About

• Wearable technology, also known as “wearables,” is a category of electronic devices that can be worn as accessories, embedded in clothing, implanted in the user’s body, or even tattooed on the skin. 
• The devices are hands-free gadgets with practical uses, powered by microprocessors and enhanced with the ability to send and receive data via the Internet.
• The main functions of wearables include monitoring, screening, detection and prediction.
• One of the main areas of use of wearable devices is health, including biomedical research, clinical care, personal health practices and tracking, technology development, and engineering.
• Example of wearables include Smartwatches, Fitness Trackers, Smart Clothing, Wearable Payment Devices, etc.,
• Some of the challenges associated with wearables include variability of sensors, overestimation, overprediction, privacy issues, digital and technological divides.

Why in news?

• India’s wearable device market declined for the first time in 2024 by 11.3%.
• India’s wearable market peaked in 2023 (biggest globally), with 134.2 million shipments.