Tag: fitness tracking

Current consumer wearable technology is paving the way for future mhealth

| May 5, 2015

The wearables that people are now wearing are helping to direct the development of clinical devices.

Wearable technology has, quite suddenly, become very popular for use in the area of health and fitness tracking when it comes to consumer tech devices, and the mhealth industry is viewing this as a tremendous opportunity with regards to developing future clinical devices.

This could mean that wearables and smartphone apps, alike, could start to play an integral role in tomorrow’s health care.

Parks Associates research has indicated that about 30 percent of homes in the United States that have broadband connections already have some form of connected device that can be used for health purposes. It has also estimated that by the end of next year, there will be over 32 million American consumers who will be actively tracking their fitness and health either by way of wearable technology or another form of mobile device.

Equally, using wearable technology devices within the mobile health field has also been on the rise.

Wearable Technology - Health IndustryDirector of health and mobile product research at Parks Associates, Harry Wang, explained that as popular as wearables are becoming, they are also starting to stand out within the health and medical industries. These gadgets are being seen as a wonderful opportunity for mhealth uses, such as monitoring vital signs (like blood pressure or insulin levels), which can be very helpful for improving health care access and quality.

In an article that he wrote for the Digital Health News published by his firm, Wang explained that “the design trends for wearables in the medical field follow what is happening in the fitness area — they are becoming more discreet, with more user-centric designs and highly integrated functions.”

As consumers become more confident with their mobile devices, they are also starting to look to additional gadgets, such as those in the wearable technology category, to provide them with more practical and usable benefits. This opens up a world of opportunity for creating devices and supporting apps that will allow people to take greater control of their own wellness and to provide their doctors with additional data for a more accurate understanding of their overall condition, as opposed to what is exclusively available through a doctor’s appointment.

Wearable technology can help with dog health tracking

| February 25, 2015

These wearables aren’t just for humans, as pet dogs can also have their fitness monitored by their owners.

Among the hottest growing trends in humans is wearable technology that helps to monitor fitness, and now there is a growing market growing for a similar purpose, but with dogs in mind, instead.

Pet wellness has become a considerable market, and tech such as wearables is making its way in.

Last year, it was estimated that Americans, alone, spent $58 billion on care for their furry family members. As the trend for wearable technology fitness gadgets rise in humans, people are starting to realize that there is a considerable opportunity available to track the activity levels of their pets, as well, and that this could help them to make better choices in exercising and feeding their animal companions. A growing number of companies are paying attention to that trend, and are offering their own versions of pedometers and fitness trackers with Rover in mind.

Wearable technology trackers can help owners to gain a better understanding of the health of their pets.

Wearable technology - Dog HealthMany pet owners (also known as “pet parents”) are finding that wellness websites for dogs, combined with fitness trackers, are giving them the information that they need to better decide how much food their animals should be fed, and what additional activities need to be added to a dog’s day to ensure that he or she will remain healthy and happy.

Many owners discover that their pets haven’t been nearly as active as they had thought, throughout the day. This gives them the chance to take their dogs on more walks, or to add extra playtime to ensure that their dogs will not end up become overweight or, even worse, obese. Pet obesity is a dangerous condition that shortens the life of the animal and takes away from their overall wellbeing.

While some wearable technology devices are providing information about factors such as activity levels, others add more features such as sleeping patterns, and even behaviors such as scratching. By knowing more about these behaviors, and by knowing what is “normal” for an individual animal, pet owners will be better capable of identifying potential problems, earlier on.