Tag: senstone scripter

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Top 5 Unexpected Benefits of Wearable Technology

While wearables offer many benefits we’re familiar with, like helping us stay in shape, they have some underrated, surprising advantages. Even the devices you already know and love can impact your life positively in more ways than you expect.

This article is 100% good news, no flavor enhancer needed.

Benefit #1. Improved mental health.

The overabundance of technology is often cited as a source of stress, but many wearables benefit a user by reducing their stress levels.

 

For example, wearables can help alleviate anxiety. A device like Senstone Scripter minimizes your time online without sacrificing productivity, so you can take a break from the notifications and still get things done.

 

Fitness bracelets calm you down just by providing real-time statistics on your vitals, which makes you feel in control. In the long run, they help you make better lifestyle decisions, which again impacts mental well-being.

Breathing patterns is another thing wearable tech can track and notify you about. This can be used for breathing exercise and stress monitoring.

Benefit #2. Better posture.

 

Counting steps is one thing, but did you know wearables can correct your posture? This particular market is a diverse niche that offers many good options: from a gadget that vibrates when you start slouching to posture trackers that send detailed statistics to your phone. Whatever you choose, your back is going to thank you.


Benefit #3. Enhanced learning.

Wearable technology is a boon to educators because it gives them more options. VR and AR are especially useful in the classroom. They allow for truly interactive lessons, which gives students a better grasp on scientific concepts.

Voice-to-text wearables are another helpful innovation, and we have covered them in more detail here.

Benefit #4. Healthier relationships.

 

Another benefit of wearable technology that might surprise you is this: it can help you maintain a healthy relationship.

Again, this might seem counterintuitive to some people. We are used to computers and phones taking away from our family time, and a promise to solve this problem with more technology seems suspicious. And yet, wearables have succeeded.

Some of them make communication easier. Others are designed for couples, like the device that lets you feel your partner’s heartbeat in real time. “Friendship lamps” are a thing as well, a concept that is both incredibly neat and heart-warming.

 

And, of course, we have to mention virtual reality. With VR, you get to share a virtual space with another person. You can talk, explore the interactive environment, and play video games together. Physical distance doesn’t matter.

 

Benefit #5. Environmental awareness.

 

Wearables can help our planet in a number of creative ways, raising awareness on a personal level and actually making an impact. For instance, there is a cotton apron that captures carbon dioxide. There are also CO₂ tracker wristbands, and nothing makes climate change a more pressing issue than watching your carbon dioxide meter go haywire in the middle of the street.

 

To sum up, wearable technology is expanding. It’s gone beyond basic fitness bands. Now we can use its advantages, such as mobility, to solve problems in new, unconventional ways.

 

And you know what? Unconventional is our speciality. This article has been brought to you by Senstone. Check out this homepage to learn more about cutting edge wearables. Follow us on social media or contact us at team@senstone.io if you have any questions. Stay cool!

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How Do Wearables Connect to Your Smartphone?

Have you ever wondered how wearables connect to a smartphone? How do they “know” to send data to your phone specifically? What type of connection do they use? How does it work? Read on, and we’ll do our best to answer these questions.

 

Why Do Wearables Connect to Other Devices?

 

Before we get into how wearables connect to smartphones, let’s establish why they need to connect to your phone at all.

Unlike your laptop, most wearables are highly specialized. That means they were designed to perform only a certain amount of functions. For example, Senstone is a wearable voice-to-text recorder. Its functions are: 1) record audio on demand, 2) store the recordings, 3) make sure audio is transferred to the cloud storage and processed by artificial intelligence. As you can see, step 3 relegates the data to a more generalist and powerful machine.

 

This “division of labor” is what makes wearables so efficient. They connect to other devices and access their computing power. The ability to connect is a core feature, and wearables rely on it a lot.

  • Notifications are sent and received.
  • Commands allow you to control other devices.
  • Data is collected for storage and analysis. This is how you get your activity stats in real time.
  • More functions, such as AI spell checking, can be accessed by sending the data for processing to another computer.

In short, wearables really do need to connect to other devices. And your phone is perfect for the job!

Wearables & Wireless Connection(s)

 

We’ve come closer to answering the original question: how do wearables connect to smartphones? The reason why people ask this a lot is because they cannot see a visible proof of connection, i. e. wires.

 

Wireless technology shaped wearables as we know them. There would be no wireless headphones without a way for them to receive the music they are supposed to play.

With the many types of wearables we have today, there are several different technologies used to connect a gadget to your phone.

  • Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and Bluetooth Classic. These two standards are the most common ways for your wearable to connect to your phone. Devices supporting Bluetooth connect using ultra-high frequency radio waves. You need to enable Bluetooth on  both devices and pair them so that they automatically exchange data when nearby. The BLE standard is cheaper and better suited for low-power gadgets, and this is why most Bluetooth wearables run BLE.
  • Wi-Fi. Some wearables can connect to your smartphone via the regular Wi-Fi. This allows for a greater range and faster data transfer speeds. To connect your wearable to your smartphone via Wi-Fi, you usually need to connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network and  then pair them.
  • Near Field Communication (NFC). NFC is a short-range technology that allows for contactless communication between two devices in very close proximity (4 cm or less). Some wearables have NFC capabilities, allowing you to pair them with your smartphone by simply holding the devices close together. Contactless payments is the usual reason for running NFC on a wearable.
  • ANT+. An ultra-low-power protocol. Unlike others on the list, ANT is meant for sports wearables.

Some wearables can use more than one protocol. The specific methods of connectivity will heavily depend on the make and model of wearable and smartphone, so you can always refer to the user manual for more information on how to connect your gadgets.


This post has been brought to you by Senstone. As a company, we have been actively contributing to wearable technology for years. You can visit our homepage – or read another article about cutting-edge inventions and trends. Stay cool!

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The Digital Divide & Why We Should Fight It

Our world is facing another challenge: the so-called digital divide. This term is used to describe the growing technological disparity between certain countries or social strata, the gap in technology access between the richer areas and those who didn’t luck out.

 

The divide can be caused by several factors:

  • Physical location. Lack of imported gadgets or parts, low economic development, remote and/or inaccessible regions, isolated economies, little to no infrastructure all contribute to the digital divide.
  • Low income. Many people cannot use new technology simply because they cannot afford it. 24% of adult people with household incomes below $30,000/year don’t own a smartphone. 40% of those with lower incomes don’t have home broadband services or don’t own a PC. Location influences income also, with certain regions being poorer and/or experiencing low purchasing power.
  • Low literacy. College graduates have a much better grasp on tech due to their education, and they usually own more gadgets.
  • Low motivation. Some people possess the necessary income and education to use the full potential of technology, but choose not to. Mostly this is due to the lack of motivation (“I don’t need it”) and age (“This is too different from what I’m used to”). Luckily, there are one-button gadgets like Senstone Scripter, but they are far and few.

All of the above can be countered with policies, reforms, and awareness campaigns. While such sweeping measures can seem too drastic, they are completely justified.



Why Closing the Digital Divide Is Worth the Effort

The digital divide concerns everyone, even those who don’t experience its immediate effects. Since the industry has become globalized, with supply chains spanning the entire planet, a physically distant event or phenomenon can influence the unsuspecting citizens around the globe.

Let’s consider a city that experiences a bad case of digital divide, such as the lack of internet access. It creates all sorts of problems for the state:

  • problems implementing digital solutions such as eID, remote education, billing, mobile banking
  • creating a real-life divide between those who can access technology and those who can’t
  • fewer citizens can become skilled workers
  • low income cycle: cannot afford new technology – cannot make money using it – cannot afford new technology

uninformed voters are easier to manipulate into supporting backwards and/or harmful policies

 

 

Reversing the trend will bring a lot of benefits to the tech industry of the city and, by extension, the rest of the world.

  • more clients
  • more demand
  • more skilled workers
  • more opportunities


The community will directly profit from the policies aiming to close the digital divide, and the effects are going to last for generations.

  • better education
  • higher income
  • job opportunities
  • easier communication

Everybody wins.

 

How to Bridge the Digital Divide?

The digital divide is a relatively recent trend, and governments and companies are only just starting to catch up with reality.

In the US, policies are being implemented to ensure access to the broadband internet for all Americans. The issues are mostly local, with rural and tribal areas overrepresented in the statistics, and the percent of Americans without broadband access ranges between 6 and 12% depending on the study.

 

The US solution can be boiled down to a few bullet points:

  • federal programs that help cover the cost of communication services
  • broadband service discounts
  • promoting mobile and satellite internet
  • avoid unnecessary regulation of ISPs
  • e-learning vouchers for students

Other countries, like India, where the digital divide problem is much more severe (half the Indians don’t have access to broadband), have had moderate success when dealing with it. A lesson we can learn from them is simple: lack of systemic approach undermines all effort.

To conclude, it’s important to remember that the digital divide can be reversed, but fighting it has to become the business of policymakers. As regular netizens, we can do our best to draw attention to the problem and support the candidates who focus on communities and infrastructure.

 

This article has been brought to you by Senstone Inc. We are dedicated to making advanced technology accessible to everyone regardless of age and technical know-how. Visit our homepage at senstone.io to learn more.

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Inclusive Design in Tech: Top 5 Examples

If you’re looking for examples of inclusive design, you might be surprised to learn that many features we now take for granted were invented with the goal to promote inclusivity. In this article, we showcase some of them to illustrate just how deeply inclusivity has impacted the world of tech.

 

Inclusive Design Vs. Universal Design

 

Before we start listing examples of inclusive design, there is one more thing. Inclusive design does not equal universal design. The latter is aimed at the average user. In fact, universal design removes any possible adjustments that could be made for a certain audience (size, shape, even color) to make the item usable to as many people as possible.

 

On the other hand, inclusive design improves the product for a specific subset of consumers while representing as many of those subsets as possible. Most manufacturers do their best to combine both principles. You could even argue that inclusiveness is a different approach to universal.

 

Here are top 5 examples of inclusive design in tech.

1. Transcription & Voice Input

 

There are many reasons why a person can find it hard to input text via conventional means. Voice technology is one of the best ways to ensure typing is accessible to everyone.

Speech-to-text has become the staple of many apps, both general-purpose (Google Keyboard) and specialized (Senstone). While the former focuses on simple texts and commands, the latter is capable of smart editing and formatting.

All in all, artificial intelligence has made voice input a full-fledged alternative to regular typing.

2. Support For Non-English Symbols

 

This inclusivity feature is especially important because it helps people from around the world access products and services developed with English language in mind.

Many surnames feature hyphens, apostrophes, and/or various diacritics. Some full names are simply too long if you only account for English (for example, Picasso is short for Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso). Not to mention the Roman script is not the only one in the world.

3. Font Size

 

One of the most common inclusivity features is font size adjustment. According to WHO, more than 2 billion people suffer some form of vision impairment, so it’s safe to say the demand is high.

 

Bigger text allows to reduce eye strain, helping your eyesight in the long run and preventing the discomfort caused by squinting. And those who only wear glasses or contacts on special occasions can avoid reaching for their glasses every time they’d like to check a notification.

4. Automatic Subtitling

 

Automatic subtitles is another great instance of inclusive design. YouTube, for example, is famous for its instant speech-to-text and translation of video subtitles. While the quality is pretty great as of now, it just keeps getting better as Google improves and upgrades the software.

Subtitles are important for many people, most of all for the hard of hearing. But they are also helpful if you have trouble understanding the language or simply watch your videos on mute.

5. Color Adjustments

 

Inclusive design examples encompass certain options that can completely alter the experience. Color blindness mode is one of them. Be it a web browser or a video game, letting users adjust the colors to their liking is a good idea. 1 in 12 men are color blind, so the number of consumers who process visuals differently is always significant. For many of them, the regular color scheme can render the product unusable.



This article has been brought to you by Senstone Inc. We are dedicated to making advanced technology accessible to everyone regardless of age and technical know-how. Visit our homepage at senstone.io to learn more.

 

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HoloLens in the U.S. Army: Failed?

Although Microsoft has successfully adapted its HoloLens for the military, it seems something has gone wrong in the recent months. When Joe Biden signed the $1.75 trillion government funding bill, it became clear that the Army’s request for another batch of the Microsoft headsets had been denied.

 

Why? Has the whole idea been scrapped? What’s going on?

 

Augmented Reality Warfare

 

HoloLens and the military are not an unusual pairing by any means, nor is it unexpected. Microsoft Inc. and the U.S. army have been making deals since 2018 – this much has been made public. The corporation reworked its “civilian” HoloLens headset into Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) suited for the battlefield. It brought Microsoft a contract that could be worth the whopping $21.8 billion.

 

According to the news, IVAS’ primary purpose is displaying data such as low-light vision, mission data, location map, and other parameters. The goal is to increase situational awareness of a soldier, in transit or dismounted. Of course, a wearable like that is also going to be very useful for training and simulation…

 

Provided it makes the cut.

 

In October 2022, a leaked report caused quite a stir describing multiple shortcomings of the updated HoloLens as field tested by thousands of U.S. soldiers over the course of (at least) two years. According to the report, testers experienced nausea and headaches in addition to eye strain, and the symptoms persisted for hours. The glowing display was visible enough from outside that it could have “gotten us killed” in real life combat.

 

And so the Congress has ostensibly reacted to these findings. When the Army requested $400 million to buy 6,900 modified HoloLens headsets from Microsoft in 2023, the answer was “no”.

 

The Future of IVAS

 

Despite the difficulties and “low acceptance”, the HoloLens military tests are going to continue. Instead of the above-mentioned $400 million, the Congress approved $40 million to spend on the 1.2 version of the headset. And shortly before that, $125 million were allocated to spend on fixing the old model’s weak spots.

 

The new HoloLens for the Army promises an updated form factor (less of a helmet and more of a goggles), presumably to make the device less conspicuous. A range of improvements to the display aim to remove the negative symptoms experienced by the wearer. There is even talk about integrating IVAS to the Bradley platform, making the soldier retain their connection to the vehicle upon dismount and see what the Bradley sensors see when inside the car.

 

One thing is clear: the military needs wearable AR goggles. All the data gathered by sensors has to be delivered to the unit on site as efficiently as possible. The old-timey radios no longer suffice. We’re looking at yet another cutting edge technology entering the military.


This article has been brought to you by Senstone Inc. If you want to learn about wearable technology and its impact, visit our homepage or follow us on social media. Your productivity is our mission.

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Wearable Art Is Not What You Think

 

What Sophie de Oliveira Barata makes is wearable art, and she illustrates her point using pictures of her one-of-a-kind prosthetic limbs. Most of them are highly impractical: they are meant to be flaunted, shown off, photographed. Her creations bridge the gap between wearable gadgets and artwear.

 

She is not the only one who merges art with wearable technology.

 

The Kind of Art to Wear

 

Wearable art used to mean unique, imaginative clothing items. Not fashion but art coincidentally shaped like something to wear. While the basic definition still holds, the “clothing” part has been evolving, and technology is the usual suspect.

 

One of the first innovations to make it into the world of wearable art was the tiny, inconspicuous LED. It enabled fashion designers to incorporate light into their projects. Glowing dresses and body-turned-installation, predictably, followed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image credit: Maria Castellanos

 

But here’s a thing about art: it shrugs off function as well as mass production.

 

Mundane wearable devices like a fitness watch did not conquer the artwear scene. Wearable art is never mass produced. A limited edition wristband would not qualify as art as long as its primary functions remain telling time and counting steps instead of expressing an artistic concept. The line between art and ornament becomes pretty clear when approached (and surprisingly few do approach it).

 

The core hardware involved in wearables, however, has been adopted by the wearable art creators as soon as it entered the market.

 

The Kind of Wearables to Art Up

 

More and more, wearable technology becomes the vehicle for wearable art. These days it is responsible for all the moving, glowing, and interactive parts.

 

Cutting-edge microchips enabled Sophie de Oliveira Barata to make her prosthetic art reality. They also inspired the attendants of the International Conference on Art and Technology in the Spanish Bilbao.

 

Behnaz Farahi, an Iranian-born American architect and designer, used the occasion to present her wearable art in the form of “emotive fabric”. It changes shape in response to different stimuli and, being connected to the wearer through multiple sensors, can react to their emotions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image credit: Behnaz Farahi

 

Another spectacular example of wearable art is the project by Maria Castellanos and Alberto Valverde. Dubbed as “The Environment Dress”, it’s a peculiar-looking fashion statement that measures the level of intensity and aggression surrounding its wearer throughout the day. Temperature, noise, radiation, and even CO2 levels are fed into the sensors, making the dress emit light.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image credit: Maria Castellanos

 

 

And if all of the above sounds interesting to you, annual events like the Technarte Conference (Spain), World of Wearable Art (New Zealand), or The Wearable Art Show (Canada) offer a real spread of wearable art – as well as art in technology, including 3D printed pieces.

 

This article has been brought to you by Senstone. We make stylish and functional wearables for busy people. Check out the homepage to learn more about our wearable speech-to-text recorder. Follow us for more news about the world of wearables.

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The Wearable Voice Recorder Is Going Next-Gen

The production of Senstone Scripter, a next-gen wearable voice recorder, started in Q4 2022. The announcement was made through social media and preceded by a number of increasingly visual hints, so there is a lot of detail to unpack (no pun intended).

 

Senstone Scripter Features

 

For those unfamiliar with the brand, Senstone specialises in wearable recorders for high-tech note-taking.

 

Senstone Scripter is marketed as “a unique wearable designed for instant note-taking” – and a direct successor to the company’s 2019 Scripter. It’s a small screenless device that can be attached to your clothes with a clip or worn around your neck as a pendant. A single button starts and stops the recording.

The most notable features:

  • speech-to-text on the fly
  • speech recognition for multiple languages
  • high-quality audio recording

  • can work offline

The packaging is small and minimalistic. This is what you can find inside the box:

  • Senstone Scripter
  • USB Type-C charging cable
  • magnet clip and pendant
  • lace with bayonet closure and magnetic aid

A QR code on the side of the package takes you to the user manual page. Another QR code links to the Senstone app on Play Market (Android) or App Store (iOS). There is no physical user manual available for Scripter, all to reduce the carbon footprint of its production.

 

Old Gen vs. Next Gen

 

The Kickstarter page used to fund the production of the recorder gives us plenty of info on the exact specs. More breadcrumbs gathered through the official social media account, and we know exactly how Scripter compares to the previous version.

 

Languages

  • new gen: 19 languages

Speech-to-text quality

  • 90% for old gen
  • 99% for new gen

Battery

  • old gen: 65 mAz battery
  • new gen: 230 mAz battery (3.5x longer battery life)

Length of a single recording

  • old gen: 3 min
  • new gen: 60 min+ (20x longer recording length)

Storage capacity of device (excluding app)

  • old gen: 248 Mbit
  • new gen: 1 Gbit (4x more memory)

Audio frequency

  • old gen: 8 Khz
  • new gen: 16 Khz (2x)

Other improvements include the new Bluetooth standard 5.1 versus the old 4.0 – 4.2. A professional-grade microphone allows for higher audio frequency and better quality of recording and AI processing.

 

Release Date & Price

 

The wearable recorder is scheduled for release in 2023. As of December 2022, the exact date is to be revealed.

 

As for the price, it’s going to be $229 for one unit.

 

There is no mandatory monthly subscription (pay-to-use) but you have the option to purchase the premium plan. It enables personalised dictionaries and some other perks accessible through the app.

 

If you would like to know more about Scripter, the AI-powered wearable recorder scheduled for 2023, visit the dedicated page on Senstone website.

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Devices For Seniors: Senstone Scripter

When the average customer thinks about gadgets for seniors, they mostly imagine hearing aids and motorised wheelchairs. Although most devices used for (and by) the elderly help take care about mobility issues, not everything is about movement.

 

Helping to Remember

 

With more and more people striving to stay active for as long as possible, gadgets for seniors are a growing market. The demand is high. Supply? Well… It depends on what you’re looking for.

 

Staying connected and organised is very important for mental health at any age. When the memory is no longer as sharp as before, people seek solutions.

 

Pen and paper.

 

Sticky notes.

 

Journals.

 

But when you really start looking, things can get incredibly high-tech.

 

Wearable technology is an unexpected source of help for the elderly, but it makes sense.

 

Unlike many voice assistants (Alexa), wearables are not confined to one room. They are not confined to a phone either. Besides, a wearable doesn’t require any complex smart home setup. It’s simple and effective.

 

A wearable that helps remember daily tasks can be a life changer.

 

Better Than Sticky Notes

 

The most helpful gadgets for seniors, we have learned, address their needs quickly.

 

We have designed a wearable recorder with a single large button. The recorder is called Senstone Scripter and captures audio while automatically transcribing it into text.

 

Senstone Scripter was made for care takers and seniors alike. Whether you take care of the elderly or looking to compensate for your own memory problems, this wearable is just what you need.

 

Features:

  • audio recording and speech-to-text transcription
  • hands-free design (clip it to your collar or wear it around your neck)
  • can take long recordings (1 hour+)
  • great battery life

 

By the way, those seniors who experience problems with coordination – tremor, shaky hands – are going to love our wearable recorder. Unlike the phone, it has only one large button, which you don’t even have to look at.

 

Scripter works in tandem with its dedicated app. Your recordings are stored in the cloud and processed by artificial intelligence. It sorts them, places the commas where appropriate. You can easily share notes (both text and audio) through other apps like Gmail or just by copy and pasting them.

 

Other facts about our wearable you might find interesting:

  • transcription support for 19 languages
  • no subscription plan; you buy it – it’s yours
  • can work offline

Is It For Me?

 

If you want to learn more about Scripter as a gadget for seniors, you can start by visiting its page on our website: click here.

 

And for those who would like to delve deeper into the technology, here is the full user manual for Senstone Scripter (in English): click here.

 

Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, suggestions, or feedback. You can find our contact info on the website.

 

Have a good day!

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5 Benefits of Wearable Technology in the Workplace

Consumer-grade wearable technology has been around for a good decade, but it has only recently started to gain traction in the workplace. There are many potential benefits to using wearable gadgets, both for the employer and the employee. Some of those benefits are easy to predict, and some can be quite surprising.

1. Increased productivity.

One of the most important improvements wearable tech brings to the table is the productivity boost. It’s very noticeable and nearly instant. By allowing employees to access, record, and exchange data more easily, wearables can help streamline processes and reduce the amount of time spent micromanaging mundane tasks.

  • Taking notes. Wearable speech-to-text recorders like Senstone Scripter.
  • Monitoring health parameters and stress. Smart watches like FitBit Charge.
  • Identification. ID badges, wrist bands, and even rings.
  • Lifting heavy packages. Exoskeletons? Why not.

In addition, wearables can provide you with real-time feedback and statistics. This helps workers and businesses identify areas in which they both can become more efficient.

2. Easier communication.

Wearables can also give a boost to everyday communication in the workplace. By allowing the team to stay connected to each other, wearable gadgets can help ensure that information is relayed quickly and effectively.

Wearables can provide you with an easy way to access help or support in case of an emergency. The data gathered by the wearable is stored in the cloud and can be shared with colleagues instantly.

3. Workplace safety boost.

Here’s the one you don’t hear often: wearables can save lives. This is one of the reasons why them being reliable is such a big deal. The raw potential here is great but we already have some amazing systems making the workplace safer for everyone.

A wristband connected to a sensor can signal the wearer about chemicals in the air. Warnings, such as air raid alerts, can be transmitted to the smart watch. Vitals transmitted to the wearable can be used to help you take proper breaks.

4. Transparency and trust.

In recent years, there has been a growing movement toward greater transparency in the workplace. There are many ways in which wearable technology can support and encourage this amazing trend.

For example, making the data collected by wearables available to the entire team in real time does wonders for morale. Everyone feels – and is – included.

5. Worker satisfaction.

Companies are always looking for new ways to keep their employees satisfied. They know that happy employees lead to worker retention, good reviews, and, of course, more profit.

Wearable technology can do a lot to improve the workplace environment. It can help employees stay connected and make sure they are comfortable. It can also help employers keep track of tasks and make sure the management and the managed stay on the same page.

 

Naturally, it’s vital to ensure that employees are comfortable with the technology before implementing it in a company. Some training is necessary, even if the wearable in question is an intuitive screen-free solution.

Still, in the world of enterprise, time equals money and wearables save a lot of time and effort. We can expect more businesses to experiment with wearable technology. The future looks bright as ever!

 

This article has been brought to you by Senstone Inc. We specialise in wearable recorders powered by the AI – all to make your life easier. Check out our home page to learn more.

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Wearables in Healthcare: Becoming the New Normal

As technology improves, wearables in healthcare are becoming more and more popular. This is hardly surprising. From monitoring vitals around the clock to making the documentation process easier on practitioners, wearable technology affords some unique benefits.

 

Healthcare in Real Time

 

One of the main contributions wearables are currently making to healthcare is health monitoring. You no longer have to confine a person to the bed and hook them up to clunky machinery to get the necessary data.

 

  • heart rate
  • heart rhythm
  • blood oxygen saturation
  • breathing
  • sleep patterns
  • blood pressure
  • movement (walking, running, fall)

All these (and more) can be measured using a smart watch. Days, weeks, and months of statistical data help correctly assess the wearer’s health. And you don’t need to lend out expensive apparatus; watches are available at any tech store.

 

A frequently asked question about health wearables is whether they are accurate enough to be used for treating and diagnosing diseases. These doubts are still here because we remember all too well the first generations of wearable tech.

 

Luckily, things have gotten much, much better during the decade. Now doctors can rely on wearables for recording vitals, and there are even ECG watches approved by the FDA.

 

Wearables For the Doctor

 

A less obvious application of wearables in healthcare would be catering to the medical practitioners themselves.

 

Since the paperwork has been abandoned in lieu of electronic records (EHR), there is a lot of typing going on at the hospitals. Some information needs to be memorised before it can be recorded. For the doctors who use regular notebooks, their notes have to be transferred into the computer. According to a study, American doctors waste two-thirds of their time filling out forms.

 

Wearable recorders converting speech to text on the fly have emerged as the high-tech solution to the problem. 

 

Devices like Senstone Scripter allow physicians to record a patient’s data once – and transfer it between devices instantly while the AI makes sure there will be no spelling mistakes.

 

Although some smartphone apps can be used to a similar effect, wearables have the advantage of being hands-free. 

 

Their other strong point is the lack of intrusive notifications. You are free to concentrate on one task at a time and enter a state of deep focus. 

 

A wearable recorder has long battery life, too; a doctor doesn’t have to juggle texting, calls, and recording trying to make the phone last longer.



In conclusion, wearables and healthcare seem to have found each other. The former have improved to the point where a store-bought product can be used to reliably monitor health conditions. The latter has been successfully implementing wearable technology for years. Cardiology is the field most well-known for its application of wearables, but we can see other fields (like neurology) catching up to it already.

 

Stay productive!

 

This article has been brought to you by Senstone, a company working to make note-taking a seamless and effortless experience – anywhere, anytime. If you want to learn more, visit our home page or follow us on social media.