Wearables are What’s Next

Get ready for a “wearvolution”! Wearables are emerging as the next big thing in tech. Beyond FitBit and the Apple Watch, wearables have popped up in diverse industries, and the evolution is real.

In my last blog post on Five Mobile Marketing Tips, I stressed the importance of getting up to speed on wearables. To help you get started thinking about how you can integrate these technologies into your digital marketing and challenger brand thinking, take a look at these current and near-future high-tech wearables:

Disney’s MagicBand

Stay at any Walt Disney World Resort hotel, and you’ll be issued a personalized, waterproof MagicBand in your choice of color. Wired reported Disney invested $1 billion in their proprietary wearable technology that allows you to enter your hotel room without needing to check in at the front desk. The MagicBand is also your ticket to the parks, your FastPass+ reservation for rides, and your currency—it even connects your identity to the resort photographers. And yes, there’s an app for that.

HealthPatch MD

The HealthPatch MD has passed FDA and regulatory agency standards internationally. The device uses a biosensor patch discreetly worn on the chest to continuously measure heart rate, respiratory rate, body posture, ECG, steps, and more via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. The data is securely transferred to a third party, such as a physician.

Google Glass

A work in progress for sure, but you can bet the tech giant’s not giving up on Google Glass. The headset is expected to allow users to access the web with voice-command technology and a touchscreen on the frame. Google Glass was on the market for less than a year, but pulled for improvement and to resolve privacy and security issues. As for today, Google hasn’t announced a date when the wearable tech glasses will return to the market. As a Google puts it, “For now, no peeking.”

Google Contact Lenses

Google has partnered with pharma giant Novartis for—get this—Google contact lenses. The lenses have tiny biosensors to measure glucose from tears, which would save diabetics from the pain and inconvenience of regular pin pricks for testing their blood sugar. The companies hope the technology can be evolved to help age-related eye sight issues and replace reading glasses.

Facebook VR

It’s just a matter of time before Facebook gets into the wearables game. The company has already purchased Oculus Rift, a virtual reality headset, for $2 billion. Read the full story in Vanity Fair. You can get your own for $1,500 and use the headset to play video games and watch VR movies. But the possibilities are much bigger, so keep your eye on the ball.

Holograms
Vanity Fair also reported Google has made a $542 million investment in Magic Leap, a highly secretive company that’s rumored to be on the verge of hologram technology. Stay tuned!

Mood Sweater

Making its debut at—where else but—a digital fashion show, the Sensoree GER Mood Sweater uses sensors to detect electrodermal activity and interprets the changes into colors depicting the wearer’s emotions:

How can your challenger brand move into the wearable technology arena? You now have a peek into the future. Start brainstorming. Imagine the possibilities.