Wearable Tech: Putting Health Data in (or on) our Hands
The future of wearable technology aims to provide more actionable health data than ever before, allowing us to optimize instead of react
In our age of information, it seems anything you could possibly want to know is at your fingertips. In a matter of seconds, I can quickly discover the weather forecast, how to cook Coq au Vin, or even watch how many times a pilot’s head spins while driving an F-16. But what about if I wanted to know what was happening inside my own body?
If I wanted to quickly know my risk for developing diabetes or the overall health of my liver, I would have to schedule an appointment with a physician, have them order a lab, oftentimes pay a fee, and wait a week or two to discover that information. After all that, I still may not even have a definitive answer. As someone who spent 7 years of my youth trying to get a proper diagnosis for a health condition, I know first-hand that the traditional process is anything but quick and simple.
Fortunately, the old ways are changing. In recent years, data related to our own bodies has finally become available in real time. Although not quite as easy as an online search, the advent of wearable devices has allowed us to begin understanding our bodies better and faster. Soon, the age of information may not just be about discovering the world outside of us, but the world inside.
So how is wearable technology enabling this change?
When we traditionally think of wearables, the first thing that may come to mind is fitness trackers—in the form of smartwatches, bands, or sleep-focused trackers like rings. Such technologies have certainly dominated the market and catalyzed this measurement movement (with 1 in 3 Americans having used a sleep tracker), but there are other new and exciting technologies on the horizon that could be even more helpful in accessing our internal data:
Labs on a chip: Researchers are now working on technologies that are patterned with small ducts through which liquids can move, similar to a chip, and have immense impacts in the information they can produce (hence the term lab). For instance, researchers have developed a paper-thin ring sensor that is able to track female hormones in real-time by analyzing estrogen in sweat particles.
Traditionally, tracking hormones is only possible through shipment of blood to and from a lab, which often involves significant delays. With the ring sensor, patients can consistently monitor crucial hormonal levels (high levels of estrogen are often associated with cancers, while low levels are associated with heart disease or osteoporosis). This type of technology has also shown promise with other types of measurements, such as tracking stress and inflammation levels or simplifying the gene editing workflow.
Bio-based tattoo ink: Similar to a mood ring for your health, these liquid biosensors turn your body into a display, changing colors in direct response to changes in biomarkers, such as glucose, pH levels, and sodium. The impacts could be profound. Instead of having to prick themselves multiple times a day, diabetics could use this tech to simply look down at a tattoo and track their glucose levels 24 hours a day.
E-textiles: Sensors embedded into different fabrics have the ability to react to ambient stimuli, such as thermal, chemical, or magnetic shifts. What’s more: they often don’t rely on a battery charge, are much more efficient in storing energy than their wearable counterparts, and their applications range broadly from drug delivery to therapeutics to athletics. Myant, for example, introduced a “smart shirt” back in 2019 that enables regular blood pressure monitoring, recognizes driver fatigue, and detects ovulation. Athletic apparel brand Nadi X created what they call “smart yoga pants” that vibrate mildly when your yoga form is suboptimal. And finally, Moticon created a wireless sensor insole to help athletes assess their foot dynamics and improve health or performance.
What does this all mean for us?
Wearables technology could change the face of traditional medicine as we know it. Through more accurate and quick diagnoses, and more customized treatment plans, wearables could be responsible for a massive shift from reactive to preventative care. It will also exponentially expand the database available to scientists and technologists working on health innovations: those 1 in 3 Americans using sleep trackers, for example, are not only managing their own health, but potentially providing vital information to clinicians regarding population-wide health statistics.
Like all technologies, these novel tools for measurement will only grow more accurate, more sophisticated, and more accessible to the masses. The growing abundance of this health data, however, is by no means a cure-all for disease. All of these advancements lead to more puzzle pieces that we have to fit together to create a full image of health on-demand. The challenge is in correctly analyzing what it all means.
We are on the cusp of a fundamental shift in mindset around health: instead of healing it when it falters, we strive to optimize health with through information.
If only I had some of today’s technology available to me when I was younger, I would have felt empowered to change my health trajectory, instead of being plagued by the frustration, time, and cost of being left in the dark about my condition. We’re yet to see the true impact of wearables and increased health data, but what I know for sure is this: the future is one where we feel in control of our health, instead of controlled by it.
Taylor Brockman | NExT Futurist
Great article , so interesting about all these news things coming out to make it easier for us ! Can’t stand going to the doctors and playing a guessing name anymore !!