We’re living in a James Bond movie.
One of the most iconic aspects of the top MI6 agent are the watches his team equips him with every movie. He doesn’t wear timepieces because they look nice, we wear them because they’re equipped with special abilities. They’ve been helpful as Geiger counters, handcuff-saws, bullet deflectors, messaging systems, a grappling hook, etc.
Today, many of us wear watches that do more than just check the time as well. They load apps, take pictures, tell us our heart rate, navigate us to places within walking distance, and more. Although they’re not as helpful in saving us from evil henchmen, we’re living in a time that wasn’t anything but science fiction a couple of decades ago.
The best part about our watches is they’re continuing to enhance our lives in different ways. But out of all of the helpful watches these devices enhance our daily lives, wearable technology is making huge strides in healthcare.
As preventive care becomes more of a trend, so do smartwatches. They give us plenty of insights into our health so we can improve it before we need to see a doctor. But they’re becoming even more intricate with their capabilities and to address health concerns.
This smart technology is no longer confined to a phone or a watch but can exist in patches, headbands, masks, and contact lenses.
Here are 15 emerging wearables that are improving healthcare in 2020.
Table of Contents
Nutromics Smart Patch Device
Diabetes is a leading health issue in the United States as it’s the seventh leading cause of death which is possibly even underrepresented. Over 34 million people in the US have diabetes while 1 in 5 of them don’t even know they have it. More than 88 million US adults have prediabetes which increases the risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Over 80% of them don’t even know they have prediabetes.
But early intervention and lifestyle changes can help prevent more threatening cases down the road. This is why the Australian startup, Nutromics, is developing a smart patch device to help manage the risk for the disease. The patch tracks a user’s health at a molecular level by measuring “dietary biomarkers.” These are biochemical indicators of dietary intake and nutritional status.
This is the “world-first personalized nutrition wearable.” It combines a sensing platform and stretchable electronics that attach to a user’s arm and fit on the skin. This allows for noninvasive and painless assessment of dietary biomarkers.
The patch then sends the information to an app which allows users to see how their bodies respond to certain foods. By giving dietary modifications, it helps users reduce their risk for lifestyle-related diseases.
V-Go Insulin Patch
V-Go is a 24-hour, patch-like wearable that delivers insulin. A trial shows that adults with type 2 diabetes can safely achieve good blood sugar control by using regular human insulin (RHI) in the wearable. It found that this is just as effective and safe as the more modern rapid-acting insulin (RAI). This suggests a more affordable option than the newer insulin.
RHI takes longer to reach the bloodstream and has a longer duration of action when injected by an insulin pen or syringe. This can influence blood sugar control. Adults with diabetes can currently use V-Go with RAI to deliver insulin steadily over 24 hours and on-demand at mealtime.
But researchers found that using the V-Go with RHI had similar blood glucose control as using it with RAI. Continuous infusion of insulin for 24 hours with this device showed minimal differences of action between RHI and RAI. The results support that adults with diabetes can safely and effectively use RHI if delivered by V-Go.
POSTECH Contact Lenses
A smart contact lens is in development by POSTECH to track glucose levels in diabetics. The wireless lenses remotely monitor sugar levels and can directly dispense medicine into the eye’s membrane.
The technology could provide an alternative for invasive blood tests for diabetes. It uses chip technology to track glucose levels through blood vessels behind the eyelid. It can also dispense medicine to treat diabetic retinopathy, a common condition from damaged blood vessels in the eye.
More research is necessary to determine if this can serve as a next-generation device to advance the treatment of diabetes. This could even pave the way for treating certain eye diseases.
University of Houston Distant Learning Watch
A University of Houston professor is developing a smartwatch to improve remote learning. This would deliver information about students’ emotional cognitive states. Distance-learning makes it more difficult for professors to know who’s paying attention during class.
But this tool helps determine when students’ minds wander off so professors can switch to a new activity to re-engage them. The signal processing and control algorithms deliver information on three types of brain states:
Stress
Cognitive engagement (boredom)
Cognitive learning
These come from signals including sweat response, respiration, cardiac function, and temperature. The possible applications for this technology stretch beyond the classroom.
Another useful application of this algorithm could be for the elderly who are home alone and possibly depressed. The algorithm can detect this in a smart home setting. Once detected, it can change the frequency or color of light in the home, or even start playing background music to lighten their mood.
The inventing professor is testing the smart light and music system capabilities in her lab to develop this possibility.
Apollo Stress Relief Band
Apollo is a wearable technology developed by neuroscientists and physicians. The watch-like device worn on the wrist or ankle uses gentle vibrations to help the body respond to stress. It uses inaudible sound waves for changing mindfulness and mood through the sense of touch.
Early users of this tool were doctors and patients, athletes, and those dealing with chronic stress. But Apollo Neuroscience aims to use this as a holistic alternative to mental health treatments that use prescription drugs.
Apollo has a coordinated data-monitoring app for iOS or Android phones. It has seven different modes so users can reach different goals by relaxing the body, clearing the mind, and restoring natural balance. Some users say it feels like wearing an ocean wave with the vibrations which help them mediate between calmness and energized states.
Stanford Medicine, Fitbit, and Scripps Research
Stanford Medicine researchers are working with Fitbit and Scripps Research to develop a tool that predicts illness. The effort will detect early signs of viral infection through data from wearables.
Wearable smartwatches and fitness trackers already measure vitals such as heart rate and temperature. When both of these areas elevate, the users’ body is likely fighting off infection or illness. The researchers are trying to train a series of algorithms that alert users when their immune systems act up.
When people come down with a virus, there’s a period before symptoms appear when the individual could still spread the disease. We see this with COVID-19, and the team hopes they could curb the spread of this disease with their algorithm
So far, the algorithm shows that it’s possible to detect infection from this data collected by a watch. Patterns of heart rate variation can indicate illness, even when the user is asymptomatic. The team plans to research if they can further sort the signals to differentiate between viruses. They’re hopeful that they’ll be able to predict the severity of infection based on data from a user’s smart device.
Duke University's CovIdentify
Duke University researchers are exploring a similar infection detection, specifically for COVID-19. They’re exploring how data collected from smart devices can help determine if a user has COVID-19. The team is recruiting participants through covidentify.org.
Scientists want to see differences in those who get sick and those who don’t. They also want to know what data could indicate a mild illness and what indicates the progression to severe illness.
As they collect more data, the team will develop, test, and refine predictive algorithms to detect infections from the virus.
iFeel-You Smart Band
The wearable smart band, iFeel-You, supports people in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The bracelet notifies users when their body temperature is higher than normal and when they get too close to someone else.
It alerts when the wearer’s temperature is above 37.5 degrees Celsius (99.5 Fahrenheit) and sensors detect a variation of .2 degrees Celsius. This allows for quick identification of one of the main symptoms of the disease.
The wristband reads the movement of the human body and releases radio signals to retrieve the distance from another bracelet. If two bands are too close, they vibrate and alert the users.
Ford Motor Company is testing out a similar tool from Samsung Electronics. Their device helps Ford’s factory workers remain within the recommended social distancing guidelines. It vibrates and sends a color-coded warning to users when they come within six feet of each other.
Ford plant supervisors also receive daily reports from the devices to ensure their employees adhere to their new policy.
California Insititute of Technology's E-Skin
California Institute of Technology’s professor Wei Gao developed an electronic skin (e-skin). This gets applied to real skin and its sensors track data like heart rate, body temperature, blood sugar levels, and nerve signals.
The power method of this technology is what makes it so unique.
Most wearables use batteries, which aren’t very sustainable. But this e-skin runs on biofuel cells powered by sweat. Human sweat contains high levels of lactate, a compound generated as a by-product of metabolic processes such as exercise.
The biofuel cells absorb this lactate and combine it with oxygen from the environment to generate water and pyruvate. The fuel cells generate enough electricity to power the sensors and a Bluetooth device to wirelessly transmit the data.
ATMOBLUE Air Purifying Mask
After realizing how big of a problem air pollution is in China, a team of researchers set out to make a quick solution. The best, short-term way to combat breathing in polluted air is to wear a mask since fixing air quality can’t happen overnight. But masks aren’t designed for constant wearing.
So the team of researchers decided to make something better than current offerings. They’ve scaled-down air purifiers into something small enough to fit on the face. They came up with ATMOBULE, a mask that purifies air particles using noiseless fans.
The mask uses two fans to pull air through interchangeable HEPA filters. These attach to the mask and have over 150 hours of use, much longer than the commonly used N95 mask. HEPA filters 99.97% of air particles compared to N95 masks which filter 95% of air.
ATMOBLUE makes the air pressure inside the mask greater than the pressure outside so that it keeps contaminants out. The fans push purified air into the mask, allowing for normal breathing. It also features a silicone rim as an airtight seal to prevent air leaks.
PrecisionCool Headband
Ebb Therapeutics debuted its PrecisionCool Technology to target the cause of sleeplessness. The headband uses an intelligent cooling algorithm to cool the forehead. This reduces metabolic activity in the frontal cortex.
This is a fancy way of saying that the device decreases brain activity so the mind calms and the user can better fall asleep. The algorithm maintains optimal temperature range through the night for more restorative sleep.
Amazfit X Fitness Watch
This new watch debuted on Indiegogo and will ship to customers beginning this August. Amazfit X features a 2.07” AMOLED display with a 92-degree curve, providing a more comfortable fit. The battery will also last for up to seven days of normal use.
Amazfit X is capable of measuring heart rate and blood oxygen saturation levels. These readings include updates on different stress levels from relaxed to high stress. The watch has a built-in sleep tracking tool so users have better data on their four stages of sleep.
Since fitness is a main focus for the tool, it has GPS for location tracking during workouts. Its Personal Activity Intelligence and scoring system help users achieve their fitness goals. The nine different sport modes each come with customizable tracking and coaching. It even has a five ATM water resistance rating for swimming.
Polar Grit X Multisport Watch
Polar released its outdoor multisport watch, Grit X, aimed at endurance athletes. It features military-level durability, passing tests for extreme temperatures, drop, and humidity. The lightweight watch has up to 100-hour battery life so it can handle events such as marathons and ultramarathons.
It includes Polar’s other smart features to give more insight into workouts. For example, FuelWise helps users find the best ways to refuel their bodies and maintain adequate energy. Hill Splitter tells athletes how they performed on uphill and downhill sections of their route.
Equipped with a GPS and compass, users can stay on track with turn-by-turn guidance. It also shows current weather and a 2-day forecast to keep athletes prepared for the weather.
Care Smart Accessibility Watch
Verizon recently announced its Care Smart Watch, aimed at seniors, which is now available for pre-order. Care Smart comes with voice and text communication for text to speech so seniors can easily contact their family and friends. Users can set alerts for daily health activities, such as taking medication.
The technology allows for a “trust circle” contact list which stores up to 10 close contacts. This way, seniors can avoid robocalls and only talk to those who they already know. It will even store one emergency contact that users access by holding down a button on the front of the watch.
It includes a step tracker to monitor fitness, it’s waterproof, has a battery life of over two days, and even has a location sharing feature. There are volume and brightness controls to help those with difficulty hearing or seeing.
Samsung Blood Pressure Monitoring
Samsung is making progress toward its blood pressure monitoring sensor. It received some approval for the technology and will start offering the feature sooner than most users expect. The sensor has been present on the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2, and beta trials have taken place in select countries. It received regulatory approval from the South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety as a Software as a Medical Device.
The feature will land on the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 in Q3 and will expand to upcoming watches. It won’t be available in the US or Europe right away since it will need regulatory approval.
For the technology to work, it requires validation against a traditional cuff then needs re-validated every four weeks. This process could be worthwhile for those who check their blood pressure every day. Though it’s less ideal for the general population who don’t already have a cuff at home and would be another cost. But it’s still a step forward to a lot of people who suffer from high blood pressure and have the hassle of checking it every day.
Conclusion
We no longer live in a world where having a watch filled with helpful gadgets is exclusive to the top spies on the big screen.
We’ve been so attuned to watches that connect to our smartphones which give us insights into our health. But researchers are trying to use these metrics to solve current health concerns.
They’re working to develop other devices that not only inform us about our health but can even automatically fix the problems that the technologies detect. This improves preventive care, boosts consumer wellness, and gives them more control over their own health.
