In light of the recent announcement and release of the iWatch from Apple, it appears that all the major mobility players now see the market potential for mobility wearable’s. I’m not talking about reading your messages or getting the scores from your favorite team. I’m talking about your health.
Wearable mobility devices will eventually be a key part of every consumer’s physical and mental wellbeing. I predict these devices will change the way health care is provided as we know it.
When talking about mobility wearable’s for your health, three key areas are now in play and will see significant improvement over the next 10 years. These areas are:
- Monitoring
- Personalization
- Alerting
About six months ago, I was horrified to see the scale hit 232lbs, the heaviest I had ever weighed. I swiftly looked to see if there were any Nike coupons going that could save me some money on some much-needed new workout gear to motivate myself to start losing weight, and I also consulted with a friend who had recently lost a lot of weight. He introduced me to a mobility wearable device and pointed out some apps for my phone that communicate with my wearable device. I also purchased a scale that would keep the apps up-to-date with my progress.
The concept is simple, burn more calories than you eat. Using an app on my phone, I would scan each item of food I consumed. I became aware of the calories that I was eating and the app told me how many calories I was burning based on what my wearable mobility device was reporting.
In four months, I hit 203lbs and changed my body mass index from 32% to 27.5%, still considered overweight but I am going in the right direction.
The app on my phone monitored my activities, personalized my goals based on my personal information and my progress reported by the scale. It also would alert me when I reached my goals, or if I was short on my goals.
Data from the National Health (NIH) and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009–2010
• More than 2 in 3 adults are considered to be overweight or obese.
• More than 1 in 3 adults are considered to be obese.
• More than 1 in 20 adults are considered to have extreme obesity.
• About one-third of children and adolescents ages 6 to 19 are considered to be overweight or obese.
• More than 1 in 6 children and adolescents ages 6 to 19 are considered to be obese.
Over the next decade, we should expect to see school children wearing mobility devices. Information gathered by schools and parents will effect decisions about their schedules and activities. Imagine if a child starts a fever while in school, not only will these devices record the information, they will notify the teacher and the parent. When in school children need to know and feel like they are safe so they are not afraid. For example, if working in front of computer screens can sometimes set off a seizure due to certain circumstances, it may be best to get them some blue light blocking glasses (check over here) to help reduce this issue if approved by a doctor, every little thing can help a child be as comfortable as possible.
We will see these devices notify someone who is about to have a seizure, a heart attack, or maybe even a stroke. For those with Diabetes, they will be monitored and alerted when blood sugar levels reach dangerous levels.
The future of wearable mobility devices will one day become an essential part of our lives by monitoring our progress, personalizing our health profiles, and proactively warning by alerting us about actions that need to be taken in order to avoid a health problem.
Wearable Mobility Management
How will companies manage these devices? Integration with mobile devices like tablets and phones, and integration with IT infrastructure will be required for authentication and identification.
Security will be a critical component for protecting the detailed personal health information of each individual using a device. The ability to manage inventory and the lifecycle of wearable mobile devices will also be important. Nobody wants disposed devices to contain personal information.
The adoption of mobility wearables will be driven by the health problems they will solve in the near future, not the features that we can already get with our phones and tablets today.