Wearable Technology In Sport and Fitness

Whether you’re an Olympic athlete or a casual jogger, wearable technology is changing the way we think about sport and fitness. From Fitbits to Oura Rings, Sensoria smart socks to Whoop bands, you can rest assured there is a wearable device out there designed for you.

It’s of no surprise that the demand for wearable technology is exploding in the professional sporting arena, where marginal gains are often the deciding factor between first and last place. They have proven their worth time and time again in turning athletes (and teams) into trophy winners. The insatiable demand for data, much of which is created by wearable technology, has even changed the fundamentals of many sports as we know them today.

Thankfully its not just professional athletes benefitting from wearable tech. They have helped us to quantify our own bodies and provide new insights into sleeping patterns, recovery periods, heart rates and calory intakes. For many, wearable technologies have become a fundamental part of everyday life and they’ve provided motivation when we needed it most over the last twelve months.

The future for wearables is a bright and exciting one. As Moore’s law continues to do what it does best, we can expect wearables to grow smaller, up until the point where the interface between the technology and human becomes almost invisible or embedded (what will we call them then?).

Just as with any technology there are also an array of hurdles to overcome, particularly around data ownership and privacy. Who really owns that data that your body creates? How is it stored? And who is responsible for safeguarding it? These are just a few questions that the industry is working towards finding answers for.

Having helped to launch a number of wearable technology products over the years, we’ve got a naturally keen eye on this space so have created a visual below to combine some of the key industry stats, highlights and trends as we see them. If you’re interested in learning more about our wearable technology successes to date or how we might be able to help you please do get in touch.

Jamie Ivory, Head of Tech