Most of us might think of smartwatches when it comes to examples of wearable, modern technology and whilst it is true that they often make up the bulk of “best wearable technology” lists, other distinct, wearable gadgets have been grabbing people’s attention. Care for a smart sleep mask? Or what about a smartring that can even take pictures? Read on to see which wearable devices have been getting people’s attention.
What constitutes a good piece of wearable technology? Firstly, it has to actually be wearable. A common problem with wearable technology is that people find a significant amount of items on the market too chunky or irritating to wear. With some of the devices listed below, designs have to be particularly svelte; check out the Vigo which is worn at the side of a user’s eye. As impressive as their features might be, wearable technology cannot afford to compromise too much with how comfortably worn their products are; even if that means leaving out some gimmicks.
Secondly, the technology must not only be up to a certain standard but not carry no disregard for commonsense. Rewind to the time when manufacturers boasted how users could read online articles off their smartwatches when the reality was that consumers had to bring their wrist up to their nose and squint in order to read most text off these devices.
1. The Misfit Shine fitness tracker
This is a minimalistic fitness tracker that, unlike quite a lot of smart pedometers, can be used for swimming. Impressively, it can last four months on a single battery and it is teeny tiny; smaller than the width of two fingers and just that bit bigger than a thumbnail. Essentially, it is a swish ios-connected pedometer that will work in water or anywhere, really. Bluetooth enables it to sync with ios devices. It tells the user how much of their daily progress they’ve achieved through 12 LEDs.
2. Google Glass
Google Glass is smart eyewear, designed for “those who move”. Users can take photos and a heap of other activities hands-free, simply by instructing Google Glass to take a picture with only their voice or whatever relevant command. With a wireless data connection, Google Glass lets its user participate in Google+ Hangouts, get information from the internet and from their phones. A novel, cool idea that is still in its early stages.
3. Vigo
Vigo is perhaps one of the stranger products to grace the list. For a start, users are meant to place this device on the side of their eye. Why? Vigo uses an infrared sensor and an algorithm to determine how alert you are. The device is designed to keep you informed as to how when you’re at your most alert, when you need a rest and when you’re slightly fatigued. It tracks over 20 parameters of your blinks which reveal vital information concerning tiredness.
4. Smarty Ring
It was only a matter of time before someone came up with the idea of a smartring. You can accept or reject calls, take pictures (although your fingers and thumbs might get in the shot also), receive all of your notifications and get a decent amount of control over your smartphone through using this teeny gadget.
5. NeuroOn
NeuroOn is a wearable device aimed to help you achieve better sleep. It measures brain waves, muscle tension and eye movements to help see what stage of sleep you are in. The device, in the shape of a sleep mask, even alerts you when is the correct time to wake up according with your sleep plan.
