The Wonderful World of Wearables: Truths and Fallacies

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In today’s health space, there is no doubt that consumer expectations for sensor-laden gadgets are at an all-time high. While the wearables market continues to grow at a rapid pace, Sensoplex CEO Hamid Farzaneh states that there is still plenty of room for improvement. In a recent TechCrunch article, Farzaneh acknowledges the amazing accuracy of high-quality sensors, yet wearable products continue to be clunky and generate poor user experience. To make consumers’ wearable experiences as informative and beneficial as possible, Farzaneh tackles some major myths and misconceptions surrounding the health wearables market:

1. Battery Life 

Buyers of wearables are always looking for newer, sophisticated and accurate sensors that tend to require a lot more power—and consequently, a lot more space. The current state of battery technology means that any wearable with more than an accelerometer will need a decent-sized battery that must be recharged every few days. Such a battery will take up a significant portion of the available space in a wearable device. The more “bells and whistles” associated with a wearable, therefore, will greatly increase its overall size—leading to potential problems for consumers seeking small and sleek wearables.

2. The “Invisible Wearable”

The successful wearable, in the eyes of many wearable advocates, is one that is practically invisible. This notion has fed into announcements (including New York Times articles) about tattoo, stamp-sized or flexible sensors and devices that one can stick onto his/her skin to collection motion or bio-information. The reality is that sensors by no means complete systems—they simply capture raw data. The kind of ultra-thin devices being talked about simply cannot house the necessary batteries to power sensors that accurately provide biofeedback information that consumers are actively looking for.

3. Miracle mHealth Sensors 

Mhealth products are currently among some of the bestselling consumer sensor products today. Eliminating everyday health-related nuisances for many individuals, mhealth products enable consumers to measure blood pressure without a cuff or take blood sugar readings without a finger prick—and they rake in over $10 billion annually. While there is much R&D within this market, there has yet to be an FDA-approved product. Additionally, mhealth products leave room for significant “noise.” For products that measure blood oxygen content and skin conductivity, for example, applications to different wrist sizes and bone structures can result in significant reading variations.

For a full list of Farzaneh’s myths and misconceptions pertaining to the wearables market, check out the TechCrunch article here!

SOURCE: TechCrunch

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