Wearable technology refers to any electronic device created to be worn directly on the body. These devices can appear in many forms, such as jewelry, accessories, clothing, or even medical tools. While the term “wearable computing” often suggests processing or communication functions, the level of sophistication in such features can vary widely across devices.
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Some of the most advanced wearables include AI-powered hearing aids, Meta Quest, and Microsoft’s HoloLens — a holographic computer designed as a virtual reality (VR) headset. On the simpler side, an example is a disposable skin patch with sensors that send patient information wirelessly to a medical facility.
How does wearable technology function?
Modern wearables serve multiple purposes, ranging from smartwatches and fitness trackers like the Fitbit Charge to VR headsets, smart jewelry, connected glasses, and Bluetooth earpieces. Each type operates differently depending on whether its main focus is health, fitness, communication, or entertainment. Most of these devices include microprocessors, batteries, and internet connectivity, allowing the collected data to sync with smartphones, tablets, or computers.
Embedded sensors within wearables can detect body movements, confirm biometric identity, or help with location tracking. For instance, smartwatches and activity trackers — the most widely used wearables — are typically worn on the wrist and monitor daily physical activity and vital signs.
Although many wearables are body-mounted or integrated into clothing, some work without direct skin contact. Devices such as smartphones, smart tags, and portable computers can still track movement. Others rely on external smart sensors, accelerometers for motion and speed, or optical sensors for measuring metrics like heart rate and blood sugar. A key feature of all these devices is their ability to capture and transmit data instantly.
Applications of wearable technology
While consumer gadgets like smartwatches and fitness bands are the most visible examples, the integration of wearable tech with artificial intelligence (AI) and the internet of things (IoT) has expanded its role into healthcare, navigation, professional sports, advanced textiles, and everyday consumer products.
Wearable technology serves multiple purposes, such as health monitoring, fitness tracking, managing chronic diseases, interactive gaming, performance assessment, and navigation. Below are some of the leading present and emerging applications:
- Electronic skin technology. The Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation created a wearable “e-skin” for health monitoring. This ultra-thin patch, combined with a wireless transmitter, can be sprayed onto the chest and worn for a week. It records biological signals like heartbeats and muscle activity, transmitting them to the cloud for doctors to monitor. Such innovations could play a crucial role in managing long-term conditions like diabetes and heart failure or detecting emergencies such as heart attacks.
- Health tracking. Wearables help users keep tabs on heart rate, blood pressure, calorie intake, or exercise routines. Their adoption grew significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, as people became more conscious of personal health and disease prevention. For example, Cardiogram enhanced its watchOS app with a sleep-based heart rate feature to support COVID-19 patients.
- Entertainment and gaming. The entertainment sector was one of the earliest to embrace wearable devices such as VR headsets, smart glasses, and interactive controllers. Products like Meta Quest and PlayStation VR are widely used for gaming, virtual tourism, and immersive movie experiences.
- Fashion and smart apparel. Intelligent clothing, also known as smart fashion, has become increasingly popular. For instance, smart jackets allow wearers to control their smartphones by tapping sensors on the sleeve to answer calls, take photos, or play music. Other common fashion wearables include smartwatches, rings like the Oura, wristbands, shoes, and jewelry with digital features.
These devices include systems that monitor the vital signs of soldiers, provide VR-based training simulations, and aid in military operations and logistics. For example, specialized boot inserts can assess how effectively soldiers are carrying equipment loads and how different terrains influence their performance.
Sports and fitness. Athletic organizations rely on wearable devices that are either integrated into sports clothing or embedded in gear such as bats and balls. Using GPS and Bluetooth connectivity, these gadgets transmit live performance data to coaches, who analyze it on connected devices like laptops. Alongside these specialized wearables, widely available consumer products such as Fitbit, Apple Watch, Garmin, Samsung Galaxy Watch, and Polar sensors are also commonly used to track a player’s health status and performance indicators.
Examples of wearable technology
Widely recognized types of wearables include the following:
- Smart jewelry. This category covers items like smart rings, bracelets, and watches. These compact devices typically pair with smartphone apps for user interaction and data visualization.
- Body-worn sensors. Positioned directly on the body, these devices measure and transmit biological information, primarily for medical use.
- Fitness trackers. Usually designed as wristbands, straps, or headbands, these devices track activity levels and vital signs, often syncing wirelessly with apps for storage, analysis, and reporting.
- Smart clothing. Garments embedded with digital technology can support activities such as fitness monitoring, health tracking, smartphone interaction, or even adapting fabric properties based on the wearer’s activity, environment, or preferences.
- Augmented reality (AR) headsets. These devices layer digital content onto the user’s real-world view, creating a mixed experience of both physical and virtual spaces.
- Virtual reality (VR) headsets. Unlike AR, VR headsets completely replace the surrounding environment with a digital one, immersing the user in a simulated setting.
- AI-powered hearing aids. These “hearables” filter out background noise and automatically adjust to provide optimal sound quality based on the user’s surroundings and individual hearing needs. Many also feature extras like fitness monitoring, audio streaming, and real-time translation.
- Wearable virtual assistants. Small AI assistants, which can be clipped onto clothing, respond to voice commands and gestures. Examples include Bee and Omi, which can answer questions, retrieve information, and perform tasks similar to digital assistants like Amazon Alexa or Apple’s Siri. Some models also include translation and health-tracking functions.
The roots of wearable technology go back to the 13th century, when eyeglasses were invented. By the 15th century, timepieces were being developed — some small enough to be worn — but modern wearable technology didn’t appear until the 1960s.
Here is a short timeline that highlights the evolution of wearables over the years:
- 1960s. In 1961, Edward Thorp and Claude Shannon designed one of the earliest wearable devices — a tiny four-button computer that could be hidden in a shoe or strapped to the waist. It was created to help gamblers cheat at roulette by acting as a timing mechanism to predict the ball’s landing spot.
- 1970s. Wearables gained more attention in this decade. In 1975, Pulsar introduced the first calculator wristwatch, which quickly became a trend, especially among celebrities such as Sting from The Police. Companies like Casio followed with their own models in the ’80s, some of which, like the CA-50 (1985) and CA-53W (1988), were famously worn by Marty McFly in the Back to the Future films.
- 1980s. Sony’s Walkman, released in 1979, dominated the 1980s as the most popular portable music device. Around the same time, the healthcare field advanced with the introduction of the first digital hearing aids in 1987.
- 1990s. In 1994, Canadian researcher Steve Mann created a wearable wireless webcam. Though bulky, it paved the way for future IoT applications. This period also saw rising interest in smart clothing expos and wearable tech conferences.
- 2000s. The 2000s marked a surge in wearables with the launch of Bluetooth headsets, Fitbit devices, and the Nike+iPod Sport Kit.
- 2010s. This decade became a turning point for wearables. Google Glass launched in 2013, the Apple Watch arrived in 2015, and the Oculus Rift headset followed in 2016.
- 2020s. The current era is seeing rapid advances, with gaming companies pushing AR and VR headsets further, while fashion designers are increasingly introducing smart clothing into mainstream markets.
Advantages of wearable technology
Wearables bring a wide range of benefits in healthcare, fitness, workplace efficiency, safety, and daily convenience. As they advance, these devices continue to offer greater ease, productivity, and real-time feedback. Some of the major advantages include:
Health and fitness tracking
Smartwatches and fitness bands help people measure their heart rate, oxygen levels, sleep quality, and daily activity. More advanced devices can even identify potential health risks like irregular heartbeats, sleep apnea, or detect emergencies such as falls or accidents.
Boosted workplace efficiency
Wearables are being integrated into workplaces to enhance productivity and safety. For instance, AR glasses give workers hands-free access to instructions, improving tasks in manufacturing and logistics. In healthcare, AI-based wearables assist doctors by tracking patients and supporting diagnoses.
Greater safety and protection
Wearables strengthen personal and organizational safety. GPS-enabled devices like Apple AirTags or smartwatches allow parents to check their children’s location, while panic buttons improve security for at-risk adults. In industrial jobs, biometric devices track fatigue, exposure to harmful conditions, and send emergency signals when needed.
Convenience and hands-free use
Smart rings, AI assistants, and gesture-driven devices give users quick, hands-free ways to read notifications, pay for items, or manage smart-home devices. With many regions banning handheld phones while driving, these solutions also make road safety easier.
Better communication
Wearables help people stay connected without constantly handling phones. Bluetooth headsets, push-to-talk gadgets, and smart glasses enable instant calls, texts, and information retrieval, improving teamwork and accessibility.
Immersive entertainment
VR and AR headsets have transformed entertainment by delivering lifelike gaming, 360° videos, and virtual travel. Smart glasses project live digital data into a person’s view, blending the physical and virtual worlds.
AI-powered real-time insights
With the integration of artificial intelligence and IoT, wearables now provide live analysis, automate everyday tasks, and deliver predictive recommendations. For example, AI-enabled smartwatches can study user habits and offer personalized health, fitness, and productivity guidance.
Challenges and criticisms of wearables
Despite their many advantages, wearable devices also raise issues concerning privacy, costs, and ethics:
Privacy and data protection concerns
Since wearables collect sensitive personal and biometric information, there is a risk of this data being exposed if systems are not secure. Hackers, advertisers, employers, or malicious parties could exploit, sell, or misuse this information if protections fail.
Wearable technology has also raised concerns about its effects on mental well-being and social relationships.
Spending more time on digital devices and depending heavily on smart wearables may lead to technology addiction and a decline in direct human interaction.
Fitness trackers, while useful, can sometimes heighten stress in users who feel pressured to reach daily targets or become overly focused on health measurements.
The future of wearable technology
Wearable devices are growing in popularity and are expected to transform everyday life in the coming years. Although fitness trackers, smart gadgets, smart clothing, and VR/AR headsets are already widely accepted, their full potential is still unfolding.
Experts suggest the following innovations could shape the next generation of wearables:
- Energy harvesting. A key limitation of wearables is the need for frequent charging. Ongoing research in energy harvesting aims to extend battery life by converting body heat, motion, or sunlight into usable energy. One example is piezoelectric technology, where special ceramics can transform body vibrations from movement into electrical power.
- Smart contact lenses. Straight out of science fiction, these lenses embed microscopic sensors that rest directly on the eye, potentially offering far more advanced features than smart glasses. Smart lenses could monitor health indicators such as eye pressure (a major risk factor for glaucoma) while also delivering enhanced AR experiences when paired with smartphones or external devices.
- AI-powered brain technology. Work is underway on AI-enabled sensors designed to support cognitive functions. Companies like Elon Musk’s Neuralink are developing brain implants that may help patients recover from traumatic brain injuries, ease mental health disorders, and support individuals with speech or communication difficulties.