International Journal of Engineering Science Invention Research & Development; Vol. II Issue XII, June e-issn:

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1 GENERAL STUDY ON WEARABLE G. Niranjana (1), Dr. R. Vijayabhanu (2) (1) Msc (cs), Department of computer science, Avinashilingam institute of home science and higher education for women (2) MCA, M.Phil, Ph.D., Assistant professor, Department of computer science, Avinashilingam institute of home science and higher education for women 1 niranjana1116@gmail.com, 2 vijayabhanu.r@gmail.com Abstract Wearable devices are emerging technology, designed to provide exclusive services to the users. This topic summarizes the overall development process, current scenario, applications, challenges and security issues of wearable devices. The rapid developments in sensor devices, computer, storage, communication systems and power technologies led way to the widespread emergence of wearable devices Keywords Wearable devices; Applications; Classification; sensors; challenges I. INTRODUCTION A wearable device performs many of the same computing tasks as of mobile phones and laptops. However, in some cases wearable devices outperform these hand-held devices [1]. Applications of the wearable devices are in the field of business operations, security, safety, clinical and wellness applications, sports and fitness applications and few devices for pet animals. In recent years, fitness bracelets and smart watches were basically glorified step counters worn on your wrist. Now, they are doing everything from measuring the user s heartbeat, sleep rate, eating habits, daily activity that includes counting steps, calories burned, when you sweat etc. Apart from these wearable devices are capable of receiving e- mails, text messages, audio files, even in gaming the users can improve golf game through voice coaching, they can track data useful for football, tennis, rugby etc. For instance, Microsoft s Band advertises 10 different sensors in the small package. With expectations higher than ever, bands are very complicated to compete. There are the sensors inside, making it happen. II. EVOLUTION OF WEARABLE According to He Jiang et al [2] journal, during 1960 s 1970 s wearable devices were in their embryonic period The first calculator watch was launched by pulsar, a division of the Hamilton Watch company CC Collins invented a wearable cameratotactile vest for the blind, the head mounted camera converts images into a square tactile grid on a vest Computer shoe Steve Mann designed a head-mounted camera Steve Mann designed a backpack style computer that displays all the data through the helmet The first digital hearing aids was released [3] First wrist computer invented by Edgar Matias and Mike Ruicci of the University of Toronto The first Bluetooth Headset was shipped [3] Fitbit was founded by james park and Eric Friedman, realized that there is an advancement in sensors and wireless technology and they started developing fitness activity trackers to improve health The W200 wearable computer was released by Glacier computers, mainly designed for emergency purposes Wrist Activity Trackers Google glass, this wearable computer has the ability to take photos and record 720p HD video Many Smart watches have been released in market. In the next few years, there will be more development in wearable devices and it makes life easier. III. APPLICATION OF WEARABLE DEVICE The list of devices in each application is clearly represented in [4]. The applications of wearable devices in different fields and number of devices in each field are shown in Table 1. TABLE I NUMBER OF IN EACH FIELDS G. Niranjana and Dr. R. Vijayabhanu ijesird, Vol. II Issue XII June 2016/779

2 Fields Fitness 194 Industrial 39 Entertainment 50 Lifestyle 251 Medical 76 Gaming 28 Pet animals 7 Number of devices IV. CLASSIFICATION OF WEARABLE The classifications of wearable devices are shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 1 Classification of wearable devices Head-worn e.g., DAQRI Smart helmet, Reebok checklight, Melon headband, Google glass Ear-worn e.g., EmotivNeuroheadset, LG Heart Rate Ear phones Hand-worn e.g., SensoGlove, Fujitsu Glove-style, Smart Watches, Smart cuffs Wrist-worn e.g., Smart Watches, Fitness monitors/activity trackers, UV Monitors Finger-worn e.g., Fin Thumbring, Smart ring, Pulse Smart garments Bioelectric (ECG and EMG), Movement and Temperature Sensors e.g., Athos, Glofaster R, Omsignal Foot-worn e.g., SurroSense Rx System, Lechal shoe, 3L Labs Footlogger, Sprouting Baby Monitor V. OPERATING SYSTEM Depending on the feature requirements, a wearable device may or may not need a specific operating system. A simple wrist watch that monitors temperature, measures movement using accelerometer and other sensors to track various activities can run on real time operating system, whereas a smart watch needs an advanced operating system like Android. List of operating systems dominating the wearable market are [5]: Android Android wear Tizen Linux IOS Media Tek slinkit The operating systems positioned for market dominance are Android wear and Apple watch OS. Tizen won t last long due to lack of apps; Linkit may dominate the lowest end of products, but not in western markets; Linux code can be stolen. While apple s entry into the wearables market came late, but offers near identical features to Android wear VI. COMMON SENSORS USED IN WEARABLE A. ACCELEROMETERS Accelerometer is the most common basic tracker included for multiple things [6], but is mainly used for counting steps. Like this some of the sensors are B. GPS The GPS receiver receives a high-frequency, lowpower radio signals from the satellites [7]. The time taken for a signal to reach your wrist is translated into your distance from the satellite, but GPS is still fairly power hungry compared to other sensors. G. Niranjana and Dr. R. Vijayabhanu ijesird, Vol. II Issue XII June 2016/780

3 C. OPTICAL HEART-RATE MONITOR It measures the heart rate using light [8]. It works as, LED is passed through the skin and an optical sensor examines the light that bounces back from user skin. Since blood absorbs more light, fluctuations in light level can be translated into heart rate such a process called photoplethysmography. But using an optical heart rate monitor on the wrist is not as accurate as using it on the fingertip or on the chest. D. GALVANIC SKIN RESPONSE SENSOR It measures the electrical conductance of the skin. For instance, when the user start to sweat, either from exercise or something else, these information s are monitored using this sensor and provides alert messages. E. AMBIENT LIGHT SENSOR Ambient light sensors may be built in to a device to adjust the screen brightness [9]. For instance, one tells your phone to brighten the screen when you are out in day and dim the screen at night. A fitness tracker uses ALS for the same purpose and for detecting the time of the day. F. MAGNETOMETER Magnetometer is used in the devices to measure the magnetization of a magnet and also measures the direction of the magnetic field at a point in space [10]. G. BAROMETER Barometer is used in the devices to measure the atmospheric pressure to forecast the weather or determines altitude [11]. H. ALTIMETER An altimeter is used to measure the altitude of an object above fixed level. I. PEDOMETER Pedometer is a portable device that is used to count every step user takes by detecting the motion of the user [12]. J. PRESSURE SENSOR Pressure sensor is used to evaluate the amount of pressure applied and responds to it with the specific electrical signal [13]. K. UV SENSOR It measures the harmful UV radiation from the sun and alerts the users when they are exposed to sun more [14]. L. GYRO SENSOR Gyro sensors also known as angular rate sensors or angular velocity sensors are devices that sense rotational motion and also sense changes in orientation. M. BIOIMPEDANCE SENSOR It covers three bases: heart rate, respiration rate, and galvanic skin response. These sensors may provide a fitness band with data s about your heart-rate, body temperature, location and even counting steps, but it is not worthy much without software to translate it into useful device. VII. REQUIREMENTS OF WEARABLE Aesthetics - Wearable devices must look stylish and should be designed in a way that it blends with existing fashion accessories such as ornaments, watches, and glasses. Size - They must be able to integrate more features and at the same time the size of these devices should be small. Water tolerance - As these devices are used by the humans they must be designed to tolerate the environmental conditions such as water drops, moisture, and sweat. Power consumption - Wearable devices are required to be always on and stay connected because most of these devices are used for monitoring various activities. Therefore these devices need to operate at ultra-low power to conserve battery life. Wireless communication - Wearable devices interact with one or more other devices using wireless communication protocols. G. Niranjana and Dr. R. Vijayabhanu ijesird, Vol. II Issue XII June 2016/781

4 Selecting the right application processor or microcontroller based on the type and features of the device. The above requirements of wearable devices are briefly explained in [15]. VIII. DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM A wearable device collects lot of sensitive information about the user and stores them in database. Database management system provides access to the user to retrieve the necessary information [2]. For example, the Inbody device uses the built-in sensors to track the steps you take, distance you travelled, calories you burn, it measures heart rate, body mass and percentage of body fat in real time and displays health data through the screen. The user can consult the database to obtain various information about their health status. For example, when it is time for workout, wearable devices provides alert message to the user by querying the database information. When shopping, the devices can also recommend other locations based on user needs. At present, the database management system for wearable devices is dealing only with simple data s. They are using local databases to store these data s. In future wearable device needs cloud databases to store the large amount of data. IX. NETWORK COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL A wearable device exchanges the data with other devices such as mobile phones, computers and other wearable devices through network communication protocols (NCP) [2]. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC are the currently used wireless communication protocol standard that works in short-range. X. SECURITY Wearable device collects lot of sensitive data about the user [2]. For example, geographical location, living habits, health records, body temperature, heart rate, account password and conversation, etc. The communication of the wearable devices is mainly based on wireless network. So, when those data s are stolen or mishandled, the user s privacy and security is gone. They still lack in privacy and security. Probably they may use some effective authentication, so that only user can be able to login and view his data s. XI. CHALLENGES IN WEARABLE A. DESIGN CONSTRAINTS One of the major challenges in the market today is the design constraints of wearable devices [16]. Currently, most smart wearable device manufacturers are focused on technology rather than on design. Most of the devices run on processors and components that are designed for smart phones, so they look bulkier than a normal watch. The appearance of the smart wearables is not trendy for the user to wear. B. HIGH POWER CONSUMPTION Almost all wearable devices use wireless networks, GPS, and other technologies that consume a lot of power. Currently, the battery life of wearable devices lasts for one to two days [16]. In the case of intensive usage, the battery lasts for less than a day. Thus, the short battery life and high power consumption of wearable devices are reducing usage and adoption. C. HIGH INITIAL COST Due to its high initial cost, only few users can afford to buy the wearable devices. The average selling price of the smart wearable device is US$ [16]. In addition, the prices of branded products are very high. D. LACK OF DATA PRIVACY AND SECURITY Wearable devices are small in size, but they store a large amount of sensitive information about the user [16]. When these devices lost or misplaced, those data s can be easily stolen causing the disruption in work for users. E. USAGE RESTRICTIONS Most wearable devices have touch screens; the small size of the screen limits its functionality in G. Niranjana and Dr. R. Vijayabhanu ijesird, Vol. II Issue XII June 2016/782

5 terms of controlling the GUI with a finger. So it is difficult for the users to operate. XII. CONCLUSION However people started using Wearable devices widely and is becoming more popular in the development of mobile smart devices, even few devices are developed for pet animals. At present the developers started to develop wearable devices in fields, which fulfil all the requirements of the user. People started to realize the benefits of using it. The battery life has not achieved a breakthrough. Yet more application software s are needed for wearable devices to replace the mobile phones completely. Due to these limitations, the overall development of wearables is in slow pace. In future definitely there will be a great demand for these devices. The public will get benefited with these devices in all fields. [13] The vandrico website. [Online]. Available: [14] The vandrico website. [Online]. Available: [15] The embedded website. [Online]. Available: [16] The vandrico technavio. [Online]. Available: REFERENCES [1] The wearabledevice website. [Online]. Available: [2] He Jiang, Xin Chen, Shuwei Zhang, Xin Zhang, Weiqiang Kong, Tao Zhang Software for Wearable Devices: Challenges and Opportunities [3] The mashable website. [Online]. Available: /05/13/wearable-technologyhistory/#aXiWMXjc1ZqM [4] The vandrico website. [Online]. Available: [5] The makeuseof website. [Online]. Available: [6] The vandrico website. [Online]. Available: [7] The vandrico website. [Online]. Available: [8] The vandrico website. [Online]. Available: monitor [9] The vandrico website. [Online]. Available: [10] The vandrico website. [Online]. Available: [11] The vandrico website. [Online]. Available: [12] The vandrico website. [Online]. Available: G. Niranjana and Dr. R. Vijayabhanu ijesird, Vol. II Issue XII June 2016/783