{"id":114514,"date":"2025-02-15T05:45:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-15T10:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/?post_type=ftm_article&p=114514"},"modified":"2025-02-14T13:31:37","modified_gmt":"2025-02-14T18:31:37","slug":"wearables-fitness-trackers","status":"publish","type":"ftm_article","link":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/consumer-tech\/wearables-fitness-trackers","title":{"rendered":"Today\u2019s wearables track your body. Tomorrow\u2019s could treat it."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This article is an installment of\u00a0Future Explored<\/a>, a weekly guide to world-changing technology. You can get stories like this one straight to your inbox every Saturday morning by\u00a0subscribing above.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s 2026. You check your smartphone and see a notification from your AI fitness coach. Based on data collected from your wearable fitness tracker, it has personalized recommendations on what you should do and eat today\u2014taking the guesswork out of meeting your health goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Health wearables<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bryan Johnson is on a mission to live forever, and his chief weapon in the battle against the Grim Reaper is data. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am the most measured person in human history,\u201d says Johnson<\/a>, who bases his (hopefully) death-defying diet, exercise, and lifestyle decisions on the results<\/a> of regular medical tests and data from a bevy of gadgets<\/a>, including his WHOOP fitness tracker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWearing WHOOP gives me a tremendous amount of insight into my overall wellness, whether it’s my sleep, my HRV [heart rate variability], my performance in my cardiovascular endeavors,\u201d Johnson told Will Ahmed<\/a>, WHOOP\u2019s founder and CEO, in 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Johnson spends $2 million annually on his anti-aging regimen, but people far less hardcore about their health are also drawn to health wearables like WHOOP\u2014in 2023, nearly one-third of American adults<\/a> surveyed said they used one of the devices, and adoption is trending up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To better understand these increasingly ubiquitous devices, this week\u2019s Future Explored is taking a look back at the history of wearable fitness trackers, current trends, and what the tech could mean for the future of health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where we\u2019ve been<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"1965<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Where we\u2019re going (maybe)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the 60 years since the manpo-kei first inspired people to strive for 10,000 steps daily, wearables have gone from bulky, single-function gadgets to compact devices capable of revealing numerous insights into our health far more cheaply and conveniently than was previously possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what\u2019s next?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Better batteries<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Wearables aren\u2019t worth the silicon their sensors are printed on if they just collect dust in a drawer, and there are a few ways developers are trying to encourage people to not only buy the devices, but actually use them consistently (making it more likely they\u2019ll want to buy a new one when it\u2019s released).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One is by improving their battery life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPowering wearable sensors is an issue that is not talked about enough.”

Amay Bandodkar<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A 2016 survey<\/a> of former wearable users found that the hassle of charging was a common reason people stopped using the devices\u2014they grew tired of having to regularly remove their wearable and frustrated by lithium-ion batteries that held less and less charge over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPowering wearable sensors is an issue that is not talked about enough,\u201d Amay Bandodkar, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at North Carolina State University, tells Freethink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tech developers are hopeful that solid-state batteries could help solve this problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because solid-state batteries charge more quickly and have a greater energy density than lithium-ion ones, they\u2019d presumably lead to less wearable \u201cdowntime\u201d\u2014users wouldn\u2019t need to remove their devices for charging as frequently, and when they did, they\u2019d be able to top them off faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2024, TDK<\/a> (Apple\u2019s battery supplier) and Samsung<\/a> separately announced they were developing these batteries for wearables, with the latter saying it expected to have them ready for the Galaxy Ring and Galaxy Watch as soon as 2026. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Samsung Electro-Mechanics<\/figcaption>
Prototypes of Samsung’s all-solid-state batteries.\n<\/div><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Solid-state batteries aren\u2019t the only potential solution to wearables\u2019 power problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2020, Bandodkar and his collaborators demonstrated<\/a> how a lightweight battery activated by sweat could be used to power an ultra-thin, stick-on sensor that monitors heart rate, sweat chloride, and sweat pH. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Queensland University of Technology researchers, meanwhile, have developed a cost-effective technique for making flexible films<\/a> that can convert body heat into power for wearables, and a team at the University of Surrey has developed flexible \u201cnanogenerators\u201d<\/a> that convert movement into electricity\u2014the idea behind that tech is that you could go for a run in the morning and power your fitness tracker for the rest of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alternative batteries like these are already starting to make their way out of the lab\u2014in 2023, healthtech company Baracoda<\/a> began selling the Bheart<\/a>, a wearable that uses ambient light and the user\u2019s body heat to power its sensors\u2014and even if they can\u2019t provide all<\/em> the power a wearable needed, they could extend battery life and make the devices more convenient.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tracking everything<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Because solid-state batteries or wafer-thin ones like what Bandodkar is developing are more compact than lithium-ion batteries, they could help create more variety in the wearable market\u2014we could see devices that are worn in more places on the body and ones with capabilities beyond those of today\u2019s wearables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile the products currently available on the market mostly track one\u2019s vitals and are more geared towards general fitness monitoring, I believe that in the future there will be new types of wearables that can also monitor other important biomarkers and capture medically relevant data for accurate clinical decision making for patients,\u201d says Bandodkar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These could include everything from smart contacts lenses that monitor for signs of diabetes<\/a>, mouthguards that analyze saliva for chronic stress indicators<\/a>, and t-shirts with built-in sensors that can tell from your sweat when heat stroke<\/a> is imminent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We could even start to see wearables that treat<\/em> health issues, rather than just track them. An example of this is the water-powered \u201csmart bandage<\/a>\u201d Bandodkar\u2019s team developed with support from the U.S.\u2019s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur goal was to develop a robust bandage that is low-cost, easy to use, but at the same time, effective in treating wounds,\u201d he tells Freethink. \u201cTo achieve our goal, we leveraged our experience in thin-film biocompatible batteries and design engineering to develop a bandage that creates mild currents to promote wound healing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Rajaram Kaveti<\/figcaption>
Bandodkar’s team’s smart bandage healed wounds 30% faster than traditional dressings. \n<\/div><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While these alternatively powered wearables are still in development, wearables with traditional batteries but unusual capabilities are already hitting the consumer market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PIVOT Yoga now sells clothing embedded with sensors<\/a> that monitor your movements and send data to a companion app that provides feedback on your poses in real-time. Muse is one of several companies selling headbands<\/a> containing sensors that track your brainwaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s even the Adam Sensor<\/a>, a wearable that tracks nighttime erections<\/a>\u2014Johnson uses it to monitor his penis health<\/a>, which can provide insights into more than just sexual function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNight time erections are an important biomarker for cardiovascular, neurological, or hormonal health,\u201d he tweeted<\/a> in 2024. \u201cThey indicate healthy blood flow and nerve function. No boners, no bueno.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deciphering data<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Using wearables to collect data is just the first step to using them to improve your health\u2014you then need to actually do<\/em> something with the information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Johnson, this might mean dropping a new therapy because it was shown to reduce his deep sleep duration at night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHaving a WHOOP as my feedback mechanism is extremely helpful,\u201d he told Ahmed<\/a> in 2023. \u201cI\u2019m trying things every single day, and I now have these deep intuitions on what will or won’t work\u2026.It’s nice to know I have this feedback device where I can feel it in the morning, but then the data confirms what I’m feeling is right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For someone who doesn\u2019t know quite as much about health as Johnson or isn\u2019t quite as in touch with their body, it can be hard to interpret all the data a wearable collects. Companion apps can help make sense of it, but navigating those can be tricky for the less tech savvy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To help clear up any confusion users might have about their data and encourage them to take actions that will improve their health, WHOOP teamed up with OpenAI in 2023 to create WHOOP Coach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“There\u2019s been a lot of hype about the promise of AI. WHOOP Coach actually delivers on it.”

Will Ahmed<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

WHOOP Coach is accessed through WHOOP\u2019s companion app, and like OpenAI\u2019s popular ChatGPT, it\u2019s built on a large language model, a type of AI capable of understanding and generating conversational language, the kind people use to talk to one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Users can ask WHOOP Coach about their data (\u201cHow did my sleep this week compare to last week?\u201d), for training advice (\u201cWhat would be a good exercise plan if I want to lose five pounds this month?\u201d), general health questions (\u201cWhat does HRV stand for?\u201d), and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike a human fitness coach, WHOOP Coach is available 24\/7, and even if a user doesn\u2019t have specific questions for it, the AI can generate a \u201cDaily Outlook\u201d that will provide recommendations for exercise, recovery, nutrition, and more based on data from their WHOOP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been a lot of hype about the promise of AI. WHOOP Coach actually delivers on it,\u201d says Ahmed. \u201cWith the launch of WHOOP Coach, we\u2019re now offering on-demand, personalized health and fitness coaching. This is the first of its kind and it will transform our members\u2019 relationship with their data.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I believe the future holds great promise for personalized health monitoring.”

Amay Bandodkar<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

WHOOP Coach might be the first of its kind, but it\u2019s unlikely to be the last. Apple has been developing an AI health coach<\/a> that will base recommendations off Apple Watch data since 2023, and Samsung is reportedly working on an LLM-based coach<\/a> to integrate into its fitness trackers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between the development of these AI coaches and longer-lasting, more capable wearable devices, we could be heading toward a future in which even people who don\u2019t<\/em> have $2 million to spend on their health every year are able to live longer, healthier lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI believe the future holds great promise for personalized health monitoring,\u201d says Bandodkar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019d love to hear from you! If you have a comment about this article or if you have a tip for a future Freethink story, please email us at\u00a0tips@freethink.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wearables that treat health issues, track countless biomarkers, and last far longer than today’s devices are on the horizon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":114534,"template":"","ftm_taxonomy_fields":[331],"ftm_taxonomy_challenges":[],"ftm_taxonomy_statuses":[36],"ftm_taxonomy_hidden_tags":[1939],"class_list":["post-114514","ftm_article","type-ftm_article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","ftm_taxonomy_fields-wearables","ftm_taxonomy_statuses-featured"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nToday\u2019s wearables track your body. Tomorrow\u2019s could treat it.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Wearables that treat health issues, track countless biomarkers, and last far longer than today's devices are on the horizon.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/consumer-tech\/wearables-fitness-trackers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Today\u2019s wearables track your body. Tomorrow\u2019s could treat it.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Wearables that treat health issues, track countless biomarkers, and last far longer than today's devices are on the horizon.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/consumer-tech\/wearables-fitness-trackers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Freethink\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/FE_Health_Trackers.jpg?resize=1200,630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Advances in AI, batteries, and biosensors are shaping the future of health wearables.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Today\u2019s wearables track your body. Tomorrow\u2019s could treat it.","description":"Wearables that treat health issues, track countless biomarkers, and last far longer than today's devices are on the horizon.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/consumer-tech\/wearables-fitness-trackers","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Today\u2019s wearables track your body. Tomorrow\u2019s could treat it.","og_description":"Wearables that treat health issues, track countless biomarkers, and last far longer than today's devices are on the horizon.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/consumer-tech\/wearables-fitness-trackers","og_site_name":"Freethink","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/FE_Health_Trackers.jpg?resize=1200,630","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_description":"Advances in AI, batteries, and biosensors are shaping the future of health wearables.","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/consumer-tech\/wearables-fitness-trackers#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/consumer-tech\/wearables-fitness-trackers"},"author":{"name":"kristinhouser","@id":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e45bf79276f6c14454ee4e1dfa7aca8c"},"headline":"Today\u2019s wearables track your body. Tomorrow\u2019s could treat it.","datePublished":"2025-02-15T10:45:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/consumer-tech\/wearables-fitness-trackers"},"wordCount":1685,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/consumer-tech\/wearables-fitness-trackers#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/FE_Health_Trackers.jpg?quality=75","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/consumer-tech\/wearables-fitness-trackers","url":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/consumer-tech\/wearables-fitness-trackers","name":"Today\u2019s wearables track your body. Tomorrow\u2019s could treat it.","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/consumer-tech\/wearables-fitness-trackers#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/consumer-tech\/wearables-fitness-trackers#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/FE_Health_Trackers.jpg?quality=75","datePublished":"2025-02-15T10:45:00+00:00","description":"Wearables that treat health issues, track countless biomarkers, and last far longer than today's devices are on the horizon.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/consumer-tech\/wearables-fitness-trackers#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/consumer-tech\/wearables-fitness-trackers"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/consumer-tech\/wearables-fitness-trackers#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/FE_Health_Trackers.jpg?quality=75","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/FE_Health_Trackers.jpg?quality=75","width":3200,"height":1800,"caption":"WHOOP"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/consumer-tech\/wearables-fitness-trackers#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Articles","item":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/articles"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Today\u2019s wearables track your body. Tomorrow\u2019s could treat it."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/","name":"Freethink","description":"Move the world","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/#organization","name":"Freethink Media","url":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/logo.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/logo.svg","width":651,"height":124,"caption":"Freethink Media"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e45bf79276f6c14454ee4e1dfa7aca8c","name":"kristinhouser","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ff88759e0ed195de655c7703310050f17b921ae4fc276d7eb5930cddafa694f9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ff88759e0ed195de655c7703310050f17b921ae4fc276d7eb5930cddafa694f9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"kristinhouser"},"url":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/author\/kristinhouser"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ftm_article\/114514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ftm_article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/ftm_article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/114534"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"ftm_taxonomy_fields","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ftm_taxonomy_fields?post=114514"},{"taxonomy":"ftm_taxonomy_challenges","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ftm_taxonomy_challenges?post=114514"},{"taxonomy":"ftm_taxonomy_statuses","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ftm_taxonomy_statuses?post=114514"},{"taxonomy":"ftm_taxonomy_hidden_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ftm_taxonomy_hidden_tags?post=114514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}