Many Wearable Technologies products are exciting because they can be integrated into wearable systems and be hooked up to other devices in their surroundings. An example of this is the sport watch, which can work with a heart rate belt and be connected to a computer.
With many such products, it is, however, only “doable” if the products combined are made by the same manufacturer. But, over the past few years, there has been a bit of advancement in the sports performance data measurement device arena. Now, running sensors made by adidas and Nike can be connected to iPods or iPhones. This is the rare exception, though, and even here there is room for improvement.
Indeed, in most cases it is problematic trying to get devices and systems made by different companies to work together. And, in a perfect world, all devices would work together wirelessly. The problem lies in the fact that, to date, there is no universal wireless communication standard and it will probably be a while before there is one, if ever.
According to the experts, it is more likely a few standards will emerge and coexist. Which standards those will be can only be speculated upon at this point, because not every standard is compatible with every application. Beloved standards are currently Bluetooth, ZigBee, DECT, NFC, Wireless USB (Ultrawideband), WiFi, GSM, 3G and WiMax.
Such organizations as the Bluetooth SIG, IEEE and the Continua Health Alliance are actively pushing for universal standards. Bluetooth SIG’s and IEEE’s efforts aim at a general standardization of communication technologies, while Continua Health Alliance’s target a special standardization in the area of healthcare.
From a user point of view, being able to simply connect various devices makes a lot of sense. The companies who see the feature as nothing but threatening, should realize that the more they can offer customers and the more open they are to cooperation with other manufacturers can only bring for them more profit than loss. We are psyched to see who jumps into that race and how long we have to wait for it.
