What are Electronic Wearables?

The electronic wearable is an accessory placed on the human body that exchanges data with the Internet and various devices. It should be noted that as a rule, a wireless local area network is not used in the industry.

Instead of electronic wearables, another term is often used, which has a more specific meaning – wearable computer.

Wearable computers, or smart wearable technology, are devices designed to be worn on the body, for example, on the wrist. The so-called smartwatch is a cross between a wristwatch and a smartphone. A wearable computer allows you to work, communicate, and have fun on the go. Promising areas of application are medical, engineering (interactive guides, 3D atlases of repaired devices, etc.), and military.

One of the variants of the wearable computer is interactive glasses. An image is usually projected onto the inside of the glasses, replacing or complementing the visual picture of the outside world. A typical device is a wearable, mono-screen mini-computer with a webcam, various sensors, wireless Internet access, IP (video) telephony, and other capabilities.

Wearable health monitoring devices can be categorized into several types, such as:

–       watches

–       fitness bracelets and heart rate monitors

–       smart (interactive) augmented reality glasses

–       smart (interactive) virtual reality glasses

–       garments

Wearable health monitoring devices can include a camera, thermometer, accelerometer, barometer, compass, GPS navigator, etc. Devices collect information using external and internal sensors. Usually, they support Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS technologies.

Smart Fabrics for Different Areas of Life

In the modern world, new requirements are emerging for the comfort and functionality of clothing. Special smart fabrics are being developed with built-in wearable health monitoring devices to protect users from bad weather, injuries, and other unforeseen circumstances.

There are several different types of fabrics:

–       passive (only detect environmental changes)

–       active (able to react to them)

–       smart (can adapt to these changes).

The scope of application of smart wearables technologies for fabrics is very wide. They are used in the military industry in particular, and such fabrics have built-in sensors that allow you to monitor your health and detect damage.

Fabrics with smart wearables technology

In the desert, outer space, on the Arctic shelf, or in other hard-to-reach areas, the human body experiences significant stress associated with temperature extremes, injuries, and exposure to toxic substances. Fabrics with smart wearable technology can protect a person from it and reduce the effects of stress. The structure of smart fabrics can change depending on potential requirements. These fabrics can be heated or cooled as needed. Also, the fabric can have shockproof, water repellent, or other features.

Fiber optics, metals, conductive polymers, and other materials are used to create such fabrics. Recently, there has been a tendency to introduce nanostructures for the modification of natural and synthetic fibrous materials. The fabric can impart hydrophobic, antibacterial properties to clothing and also protect the body from the negative effects of ultraviolet radiation.

Smart Clothes Like a Personal Doctor

Chronic diseases can greatly impact a person’s quality of life. Wearing smart clothing equipped with sensors that can collect information about a person’s health and transmit it for further analysis will help reduce the dependence of such patients on taking medications and visiting a doctor. If necessary, such clothing along with wearable health monitoring devices can automatically administer the prescribed drugs. The use of smart clothes will increase the mobility of people with various diseases without creating additional risks to their health.

Sensors woven into the smart fabric will take pulse rate readings, respiration, heart rate, sugar levels, etc., and then transmit them to the user’s mobile phone or directly to the attending physician. The thickness of the sensors often does not exceed a few millimeters.

Sensors diagnose various diseases at an early stage and are capable of injecting certain doses of medications into the body on a schedule.

Clothes with electronic wearables embedded in the fabric

Various electronic devices and computers have already penetrated all aspects of human life. These devices are taking on new forms, and increasingly smaller smart devices are being produced. Modern computers and chips can be embedded in clothing and household items. The potential for fabrics with built-in gadgets is quite vast, from household needs to military and space equipment. The fabric, combined with various kinds of electronic devices, is used in the production of sportswear and casual or protective clothing. The clothes themselves can become a source of energy for recharging a mobile phone and other gadgets.

The main drivers of the electronic wearables market are projected to be the healthcare and military industries and the corporate sector. For companies, wearable devices can help accelerate the digital transformation of businesses by delivering information quickly and enabling workers to work more efficiently.