabric that track vital signs such as heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, and respiratory rate. The companion mobile application captures the data, analyzes it, and provides valuable insights into how the athlete’s body responds to different types of training. This information enables athletes to customize their training program for optimized results.

Hearables:

Hearables are devices worn in or around the ear and have a similar appearance to earbuds. They come equipped with equalizer adjustments and advanced noise-cancellation capabilities like headphones. However, what sets some hearables apart is their ability to track fitness stats and operate hands-free. Some high-end hearables even provide users with hearing assistance and real-time language translation!

Tattoos:

Although it’s still in development, researchers are looking into high-tech temporary tattoos that carry and transfer information to devices like scanners and smartphones. The tattoos could be used instead of tickets to authenticate experiences, security clearances, and hospital visits.

Medicine:

The wearables are quicker than the eye! Earlier this year, the New York Times reported that Oxford University published a research paper stating that digital wearable devices can track the progression of Parkinson’s disease more effectively than clinical observation. The wearables tracked more than 100 metrics and detected subtle changes in the movements of the study’s participants with Parkinson’s Disease.

The products in this article barely scratch the surface of the available and upcoming wearables market. Keep your eyes peeled for the next Senior Planet talk on wearables!

YOUR TURN

What new wearable would you consider using? What’s a no go? What wearables are you using now? Share your thoughts in the comments