AI and Wearable Technology: Why They Are Perfect Pair in the Healthcare

Why is AI and Wearable Technology in Healthcare a Perfect Combo?

A smartwatch with wearable technology monitors metrics like sleep score, step count, heart rate, and more. These metrics indicate how physically active a user is and how close they are to their health goals. 

But AI takes their capabilities to a higher level. Here’s why this synergy of AI and wearable is so powerful:

1. Predictive Analytics 

Smartwatches, fitness trackers, and other wearables measure vital signs and health metrics. However, they cannot indicate if the user has a future risk. An AI health tracker can warn about the risk and send the vitals to doctors to prevent the situation. 

2. Personalization 

AI-powered healthcare wearables are a strong addition to personalized patient care. These devices can suggest physical activities or diet to help users achieve their health goals. If the user is already a patient, let’s say of diabetes, wearable devices can be more beneficial. 

They can advise on how particular exercise or food is impacting their glucose level. Such adjustments and personalized recommendations improve patients' health and give them control over their well-being. 

3. Telehealth Integration

AI and telehealth are already a successful match and along with wearable technology, it saves time in diagnosis. Patients don’t have to take urgent tests, and doctors don’t have to rely on recent results. 

They can assess health conditions based on changing metrics over time and real-time data. Even during remote consultations, wearable medical devices help doctors give prescriptions based on real-time information rather than waiting for the lengthy diagnosis process. 

4. Cost-Effectiveness

Combining AI and wearable technology reduces healthcare costs for patients and healthcare providers. It saves them from some level of investment in expensive machines required for patient monitoring and diagnosis. 

On the other hand, patients can manage their health without frequent in-person visits to hospitals and clinics. This way, doctors can prioritize patients with urgent care while managing remote patients virtually.

5. Contextual Insights

Traditional health wearable devices do not tell how external factors like weather or temperature affect the user metrics. Wearable AI is different. It can correlate factors that traditional health trackers miss and suggest how they affect users’ health. 

For example, a user wearing an AI health tracker watch can get suggestions on the right exercise if the weather is hot outside. It can also tell if the noise level of the surroundings can impair hearing ability and give measures to protect the ears. This contextual learning from the surroundings makes wearable AI far more advanced than the traditional ones in the market. 

Real AI-Powered Healthcare Wearables

Health tech companies are developing AI-powered wellness and fitness solutions because they know the technology holds the future. We have listed some of the best ones. 

1. Apple Watch 

A must on the list is the Apple Watch series. Always experimenting and innovating, Apple is committed to bringing the best technology to its users. The latest in the series uses artificial intelligence. 

• Detecting subtle movements and blood flow changes using an S9 chip and machine learning.
• Accurately classify sleep stages like REM, core deep, or wakefulness using data from multiple sensors. 
• Detecting a fall and immediately suggesting to call the emergency service. 
• Sending notifications if a user consistently has an irregular heartbeat. 

2. Galaxy Smart Ring 

Samsung always impresses users with the latest gadgets, and its new Galaxy AI ring is bang on. The sleek and comfortable ring is a compact-size AI health tracker that works nonstop for 14 days on a single charge. The amazing thing about the Samsung Galaxy ring is its design. It has only three sensors—an optical bio-signal sensor, an accelerometer, and a skin temperature sensor—all in one circle. 

3. Oura Ring

Oura is taking wearable AI technology one step further with its Oura ring and advisor. They are connecting their health tracker ring with a smart AI assistant. The ring tracks users' sleep patterns and cardiovascular health, whereas the advisor provides personal recommendations based on contextual data.

Users can choose how they want the AI advisor to behave—as a supporter, mentor, or personal coach. The AI advisor also has a memory opt-out feature in case users want to remove some items from their memory. However, Oura Advisor is in the beta phase. 

4. WHOOP Strap

The next groundbreaking invention in our list of AI healthcare solutions is WHOOP. Endorsed by athletes, this wearable strap tracks sleep, stress, and recovery. It further connected AI and wearable technology using OpenAI’s GPT-4 model. 

The result is WHOOP Coach, an on-demand personalized coach recommending nutrition, workouts, and healthy habits. It even answers queries like how my sleep score compares to those in my age range or similar lifestyle. 

WHOOP Coach works on machine learning, biometric data of users, performance science, and proprietary algorithms to give personalized advice. 

Challenges of Wearable Medical Devices

AI in wearable medical devices and fitness trackers brings unavoidable advantages for patients. But it brings serious challenges for health-tech companies. 

• Patient Confidentiality: Health-tech companies should focus more on protecting data collected by AI health wearables. Any data breaches can damage their reputations, discouraging users from purchasing their wearables.
• FDA Approval: AI wearable medical devices must obtain FDA approval, which could be challenging due to strict regulatory standards. This can delay their product launch. 
• Data Accuracy: They should train AI models to deliver accurate and reliable user results. Inaccurate results can hinder their treatment plans, health recovery, and future risks. 
• Interoperability Issues: AI health wearables must integrate well with hospitals’ systems like electronic health records (EHRs) for accurate diagnosis and treatment. However, integrating with legacy systems can increase the challenge and cost. 
• Affordability: AI health trackers are not affordable. Therefore, health-tech companies must balance costs and features to make it accessible. 
• Battery Dependency: Wearable AI bands or wristwatches depend on batteries for their functioning. Low battery life can make them less attractive and useful for users, reducing their sales or limiting their functionalities.

Conclusion

The entry of AI in wearable technology is undoubtedly improving patient monitoring and health tracking. From just being gadgets, wearables are now the inevitable part of a user's wellness journey. The health-tech companies and healthcare providers should find ways to balance cost, functionality, and data privacy. By focusing on these points, wearables will be able to bring personalized patient care. 

Softude can help you integrate AI into wearable devices, fitness tracker apps, and existing healthcare systems. Contact us for more information or explore our capabilities in healthcare to get customized solutions.