3 Medical Wearable Trends We’ll Be Seeing More of in 2021

Wearable tech is becoming more and more commonplace in modern society. In fact, the global wearables market grew by an impressive 35.1% in 2020...

Medical Wearable Trends

Wearable tech is becoming more and more commonplace in modern society. In fact, the global wearables market grew by an impressive 35.1% in 2020, with total shipments reaching 125 million units. Indeed, everything from smartwatches to fitness trackers are being used by millions of people from all over the world.

While the most popular wearable tech devices are mostly used for leisure, this technology is having a significant, life-changing impact on the medical and healthcare industry. Be it smart tags or sensors, these devices are revolutionizing patient care as we know it. That being said, we enumerate three medical wearable trends we expect to see more of in 2021.

Biosensors

Biosensors are wearables that have similar functions to health trackers, with one key difference. Instead of wearing them on your wrist, wearable biosensors come in the form of self-adhesive patches. Biosensors use an enhanced efficient board design, which requires organizing its components into a hierarchical structure. With the usage of electrical primitives and multiple net connections, the devices are able to convert electrical enzymes into signals. Biosensors can monitor an individual’s heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature, and more.

These devices can be particularly useful in critical care, where seconds can mean life or death. Being able to accurately and swiftly detect any abnormalities can help increase the chances of saving a patient or preventing drastic measures down the line. A classic example would be heart attacks, as a quick response time is vital.

Smart Tags

Despite the world approaching a state of normalcy, proper health and safety measures remain essential this year and beyond. Now, other than wearing masks, proper contact tracing is key to controlling the spread of the virus. One piece of wearable technology that can help with this is the smart tag.

Smart tags are wearable devices that send alerts and remind the user when social distancing protocols are not being followed. The tags also keep track of an individual’s COVID status. Once someone tests positive and the data is logged onto the tags, the tags can be used for contact tracing and can help notify individuals who were in close proximity to the person who tested positive. These wearables are so effective that they were used inside the NBA bubble during last year’s basketball season.

Alzheimer’s Disease Detector

Dementia is one of the most debilitating syndromes, as it causes cognitive functions to deteriorate. This becomes particularly worrisome when you consider that there are nearly 10 million new cases of dementia every year. Dementia takes on multiple forms, but the most common is Alzheimer’s disease.

Like other forms of dementia, a cure for Alzheimer’s has yet to be discovered. However, the earlier it is detected, the easier it is to manage. This is where wearable Alzheimer’s disease detection comes in. Using Artificial Intelligence, devices are being developed, which can analyze data from individuals to detect early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. These wearables will take several factors into consideration including gait, heart rate, and a person’s sleeping pattern in order to catch the disease before it becomes more severe.