Barriers to The Adoption of Wearable Technology

Introduction

            Wearable technology can be termed as the clothing and the accessories that incorporate computer devices and highly developed electronic expertise. The design of these wearable devices is often practical and integrates certain features (In Szopa et al, 2015). It is vital to note that wearable devices such as the activity trackers can be said to be a model of the internet of things because they are a network of physical objects that are implanted with electronic devices (In Szopa et al, 2015). These electronic devices are able to exchange data and information with the manufacturers or to other connected machinery without the aid of human beings. It is also evident that these wearable devices can be used to track individuals or objects as long as the connection is present (In Szopa et al, 2015).

Problem statement

            It is vital to note that wearable technology is interrelated with ubiquitous computing and also with the history, growth and development of the wearable computers. These wearable devices have aided to make technology invasive and insidious by incorporating it in the day to day life (In McCann & In Bryson, 2014). The pioneers of wearable technology have been trying to enhance the functionality of this system by ensuring that the clothing and accessories used are able to provide surveillance or the recording of activities by the use of small portable devices that are able to track movement, record the pace of the heart and also used to follow the metrics performance of a sporting activity (In McCann & In Bryson, 2014). An example of this wearable technology is a Bluetooth dress that was designed by the affiliation of Sony Ericsson and the London College of fashion in the year 2009 (In McCann & In Bryson, 2014). This dress would light up when a call is made.

            This paper will help to analyze the reasons as to why wearable technology has not become popular and also the hindrances that lead to this. The current state of wearable technology will also be discussed and the issues that need to be overcome with this kind of technology. It is vital to note that wearable technology can be divided into two; personal usage and business usage.  However, no matter the usage of the devices the functionality is normally similar (In McCann & In Bryson, 2014). Some of the most common functions of wearable technology are”

• It may be a fashion statement or fashion icon (McCann et al, 2009).
• It may be used as a fitness tracker (McCann et al, 2009).
• Some may be used for treatment purposes like for the case of the patients with the Parkinson’s disease especially for speech and voice ailments (McCann et al, 2009).
• Can be used as a tracker in sporting events (McCann et al, 2009).
• Can be used as a channel to orchestrate and coordinate data and information to other devices (McCann et al, 2009).
• Can be used as a monitoring gadget in health issues (Holland, 2016).
• Can be used for communication or navigation (Holland, 2016).

Benefits of wearable technology

            It is important to note that the use of wearable technology has been on the increase both for personal and business use. For instance, the sale of smart wrist bands has been accelerating since 2013. Statistics show that every one out of five American adults has a wearable device in their daily life (Holland, 2016). The use of wearable technology has helped to ensure positive reforms in the health care sector; for instance the tele health is one of the health care distributions which use the wearable technology to reduce the costs associated with health in the United States. It has also enhanced the professional sporting activities where these devices can be used to monitor real time responses for the athletes (Lymberis et al, 2004). However, extensive research and development is required to make sure that data and information is created and produced effectively and also to ensure a good quality of the information that is gathered. The research and development will also help to ensure that the users gain confidence in the wearable technology (Lymberis et al, 2004).

            One of the most captivating segments of wearable technology is the aspect of monitoring systems or the elderly and the disabled.  The wearable sensor helps to ensure adequate monitoring and also the applicability for biomedicines (Lymberis et al, 2004). This has caused the researchers to shift their focus from the collection of information to the growth and expansion of intelligent logarithms that ensure that valuable data is gathered using statistical classification and neural networks (Lymberis et al, 2004).

Barriers to wearable technology and their recommendations

            Nevertheless, there are various barriers to the growth and development of the wearable technologies. According to a research that was conducted in 2012, wearable devices are faced with the risk of explosion but the market is still expected to advance from $4.5 billion in 2015 to $54.3 billion in 2019 (In Follett, 2014). For this technology to be successful there are various things that need to fall in place like the aspect of limited battery life. This is one of the key issue facing wearable technologies.  Most of the devices require charging for quality functioning and statistics show that the chances of people putting them back after removing is minimal (In Follett, 2014). This is mostly done by people who do not require the devices for health issues. As a result of this, the use of the devices is not achieved. It is also evident to note that mot wearable gadgets that are being produced today put much emphasis on the technology rather than the wear ability. This is the reason as to why most gadgets such as the wrist watch has so much technology embedded in it to a point that the battery life is minimal (In Follett, 2014). It is also evident that the gadgets can face destruction due to poor charging processes. This can be seen also from the charging of phone batteries; poor charging can lead to the batter being destroyed. It is also critical to note that the batteries can be overcharged thus leading to explosion (In Follett, 2014). This can cause great risk to the people who use them thus most people lack confidence in them. This is one of the reasons as to why the growth of these has been limited.

            Associations such as the advanced self powered systems of integrated sensors and technologies have been on the process of solving this problem. This is done by improving the technology to ensure production of wearable gadgets that are battery free and are powered by the body (Holland, 2016). This can be achieved by using the human body as a source for the power and energy that is required by the devices. This is because most of the devices use the wireless transmission and also through the fact that the human body emits a lot of energy that can be used for the wearable devices (Holland, 2016).   It is evident that materials from the organization are implanted in a textile and can harvest power and energy through the difference in temperature between the skin and the extern environment. Research shows that as at now the organization is working towards the manufacture of a pace maker that is not operated by the use of batteries (Holland, 2016).

            Design has always been a very critical factor in ensuring the success if mainstream electronics (In Follett, 2014). This can be explained by the fact that nobody would want to walk around with a computer that feels like an anvil or with a wrist watch that one would not want to stay with it the entire day. However, wearable devices that are implanted in the body are more innate and therefore create a connection (In Follett, 2014). It is therefore important to note that implanted gadgets reduce privacy especially if they are used for personal surveillance. This therefore means that one is required to be very cautious when using the gadgets. It is also critical to note that these systems can be used negatively especially if the information is received by unauthorized personnel (In Follett, 2014).

            As discussed above the design of the wearable gadgets need to attract the users. For instance glasses that acts as sensors, recorders or for surveillance need to be modified in such a manner that even people who do not wear the glasses are persuaded to buy them (McCann et al, 2009). It may also take time for people to be comfortable with wearing such gadgets in their bodies. This is because gadgets especially those implanted in the body are against the normal functioning of the human body and therefore it may take time for the consumers to be comfortable with this idea (McCann et al, 2009).

            It is vital to note that the adoption rate of the wearable devices is going to decrease if the gadgets are not able to provide more meaning and perspective on the measures to improve health, fitness and the general life in relation to the goal and objectives of the individuals (McCann et al, 2009). In order to ensure effective connectivity of data and information, the devices must communicate through and application programming interface (McCann et al, 2009).

            The aspect of safety and reliability is also a key barrier to wearable technology. As at now the state of the wearable devices is at a grey area because there is no assurance or guarantee in the safety of such gadgets (In McCann & In Bryson, 2014). Patients using the wearable devices to monitor health could face the danger of negative consequences of increased monitoring. Statistics show that most diabetic patients who monitored their glucose levels did not show improvement because they felt that the disease had become repulsive, disturbing and obnoxious (In McCann & In Bryson, 2014). Through this, it is evident that the effectiveness of the wearable device is linked to the personality of the individual. This is to mean that the attitude of the device user plays a very instrumental role in attaining the usefulness of the gadget (In McCann & In Bryson, 2014).

            It is also evident that the reliability and the validity of the wearable devices is a concern. These devices are often sold with the notion that they will improve the general health and fitness of the people (In McCann & In Bryson, 2014). However, most of these devices have no empirical evidence of the success of the gadgets. This is because the results obtained from the wearable devices vary greatly and this shows discrepancy. It is also evident that the use of the wearable devices affects behavior of the individual (In Szopa et al, 2015). This can be explained by the fact that such people have to operate in a certain way that they didn’t operate before. For instance some may be forced to change the way they talk or walk in order to ensure efficiency of the device (In Szopa et al, 2015).

            The factor of cost is also another that is affecting the use of wearable devices all over the world. It is evident that the wearable devices are often very expensive and can only be afforded by the rich people (In Szopa et al, 2015). It is also clear that as more advanced wearable devices are being produced the higher the costs and therefore locking the poor from the market. If the manufacturing companies would be keen to work on the prices then the wearable devices would be available to all people and therefore increase the market shares for such products (Lymberis et al, 2004).

            As technology is growing, the wearable technology is also needed in order to match with the technology. This therefore calls for increased research and development in this form of technology in order to attract more consumers and also increases safety and reliability (In McCann & In Bryson, 2014). Awareness is also critical as it will ensure that people are conversant with the wearable products in the market as their different functionality (In Szopa et al, 2015).

Conclusion

             As discussed above, there are various barriers to wearable technology but these are factors that can be amended through research and development. From the information provided, wearable devices are very crucial in the day to day living as they help to make work easier and also increase efficiency. However, the users should be informed on how to interpret the data that is received from the gadgets. It is also evident that the wearable technology has helped to revolutionize the medical sector for the better as people are able to maintain a healthy lifestyle and also keep track of their health.

 

 

 

References

 

Holland, J. (2016). Wearable Technology and Mobile Innovations for Next-Generation     Education.

 

Follett, J. (2014). Designing for emerging technologies: UX for genomics, robotics, and the     Internet of things.

 

McCann, J., Bryson, D., & Textile Institute (Manchester, England). (2009). Smart clothes and     wearable technology. Cambridge: Woodhead Publishing.

 

Lymberis, A., & International Workshop on "New Generation of Wearable Systems for    eHealth". (2004). Wearable eHealth systems for personalised health management: State        of the art and future challenges. Amsterdam [u.a.: IOS Press.

Szopa, A., Karwowski, W., & Barbe, D. (2015). Competitive strategies for academic             entrepreneurship: Commercialization of research-based products.

 

 McCann, J., & Bryson, D. (2014). Textile-led design for the active ageing population.