Is It Safe For Humans To Embrace Wearable Technologies?

Wearables, especially activity trackers, have exploded in their populaity over the past few years. These devices coupled with fitness apps help track everything, from daily physical activities to calories burned and even number of hours spent sleeping.

New research now suggests that these devices might even affect users' decision making.

A study conducted by a group of researchers from the University College London in association with the academics at Ashridge Business School looked at the impact of activity trackers on its users.

For the study, the academics observed around 200 female users of Fitbit activity tracker. According to the research work, people who use these devices are obsessed with them and consider it as a part of their body.

During the study, almost 89 percent of participants admitted that they never considered the device as an external technology and treat it as a part of themselves. Most of the participants revealed that the activity tracker was always on them.

Participants also admitted that they often depended on Fitbit for making several decision of everyday life, such as exercise, diet and the medium of commute. Most of the participants believed that they need to check the progress dashboard twice daily in order to quantify their daily activities.

Around 95 percent of the participants revealed that they increased the amount of their weekly exercises to stay fit. An average of 91 percent women who took part in the study also said they took a longer route to increase their number of steps.

Over 76 percent of the participants focussed on healthy eating in fewer takeaways and smaller portions. Meanwhile, 56 percent of the participants even increased their speed to reach the target of activity tracker faster.

The study also revealed that the users of activity trackers considered the device as their best friend. Achieving daily targets gave them self-satisfaction, motivation, pride and happiness.

Wearable technologies might help users stay fit, however, these technologies can also create problems.

According to the reasearchers, several participants in the study revealed that they felt incomplete, de-motivated and sad without the tracker. Some participants also felt pressurized and controlled by the device as it made them feel guilty if they failed to achieve their daily targets.

Bri Cawsey, a strength and conditioning coach based in British Columbia, also shared a similar experience in her fitness blog. “It became a little bit of an obsessive habit, especially around the food,” she wrote.

Gradually, the coach broke up with her activity tracker after realizing that her healthy habit is turning to be quite unhealthy. Cawsey revealed that she felt “a great sense of peace” as she started enjoying a tracker-free life.

With the advancement in wearable technology, activity trackers and smart wristbands could soon be replaced by other in or on body devices.

A group of researcher at Echo Labs have already started developing a biometric wristband that is able to measure blood pressure, hydration, PH, CO2 and oxygen levels with optical signals.

Wearable technology has been around from the past couple of years. Further research can help us understand how tracking activities daily impacts human behavior.

However, activity trackers and smart wristbands could be replaced by digital tattoos and internal microchips in the future. The initiatives for the development of implantable technologies are underway and it could be launched in the market in next few years.

A company named Athos is already planning to launch fitness clothes that could measure respiration, heart rate and muscle activity in real time. It encourages the consumers to become an “ideal version” of themselves through up gradation. By doing so, the firm wants to take human beings to the next revolutionary stage.

Google is also developing garments that can interact with electronic devices. It is being made in collaboration with popular denim manufacturer Levi Strauss & Co. The tough-sensitive feature of the clothing will help it monitor weight gain, make phone calls, understand the users gestures and more.

With the introduction of next generation wearable technology, human beings may change forever or transform into a technically advanced divine beings in the next 200 years.