Wearable Technology: The Missing Link For The Internet Of Things?

The Internet of Things (IoT) is decades old as a concept, but despite constant promises that it would revolutionise our lives we have seen precious little evidence to prove this point. Wearable tech, though, could be the missing link that truly kicks the Internet of Things into life.
The concept of wearable tech has actually been around just as long as the Internet of Things, ever since the ungainly and frankly slightly ridiculous TV glasses produced by Luxembourgian Hugo Gernsback. Then there was the calculator watch, but now we’re looking at a whole new era of plumbed-in technology that can optimise the temperature in a room to make us comfortable and get the dinner on when we’re hungry.
Google Glass too should, in the end, become a common sight on the streets and offer augmented reality for all. We might also find a real use for the Apple Watch in the IoT.
Yesterday’s TV told us that we’d already have lights that automatically dimmed when we left the room, and that the house would adjust blinds and lighting to fit in with our reading time and mood. So why is it taking so long for wearable technology and the IoT to truly take over? Why are we stuck with clever but not truly life changing heart-rate monitors?
Privacy is a major concern, both for the consumer and the companies supplying the product, as any internet-connected device simply has to transmit information about geographical location.
There are also other concerns, such as the face recognition capabilities of Google Glass. Although useful for law enforcement, the concept makes people nervous when they realise the person they’re talking to can instantly call up their social media, dating profiles and anything that’s out there on the internet in a flash.
Would a health monitor really be a great concept for people who might suddenly find their insurance invalidated? Would a healthcare company, knowing a fellow patient has a high fever thanks to their wristband, wilfully inform other customers to steer clear of a carriage in a train to stay healthy? These are hypothetical concerns, but the legislation required to deal with them is getting in the way of real progress.
Batteries are also a concern with wearable tech, and the sensors are only now catching up with the concept.
These can only be small stumbling blocks, however. The potential, and the money that goes along with that, is just too great for this juggernaut to be thrown off the road. Wearable tech has mind-boggling potential; it could even compare your likes and dislikes, so a potential partner can be assessed while they’re standing right in front of you. Forget simply checking up on them through the internet, you can have real-time algorithms figure out the best person in the bar to talk to.
Google has bought Nest, a company which supplies smart home devices that will link in to its Android Wear devices. So your home will know when you’re on your way back and will be waiting with the right temperature, the lights on and potentially it could even run you a bath.
What happens then is limited only by the imagination. Apps will link up our lives, each other, our homes and more in ways that we can only guess at today. We will live healthier, more convenient and more comfortable lives when wearable tech and the IoT finally overcome the obstacles and enter the world at large.
We are heading into a future of reduced energy consumption, appliances that can be operated from anywhere and a house that responds to our needs before we even know they’re there. We’re heading into a future where our clothes monitor our vital signs and detect an impending crisis before it even becomes a drama.
We’re heading into a brave new world where we become part of the Matrix. It is going to get interesting.