On the jewellery side, speaking of wearable technology and its incorporation into saleable fashions, way ahead was Swarovski, better known for their crystals, but the firm has a history of innovative collaborations with product and fashion designers. Eight or so years ago, in collaboration with Hussein Chalayan, one of the first wearable technology garments was marketed, decorated with crystals and lasers. This was a sort-of in-between moment for the category.
Swarovski’s later began technical collaboration with Misfit by using new materials, metals and a crystal surface that allows the LED lights to indicate a user’s progress and monitor body conditions that would glimmer through the faceted glass interface. A solar-powered version was soon made available that would never need external charging! Now, Samsung is collaborating with Swarovski to ‘bling’ out its smartwatch.
Watches remain a contender in this innovative market with recent headlines in this new industry telling a little of what’s in the pipeline: Guess recently announced a new collaboration with smartwatch maker Martian; Michael Bastian collaborates with Hewlett-Packard for new smart watch design also.
All this is evidence that advanced technology has reached the stage where it is being applied to the human body in the form of ICs that are either injected into or fitted onto, the human physical frame. Likewise into and onto clothing and accessories that not only adorn but also integrate with monitoring and high-life services. Also, with the bio-technology, applied to instant identification and tracking. Intel, the IC chip maker for example, just announced a new collaboration with fashion brand Fossil.
Fineck shows another example which is a necklace that monitors neck movement and lets you know if you are straining. Fineck can also keep an eye on general body movements and let the wearer know if health is up to grade. The technology learns the habitual movements and can tell if they are healthy or not. There is also a game built into the system, which allows the practice of neck strengthening exercises.
Earrings, such as the playfully named Ear-O-Smart, developed by Biosensive Technologies, are a pair of high tech earrings that keep an eye on your vitals. According to the company, these earrings are more accurate than fitness bands because they aren’t moving around all of the time or flushing against the skin. So, on that note, you can expect these earrings to keep track of heart rate, sleep quality, how long you’ve walked, and other odds and ends. Usually connected to an Android or like smartphone, the wearer can always take a glance at the vital signs.
There is an upcoming line of smart jewellery that intends to keep the wearer(s) closer than ever even though they might already be lovers... The items come in pairs and are like two parts of a heart locket. There is no texting or photo sharing here, rather an interesting way to share emotions. Each is equipped with low-power bluetooth technology and has an ability to vibrate and light up in a specific way that can give visual indication of mood and of course will - one hopes - light up when the loved one is near.
Whether sticking-plaster type applications or roll-on tattoos that have their own bio-interfaces, the moment has come for the more adventurous to engage with happening wearables of the fashionable kind.
The coined term is ‘disruptable technologies’, that is, technological applications that totally change the way things are and after all that is what fashion is all about, new trends that become the norm.
Stretchable, bendable and super-thin, the wearables even now lend themselves to unique designs that can either be stand-out decorative or, contrarily, blend with the colour of the skin.
Attachable computers that look like square stickers about the size of an ‘old’ postage stamp, can include wireless aerials, temperature sensors and heart-rate monitors and collect all sorts of biometric data that is integral to the body’s motion plus they have a battery.
Just stick a few sensors onto the body before going for a run, then be able to see a micro-level reading of what happened over that period of exercise on a smartphone.
One far-sighted deodorant manufacturer can allow its devices to decide which of their products would be best for you. This would be done with a sticker that tracks sweat levels, the technology then allows the firm to email the wearer brand recommendations. Beauty companies, such as L’Oréal, are developing digital stickers that track skin hydration.
Intel also has a smartwatch which has its own connectivity and doesn’t require tethering. It also has smart geo-fencing capability to monitor the person wearing the watch from a location-based standpoint. It can show where a child is at any time, see the time, and know where that child is supposed to be. It can notify if the child hasn’t arrived at school for example. If any wearer steps outside the geo-fence, the smartwatch can send an alert.
Jewellers can make products aesthetically pleasing as this is what they have doing for generations, but that is no guarantee of buyer satisfaction when it comes to wearable technology as has been noted with some products early on the market. Functionality still leaves something to be desired.
One good looking ring connects to a smartphone using bluetooth low energy technology, and can alert the user via different vibrations and blinking lights when they are receiving a call, text, email or social media notification. This is a great gift giving option yes but not the device for everyone.
Superficiality rules the day and in this throwaway society this is no dishonour but at the moment it is the textiles that are winning not the jewellery end of the wearable technology line.
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