Eight out of 10 smartphone users anticipate using advanced sensory technologies to gain health insight in relation to memory, hearing and vision, according to a consumer trends report from Ericsson ConsumerLab.
"These 'internables' will initially have a similar focus to the current external body monitoring devices," the report's authors write. "Half of all smartphone users believe internal sensors will give updates on their health and wellbeing in three years."
The report notes that, in addition to monitoring physical improvements, more than half of consumers polled would like next-gen wearables to boost communication capabilities. The researchers examined insight from lab studies throughout 2015 and conducted an online survey of more than 6,600 smartphone users in 13 major cities worldwide.
The ConsumerLab report also finds that 65 percent of respondents are interested in an emergency app solution that can alert them to disasters or crises, and one in two smartphone users expects emergency centers will be contacted via a social network app within three years.
One wearable relying on a sensor system is helping ex-smokers refrain from going back to smoking and is providing insight on when and why former smokers give in to cravings. It uses sensors to track a person's hand gestures and capture breathing patterns, which can help identify the antecedents and precipitants of a smoking lapse, FierceMobileHealthcare previously reported.
For more information:
- read the report (.pdf)