Wearable Electronic Devices Monitor Vital Signs, Activity Level,and More

When I was a little boy, my mom always made sure that I had enough change to make a phone call in case of emergency. Twenty years later, mobile phones allowed us to make calls at any time and place. After another 20 years of innovation, the phone is no longer the key feature of our smart devices, which can take beautiful pictures, stream audio and video, provide access to a wide variety of services—and are now becoming our personal trainers. The devices, loaded with sensors or connected to bodily worn sensors, monitor day-to-day activity and personal health. An increasing awareness of our health has fueled interest in measuring vital parameters—such as heart rate, temperature, oxygen saturation, blood pressure, activity level, and calories burned—and following their daily trends.