The pace of technological change in the modern world is incredible. If you go back a few decades, even the most optimistic of tech commentators would have stopped short of predicting the availability of things like facial recognition, GPS and smartwatches on mass consumer markets. Incredibly, many things that we now see as normal if not essential parts of our lives were first conceived of in the realm of science fiction before scientists put their minds to making them a reality. And who knows what tech wonders await us in the future? Read on for a few educated guesses about which wearable gadgets could become the next big thing in the next 10 years.
1. Augmented Reality Contact Lenses
The technology for projecting interactive images onto contact lenses has already existed for over 10 years now, and it is only a matter of time before the technology becomes widespread. The potential uses for smart lenses are seemingly infinite, ranging from a virtual personal assistant that can give you real-time advice on what to eat and how to exercise to software that can read people’s micro-expressions to predict whether they are being truthful.
2. Smart Shoes
Shoes that contain sensors with the capacity to tell you how far you have walked in a given period of time and can track your exact route throughout the day will take off in the next few years. They will potentially be able to harness your movement and convert it into electricity to charge your phone and other devices, meaning that you will never lament forgetting to bring your charger anywhere again.
3. Finger End Micro Chips
Have you ever seen the scene in the movie Minority Report where Tom Cruise’s character manipulates the projections from his computer with his fingertips? While such technology seemed farfetched at the time movie was released, tiny microchips embedded under a person’s fingernails are likely to make it a reality very soon.
4. Smart Earrings
Earrings that monitor a wearer’s heart rate, blood pressure, temperature and blood oxygen levels are likely to boom in the next few years. People will be able to keep track of almost every aspect of their physiology via detailed and accurate statistics, all available at the touch of a button on their devices.
5. Mood Shirts
Although they are certainly not likely to be everyone’s cup of tea, shirts that change color according to the mood of their wearer are set to be a big hit with those who like wearing their heart on their sleeve. The shirts function along the same principles as the mood rings that you probably remember from your youth and will contain an array of sensors for reading subtle changes in your physiology in order to broadcast them to the people around you.
The latest wearable technology straight out of your favorite sci-fi movies is coming to a store near you soon. The only question is whether you are ready for it yet!