New Frost & Sullivan report redefines role of wearables

LONDON - Wearable devices will soon play a meaningful role in the monitoring of healthcare that goes well beyond the niche activity trackers that are on the market today, suggests a new report from Frost & Sullivan released Wednesday. Future functionality will include real-time, remote patient monitoring and post-surgery rehabilitation. 

 

"Wearable devices will extend beyond fitness tracking to include two-way communication between the user and the healthcare ecosystem," suggested Shuba Ramkumar, Frost & Sullivan Information & Communication Technologies senior research analyst. "Though a number of applications currently address the business-to-consumer market, wearable devices will eventually offer support to healthcare institutions by sharing real-time data collected by the consumer."

 

Battery life may be a hurdle to overcome, however, given the increasing use of organic light-emitting diode screens, advanced sensors and the complex functionality on wearable devices. Along with this, the possibility of inaccurate data generation may affect customer uptake.

 

"In the long-term, energy harvesting and wireless charging technologies will reduce battery issues, helping wearables to capture the interest of consumers," Ramkumar said. "Assuming battery and data accuracy issues are resolved, the real value of wearable devices will accrue as part of the Internet of Things ecosystem, enabling communication of data across devices."