tag:theconversation.com,2011:/fr/topics/smartwatches-7086/articlesSmartwatches – The Conversation2024-01-01T14:50:37Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2169792024-01-01T14:50:37Z2024-01-01T14:50:37ZWhy some amateur athletes are giving up on smartwatches<p>Measuring the number of steps you take every day; tracking your heart rate, your pace or average ascent while jogging; memorizing the total distance you cycle over the course of a year and sharing it with an online community. These practices have become commonplace in the world of sport, even for amateurs.</p>
<p>This digitization of physical activity is unfolding against the backdrop of a global proliferation of self-quantification tools used to measure productivity at work, track <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1461444817698478">calorie intake</a>, <a href="https://med.stanford.edu/snyderlab/news/May-24-20211.html">blood sugar levels</a> and weight, monitor <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37461799/">sleep regulation</a> and more.</p>
<p>The market for these tools in sports activities, alone, is both <a href="https://www.wiley.com/en-us/The+Quantified+Self-p-9781509500598">lucrative and competitive</a>. As Finnish researchers <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/373143547_Running_free_recreational_runners%27_reasons_for_non-use_of_digital_sports_technology">Pekka Mertala and Lauri Palsa</a> report, the digital sports technology business is estimated to be worth $12 billion a year, with more than 10,000 portable digital devices for running, alone. Some 90 per cent of amateur runners now use a smartwatch or mobile application.</p>
<p>Tracking your body with numbers is associated with a series of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1110016821002210">promises</a> to become more active, happy and healthy, and with the concept of empowerment. Because of its objectivity and transparency (compared with the approximate nature of bodily sensations), this knowledge is considered to be the foundation of a <a href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/70982364.pdf">personal self-optimization project</a>.</p>
<p>These embedded devices are also used for motivational support, to encourage regularity and assiduity and to put an end to lifestyle habits that are deemed unhealthy. Becoming part of a community of exercisers can also increase motivation by interweaving systems of mutual encouragement and competition.</p>
<p>Yet we are currently seeing a slowdown in this market linked to a <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/360361258_Why_Do_People_Abandon_Activity_Trackers_The_Role_of_User_Diversity_in_Discontinued_Use">massive phenomenon of either discontinuing the use of digital devices</a> or, at the very least, using them for short periods.</p>
<h2>The discontinuation of connected devices</h2>
<p>First of all, we should recall that the adoption of connected devices for sports is <a href="https://www.credoc.fr/publications/barometre-du-numerique-2019">not evenly distributed across the population</a>. It is over-represented among men who are urban, highly educated, socially advantaged and physically active. In addition, the 30-39 age group is the most equipped with <a href="https://www.cairn.info/revue-reseaux-2019-4-page-119.htm">smart bracelets and smartwatches</a>.</p>
<p>While certain population groups have less access to these embedded technologies, others who have acquired them will stop using them, usually after a limited period of use. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/16138171.2021.1918896">The mechanisms that lead to this are extremely varied</a>, and include logistical overload, the time-consuming dimension of transferring and interpreting data, a lack of accuracy and reliability in data collection, and difficulty in interpreting and using data, among others.</p>
<p>We believe that the rejection of these devices may be the result of a <a href="https://www.implications-philosophiques.org/lauto-quantification-de-son-activite-sportive-altere-t-elle-la-qualite-de-lexperience-vecue-un-scenario-possible-de-labandon-massif-des-pratiques-de-self-tracking/">deterioration in the quality of the experience of a sport</a> when using them. For some participants, putting numbers on an activity actually <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/26570266">leads them to experience it more as forced labour than as free, self-determined leisure</a>.</p>
<p>Intrinsic motivation (the pleasure of running for its own sake) then tends to be supplanted by extrinsic motivation (rewards, comparisons, mutual monitoring). The context of a constant call to excel can lead to an anticipated fear of failure, as well as a feeling of shame and guilt in the event of underperformance. Cognitive overload and distracted attention can also lead to a <a href="https://www.cairn.info/revue-corps-2016-1-page-115.htm">disconnect from the here-and-now of one’s activity and the bodily sensations related to it</a>.</p>
<p>Looking at it differently, the withdrawal of the smartwatch could be an act of resistance with strong political, philosophical or even spiritual significance. This may be a desire to break away from what is perceived as a generalized surveillance system, to <a href="https://theconversation.com/sport-comment-les-reseaux-sociaux-transforment-les-pratiques-des-jeunes-207440">emancipate oneself from the pressure of sports social networks</a>, to reject a materialistic race to over equip or even to <a href="https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a36959570/running-without-any-technology/">put the emphasis back on bodily sensations in sports training</a>.</p>
<p>The attitude of rejection can be linked to <a href="https://aoc.media/analyse/2023/01/23/sobrietes-sportives-choisies/">the emergence of minimalist values</a> such as sobriety, voluntary simplicity and frugality. It’s a question of <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/373143547_Running_free_recreational_runners'_reasons_for_non-use_of_digital_sports_technology">rediscovering a form of lost freedom</a>, of lightness, or even of <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/pb-assets/cmscontent/ASJ/Acceleration_and_Resonance.pdf">resonance</a>.</p>
<h2>The adherence to quantification tools</h2>
<p>Not all amateur runners who have started using a digital self-quantification tool have stopped using it. While dropping the tools is a significant and explainable phenomenon, the reasons for sticking to them must also be considered. What are the conditions that enable amateur runners to continue practising and quantifying their performance numerically while deriving pleasure and well-being from the activity?</p>
<p>We showed that <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/366028928_Quelles_experiences_intimes_et_pratiques_effectives_de_la_course_a_pied_quantifiee_Etude_des_usages_ordinaires_des_montres_connectees_chez_des_coureurs_et_coureuses_amateures_a_partir_d%27une_auto-expli">the amateur runners who persevered in using digital tools were the ones who had developed a high level of expertise in self-quantification</a>. More specifically, they managed to cobble together and incorporate a series of tactics, or even <a href="https://www.gallimard.fr/Catalogue/GALLIMARD/Folio/Folio-essais/L-invention-du-quotidien">“everyday tricks,”</a> to use Michel de Certeau’s expression, which enabled them to interact with their digital device without altering the quality of their sporting experience.</p>
<p>A first approach in this is to differentiate and alternate the uses of the smartwatch over time. To begin with, they modulate the intensity and types of usage of the tool to adapt to changing life conditions (for example, by suspending the goal to exceed performance levels during a year when family life is demanding). They also learn to let go of certain areas of quantification (sleep, for example) in order to focus their efforts exclusively on running.</p>
<p>When it comes to the training cycle, these runners <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2159676X.2023.2225516">differentiate their modes of interaction with the tool</a> (frequency of consulting the tool, nature of the data collected) according to the type of training session they are engaged in. For example, they reserve intensive use of the smartwatch for interval training sessions but only consult it occasionally during recovery runs, marathon pace workouts or technical sessions. Finally, during a given running session, the runners target certain key moments when they consult their watch. Others never look at the watch during their run but only afterwards, or the other way around.</p>
<p>A second tactic consists of agreeing to adjust, revise or even abandon goals along the way, depending on a runner’s perceived state of fitness and/or environmental conditions. <a href="https://www.consumerreports.org/health/exercise-fitness/do-you-really-need-10000-steps-a-day-a1058474912/#:%7E:text=Perhaps%20you%27ve%20heard%20that,and%20still%20get%20serious%20benefits">This flexibility</a> reflects the development of a relationship of self-care and benevolence towards oneself.</p>
<p>Finally, a third everyday tactic leads amateur runners to take systematic care to put into context what they consider to be counter-performances. Far from considering the figures only in their raw form, they use them to understand the mechanisms underlying the process of producing counter-performance (bad night, professional stress, etc.).</p>
<h2>The nature of the attachment to the device</h2>
<p>We wanted to gain a better understanding of the <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/373196405_Understanding_the_lived_experience_of_self-tracking_among_runners_by_taking_off_their_digital_watch_The_imposed_withdrawal_as_a_methodological_tool_for_approaching_the_embodiment_of_the_digital_techno">connection runners formed with their digital tracking device</a>. To do this, we asked them to take it off for a single running session, while describing in real time, using a Dictaphone, how they felt. This change, which was out of the ordinary for most of them, turned out to be particularly destabilizing and revealed how <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/14614448221083992">deeply incorporated their use of, and attachment to the tool was</a>.</p>
<p>All the subjects we studied initially admitted to being very apprehensive about the idea of running without their watch. They tried to deal with it in different ways: by postponing the outing; by running on a course that they had just completed with the watch, so as to use numerical reference points; by using the Dictaphone to estimate the duration and pace of the run; and, finally, by hiding a watch in a backpack to be able to record the amount of running they had done. </p>
<p>Most of the participants then felt a motivational void caused by the absence of the watch, which, when worn, functioned as an incentive to perform and a way to challenge themselves. They felt that the session without the watch was longer, harder, more painful and even pointless: why push yourself if you don’t know the exact result and it’s neither recorded nor stored?</p>
<p>The runners also noted that the simple fact of wearing the watch prompted them to over-focus attention on numbers to the detriment of their running technique, the external environment or their bodily sensations.</p>
<p>The absence of the watch was also seen by some as physically destabilizing. Deprived of their tool, the runners felt naked, unbalanced and asymmetrical and more often than not, they were unable to inhibit the reflex gesture of consulting it – proof that the object and movement associated with using it had been assimilated into the runner’s bodily habits. Lastly, some of them found it extremely difficult to regulate their running and reliably estimate common variables such as length, distance, speed and heart rate.</p>
<p>Ultimately, there’s nothing spontaneous, magical or automatic about interacting with your quantification device in a functional way. It has to be learned and built patiently. <a href="https://journals.openedition.org/ejrieps/7754">Physical and sports education in schools must adopt a training role in this field</a>, as digitalization is becoming unavoidable in the <a href="https://boutique.territorial.fr/sport-et-numerique-option.html">world of sports</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216979/count.gif" alt="La Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthieu Quidu received funding from the University of Lyon 1 for a research project entitled, "In search of sobriety: sociological insights into the emergence of minimalist sporting practices."</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brice Favier-Ambrosini received funding from the Fonds de recherche du Québec - Société et Culture (FRQSC) for a project entitled "Identifying the essential, eliminating the rest," an analysis of the trend towards minimalism in the consumption of sports leisure activities.
</span></em></p>To better measure their activity and become members of a sports community, many amateur athletes are adopting smartwatches and digital tools. But others are giving them up.Matthieu Quidu, Maître de conférences en sociologie du sport, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1Brice Favier-Ambrosini, Professor, Educational sciences, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC)Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1940602022-11-08T19:40:21Z2022-11-08T19:40:21ZShould you really use your smartwatch or fitness wearable to monitor your heart?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494006/original/file-20221108-22-8gdqj1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=4%2C22%2C2991%2C1976&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dragana Gordic / Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Wearable devices that can record your pulse can be handy for tracking your fitness – but can you really use them to monitor for an irregular heartbeat?</p>
<p>The short answer is maybe, and it depends on who you are. These devices are great, but there are some things you need to know.</p>
<p>Several large studies have been carried out to examine how well wearables can check for signs of a common heart rhythm problem called “atrial fibrillation”, which can lead to strokes.</p>
<p>In a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.121.058911">new Frontiers review published in Circulation</a>, we and our colleagues in the <a href="https://www.afscreen.org">AF-Screen International Collaboration</a> weighed up the current evidence, including from three very large studies: the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.122.060291">Fitbit Heart study</a> (funded by Fitbit); the <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa1901183">Apple Heart study</a> (supported by Apple) and the <a href="https://www.jacc.org/doi/abs/10.1016/j.jacc.2019.08.019">Huawei Heart study</a> (Huawei was involved in development and optimisation of the app but did not fund the study).</p>
<h2>What is atrial fibrillation?</h2>
<p>Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm problem (arrhythmia). Up to <a href="https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article/42/5/373/5899003?login=false">80% of patients may have no symptoms</a>.</p>
<p>Atrial fibrillation becomes more common with increasing age, and it can substantially increase the risk of stroke. Patients at <a href="https://www.mdcalc.com/calc/801/cha2ds2-vasc-score-atrial-fibrillation-stroke-risk">high risk</a> of atrial fibrillation-related stroke, due to age and/or other risk factors such as hypertension and diabetes, are generally prescribed blood-thinning medication.</p>
<p>More and more devices for recording heart rhythm are available to consumers. These include handheld electrocardiogram (ECG) and pulse-based technology in smartwatches, other wearables and portable consumer devices. These are often marketed as “health and wellness” products.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-wearable-fitness-trackers-arent-as-useless-as-some-make-them-out-to-be-173419">Why wearable fitness trackers aren't as useless as some make them out to be</a>
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<p>For people aged 65 and over, <a href="https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/Bundles/Your-heart/Conditions/Atrial-Fibrillation-for-Professionals">Australian</a> and other international <a href="https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article/42/5/373/5899003?login=false">guidelines</a> <a href="https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.116.026693">recommend</a> occasional screening for atrial fibrillation.</p>
<p>However, new technologies (including wearables) allow consumers to record their own heart rhythms whenever they wish, and continuously monitor the regularity of their pulse. This technology can empower consumers and provide important information, but it does have limitations.</p>
<h2>How accurate are wearables and other consumer devices?</h2>
<p>The short answer is that, for identifying atrial fibrillation, wearables are probably quite accurate (<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8752409/">often over 95%</a>). However, the information is often based on studies of small numbers of people.</p>
<p>Some devices include an algorithm that automatically says whether your heart rhythm is regular (a “normal sinus rhythm”) or irregular (which may indicate atrial fibrillation). These algorithms generally require regulatory approval (such as from the <a href="https://www.tga.gov.au/how-we-regulate/manufacturing/medical-devices/manufacturer-guidance-specific-types-medical-devices/regulation-software-based-medical-devices">Therapeutic Goods Administration</a> (TGA) in Australia). </p>
<p>However, device companies often don’t publish many details about the accuracy and performance of their devices. Wearables that simply track heart rate or activity without making claims about serious conditions are not regulated by the TGA.</p>
<p>It’s important that manufacturers of health devices:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>are accurate in their health claims</p></li>
<li><p>don’t advertise unproven benefits</p></li>
<li><p>report the accuracy and performance of their devices in different populations.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>While the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.122.060291">Fitbit</a>, <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa1901183">Apple</a> and <a href="https://www.jacc.org/doi/abs/10.1016/j.jacc.2019.08.019">Huawei</a> studies were very large, the calculations used to determine accuracy of the device may be based on small numbers because not many people in the study had atrial fibrillation.</p>
<p>For example, the <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa1901183">Apple Heart study</a> had 419,000 participants overall – which is a lot of people! However, the accuracy was calculated by comparing simultaneous recordings of atrial fibrillation on the smartwatch pulse irregularity detector and an ECG patch in only 86 people.</p>
<h2>Who are they good for?</h2>
<p>If you have symptoms, or are aged over 65, wearables can be very useful for detecting atrial fibrillation.</p>
<p>Wearables are great as an “event recorder” for anyone with a symptom (such as heart palpitations) that could be an arrhythmia. Devices with ECG capability such as <a href="https://www.apple.com/au/healthcare/apple-watch/">Apple Watch</a> Series 4 or later, <a href="https://www.withings.com/au/en/scanwatch">Withings Scanwatch</a> and <a href="https://www.kardia.com/">KardiaMobile</a> are particularly good as they provide more information. Once you have an ECG recording during a symptom, you can give it to your doctor, which can help guide further follow-up.</p>
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<img alt="A photo of a smartwatch on a woman's wrist." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494052/original/file-20221108-16-e5ih7r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494052/original/file-20221108-16-e5ih7r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494052/original/file-20221108-16-e5ih7r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494052/original/file-20221108-16-e5ih7r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494052/original/file-20221108-16-e5ih7r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494052/original/file-20221108-16-e5ih7r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494052/original/file-20221108-16-e5ih7r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Wearable devices give us more heart rhythm data than ever before – but it’s not always clear how to interpret it.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Unsplash</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>Wearables are also good for helping people to get an early diagnosis of atrial fibrillation. Ideally, this needs to be supported by integrated care, including risk factor reduction and lifestyle changes to reduce progression and complications (especially relevant for young people who may need no specific therapy).</p>
<p>We also know wearables can be used to screen enormous numbers of people: 457,000 in the Fitbit study, 419,000 in the Apple Heart study and 188,000 in the Huawei study. However, the yield of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41569-022-00803-9">new atrial fibrillation detected was low</a> (less than 1%) in these studies, mainly because the study participants were very young (the average age in all three studies was 41 years or less).</p>
<h2>What are the problems then?</h2>
<p>More data isn’t always better. If your GP checks your pulse at an appointment, finds it irregular and an ECG confirms it is atrial fibrillation, it’s likely you are experiencing atrial fibrillation quite a lot of the time (or all the time).</p>
<p>The risks of atrial fibrillation are <a href="https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/a-1588-8867">similar</a> for people with symptoms and those without, and we know how to treat the condition.</p>
<p>However, wearables are able to monitor people’s heart rhythm far more frequently and for much longer. The more you look, the more atrial fibrillation you find, but we are not yet sure we should.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-media-is-overhyping-early-detection-tests-and-this-may-be-harming-the-healthy-158229">The media is overhyping early detection tests, and this may be harming the healthy</a>
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<p>So, while wearables increase detection of atrial fibrillation, we don’t know whether this will also prevent strokes.</p>
<p>Many people who buy wearables are younger and at lower risk. We aren’t yet sure about what it means when a young person with few or no risk factors has short episodes of atrial fibrillation.</p>
<p>More evidence is needed, ideally from good-quality, independent, randomised studies.</p>
<h2>Drawbacks and data</h2>
<p>Even highly accurate devices can and do <a href="https://twitter.com/CardiologyBlurb/status/1587302634976735232">sometimes give false positives</a>, more frequently in younger people who have a lower risk of having atrial fibrillation. Additional tests may be needed, which increase cost, and may lead to unnecessary testing that could cause problems and potentially anxiety.</p>
<p>Data privacy is also a concern. There are important legal gaps in relation to <a href="https://support.mips.com.au/home/should-you-trust-the-data-from-wearable-fitness-devices">data protection and regulation of apps</a> in many countries.</p>
<p>Consumers often lack <a href="https://canberraweekly.com.au/who-owns-the-data-fitbits-and-private-health-data-give-pause-for-thought/">ownership or control of data</a> from health apps.</p>
<h2>What should I do if my wearable tells me I have atrial fibrillation?</h2>
<p>If your device says you may have atrial fibrillation, save a copy of the reading and talk to your doctor about the result. You may need further testing or treatment. However, don’t panic!</p>
<p>We need to remember one size doesn’t fit all. Either way, wearables are here to stay. We have to make sure we understand their benefits and limitations.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/194060/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Jessica Orchard is a Research Fellow at the Centenary Institute and Adjunct Senior Lecturer, School of Public Health, the University of Sydney. She is supported by a Heart Foundation fellowship and some of her research has been supported by Pfizer-BMS (investigator-initiated research grants) and Alivecor (provided devices for study purposes).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ben Freedman receives current competitive grant funding from the Medical Research Future Fund, the NSW Dept of Health, and from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the grant agreement no. 648131, the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the grant agreement no. 847770 (AFFECT-EU). In the past 5 years, B.F. has received speaker fees and travel support for speaking at sessions or official satellites of large international or continental society meetings from Bayer, Bristol-Myers Squibb–
Pfizer Alliance, Daiichi Sankyo and Omron; and investigator-initiated research grants to the institution from Bristol-Myers Squibb–Pfizer Alliance. </span></em></p>Wearables and smartwatches can track your pulse – but if you’re using them to scan for irregular heart rhythms, there are some things you should know.Jessica Orchard, Research Fellow, Centenary Institute; and Adjunct Senior Lecturer, School of Public Health, University of SydneyBen Freedman, Director External Affairs and Group Leader Heart Rhythm & Stroke Group, Heart Research Institute, and Honorary Professor, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1609632021-05-19T20:15:18Z2021-05-19T20:15:18ZSmartwatches are a bigger distraction to drivers than mobile phones<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401325/original/file-20210518-3808-1tnx3fa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4943%2C3233&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Wearable devices, like smartwatches, are becoming ubiquitous.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>An <a href="https://content-na1.emarketer.com/wearables-saw-explosive-conditional-growth-2020">estimated 73.4 million people will be using wearable technologies</a> in the United States by 2022. Wearables are smart electronics that can be worn on different parts of the body. The most popular smart device is the smartwatch. </p>
<p>An important characteristic of wearable technology is that they are easy to acquire and thus they can be used almost anywhere. This convenience and adaptability means that smartwatches are used in a variety of circumstances, including while driving a car. Safety while using a smartwatch use is an issue for both smartwatch users and those around them.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.extremetech.com/mobile/285724-1-in-6-us-adults-now-own-a-smartwatch">One in six Americans</a> owns a smartwatch that they use at least once a month. According to the International Data Corporation, a technology marketing and research company, smartwatches will comprise <a href="https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS47534521">70.2 per cent of all wearable technology by 2022</a>.</p>
<h2>Distracted driving</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.13075/ijomeh.1896.01264">Reduced reaction times and driver distraction</a> contribute to traffic accidents. Recent research found that when drivers had conversations on their devices — whether handheld or hands-free — <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0018720817748145">reaction times increased, and a driver’s ability to assess and react to a problem decreased</a>. In short, it’s dangerous to use a smartwatch while driving.</p>
<p>Transport Canada refers to this as <a href="https://tc.canada.ca/en/road-transportation/stay-safe-when-driving/distracted-driving#what">distracted driving</a>: “When a driver’s attention is taken away from the driving task because they are focused on something else.”</p>
<p>When a driver is distracted, their performance, as well as their full awareness of problems on the road, are not optimal. Distracted drivers are slower to become aware of safety concerns and understand how to resolve the problem and they cannot physically respond quickly. A distracted driver’s ability to operate a motor vehicle safely is impaired; they may not even be aware of a problem, or that they are distracted at all.</p>
<p>Driving distractions are not limited to problems outside of a motor vehicle. Transport Canada indicates that a distraction may take the form of <a href="https://tc.canada.ca/en/road-transportation/stay-safe-when-driving/distracted-driving#what">texting, talking on the phone or to passengers, eating or drinking or using an entertainment or navigation system</a>. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2017.05.013">Using a hands-free electronic device</a> is four times more distracting than speaking to an adult passenger.</p>
<h2>Distracted driving laws</h2>
<p>In Canada, distracted driving contributed to 21 per cent of accidents involving a death and 27 per cent of accidents that involved serious injuries. In the U.S., in 2017 alone, <a href="https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/nhtsa-releases-2019-crash-fatality-data">3,166 people were killed on roads due to distracted driving</a>. Over 90 per cent of road accidents <a href="https://tirf.ca/services/behaviours/">happen due to human error</a> — these accidents can be prevented.</p>
<p>Most U.S. states have laws that prohibit distracted driving: the majority of states prohibit a driver from talking on a mobile phone or texting while they are driving. Smartwatches are often not <a href="https://www.findlaw.com/traffic/traffic-tickets/distracted-driving.html">a part of this restriction</a>. </p>
<p>To change laws so that the use of smartwatches is prohibited or restricted, research needs to show how these technologies distract drivers.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">CTV’s Your Morning discusses whether a smartwatch poses a driving distraction.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Proof of distraction</h2>
<p>Our research team at the <a href="https://tech3lab.hec.ca/en/">HEC Montréal Tech3Lab</a>, a laboratory specialized in studying interactions between people and technologies, looked at what particular characteristics of smart technologies and wearables may contribute to driver distraction and accidents.</p>
<p>We compared smartwatches to mobile phones, and looked at the effects of sending text or voice messages on drivers’ reactions and concentration. Our findings were published in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2020.105846"><em>Accident, Analysis & Prevention</em></a>.</p>
<p>We set up an experiment in a driving simulator that measured driver responses to different kinds of alerts from a smartwatch and a mobile phone. These distractions, including voice assist for drivers, were compared by how the drivers reacted.</p>
<p>Our study placed 31 drivers into one of four possible simulated driving situations. In three of the four situations, the drivers were sent alerts on a mobile phone, smartwatch or by speaker. The drivers had to answer these alerts vocally. The fourth situation was slightly different: drivers received written texts by mobile phone or smartwatch and were to respond by using their phones to text a reply.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401277/original/file-20210518-17-b97gca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A person sits in a driving simulator" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401277/original/file-20210518-17-b97gca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401277/original/file-20210518-17-b97gca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401277/original/file-20210518-17-b97gca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401277/original/file-20210518-17-b97gca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401277/original/file-20210518-17-b97gca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401277/original/file-20210518-17-b97gca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401277/original/file-20210518-17-b97gca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A driving simulator was used to measure drivers’ response to distractions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(David Brieugne)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Smartwatches more distracting</h2>
<p>Our study offers insight as to what levels of distraction are experienced by drivers’ specific behaviours when they drive and use their smartwatches. We found that smartwatches were more distracting to drivers than mobile phones, while voice assistants were less distracting. The drivers’ gazes were less focused while driving when they received written alerts on their smartwatches than on their mobile phones. </p>
<p>We also found that drivers’ gazes were less focused on their driving when written alerts were delivered to them on a mobile phone than when they heard the alert through a speaker. As well, drivers were more distracted by written alerts than alerts given to them by voice.</p>
<p>Overall, smartwatches do have a negative effect on an individual’s ability to drive safely. We also found that the safer way to both send and receive alerts was by voice. </p>
<p>These results are important for the public and policymakers. While some jurisdictions might view using a smartwatch while driving as distracted driving, and this is illegal in most U.S. states, individual police officers can use their discretion in interpreting the laws of their state. </p>
<p>There needs to be more precision in how distracted driving is defined by the law as it applies to smartwatches and their use by drivers. Insurance companies will have a better understanding of circumstances surrounding claims when the specifics of drivers’ behaviour are considered. </p>
<p>We believe that lives can be saved by informing the driving public of the risks of using a smartwatch while driving. Safety messages can be underlined with education in schools, social media, traditional media, marketing, safety alerts and enforcement.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/160963/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Pierre-Majorique Léger receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sylvain Senecal does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>More and more people are incorporating wearable devices like smartwatches into their lives. But these wearables are a driving distraction that the public and law enforcement should be aware of.Pierre-Majorique Léger, NSERC-Prompt Industrial Research Chair in User Experience and Full Professor of IT, HEC MontréalSylvain Senecal, Professor of Marketing, HEC MontréalLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1537652021-01-28T16:27:02Z2021-01-28T16:27:02ZDo we really need to walk 10,000 steps a day?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381115/original/file-20210128-19-wr5avc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=44%2C7%2C4950%2C3282&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The 10,000 step target has more to do with marketing than scientific fact. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/two-attractive-women-their-30s-talking-562075621">Brocreative/ Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When it comes to being fit and healthy, we’re often reminded to aim to walk 10,000 steps per day. This can be a frustrating target to achieve, especially when we’re busy with work and other commitments. Most of us know by now that 10,000 steps is recommended everywhere as a target to achieve – and yet where did this number actually come from?</p>
<iframe id="noa-web-audio-player" style="border: none" src="https://embed-player.newsoveraudio.com/v4?key=x84olp&id=https://theconversation.com/do-we-really-need-to-walk-10-000-steps-a-day-153765&bgColor=F5F5F5&color=D8352A&playColor=D8352A" width="100%" height="110px"></iframe>
<p>The 10,000 steps a day target seems to have come about from a trade name pedometer sold in 1965 by Yamasa Clock in Japan. The device was called <a href="http://www.yamax-yamasa.com/aboutus/">“Manpo-kei”</a>, which translates to “10,000 steps meter”. This was a marketing tool for the device and has seemed to have stuck across the world as the daily step target. It’s even included in daily activity targets by popular smartwatches, such as Fitbit.</p>
<p>Research has since investigated the 10,000 steps a day target. The fact that <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29361921/">some studies</a> have shown this step target improves heart health, mental health, and even lowers diabetes risk, may, to some extent, explain why we have stuck with this arbitrary number. </p>
<p>In ancient Rome, distances were actually <a href="https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Fulltext/2008/07002/Walking_and_Measurement.4.aspx">measured by counting steps</a>. In fact, the word “mile” was derived from the Latin phrase <em>mila passum</em>, which means <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/mile">1,000 paces</a> – about 2,000 steps. It’s suggested the average person walks <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02701367.2001.10608977">about 100 steps per minute</a> – which would mean it would take a little under 30 minutes for the average person to walk a mile. So in order for someone to reach the 10,000 step goal, they would need to walk between four and five miles a day (around two hours of activity). </p>
<p>But while some research has shown health benefits at 10,000 steps, <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2734709?guestAccessKey=afffe229-3940-4dd1-94e6-56cdd109c457&utm_source=jps&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=author_alert-jamanetwork&utm_content=author-author_engagement&utm_term=1m">recent research</a> from Harvard Medical School has shown that, on average, approximately 4,400 steps a day is enough to significantly lower the risk of death in women. This was when compared to only walking around 2,700 steps daily. The more steps people walked, the lower their risk of dying was, before levelling off at around 7,500 steps a day. No additional benefits were seen with more steps. Although it’s uncertain whether similar results would be seen in men, it’s one example of how moving a little bit more daily can improve health and lower risk of death. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Person wearing a smartwatch tying their shoe." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381117/original/file-20210128-15-ictva.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381117/original/file-20210128-15-ictva.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381117/original/file-20210128-15-ictva.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381117/original/file-20210128-15-ictva.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381117/original/file-20210128-15-ictva.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381117/original/file-20210128-15-ictva.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381117/original/file-20210128-15-ictva.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Benefits were seen even before 10,000 steps.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/count-your-steps-smartwatch-application-can-578757676">dolphfyn/ Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While the <a href="https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240015128">World Health Organization recommends</a> adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week (or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity), research also shows that <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0828282X16000647?via%3Dihub">even low-intensity exercise</a> can improve your health – though moderate-intensity exercise improves it to a greater extent. This means your steps throughout the day can contribute to your 150 minutes of target activity. </p>
<p>Activity can also help mitigate the <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/why-sitting-too-much-is-bad-for-us/">harms of sitting down</a> for long periods of time. <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(16)30370-1/fulltext#%20">Research has shown</a> that people who sat for eight or more hours every day had a 59% increased risk of death compared to those sitting less than four hours per day. However, they also found that if people did 60-75 minutes per day of moderate intensity physical activity, this seemed to eliminate this increased risk of death. Therefore, potentially undertaking brisk walking could help mitigate the negative effects of sitting for too long.</p>
<p><a href="https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Fulltext/2021/02000/Daily_Step_Count_and_Postprandial_Fat_Metabolism.10.aspx">Recent research at the University of Texas</a> has also demonstrated that if you’re walking fewer than 5,000 steps a day, your body is less able to metabolise fat the following day. A buildup of fat in the body can also increase a person’s likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes. This is further supported by <a href="https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Fulltext/2014/10000/Effects_of_Moderate__and_Intermittent.2.aspx">previous research</a> which shows people who walked less than 4,000 steps a day could not reverse this decreased fat metabolism. </p>
<p>Increasing physical activity such as your step count reduces your risk of death by improving your health, including by reducing risk of developing chronic illnesses such as <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28049634/">dementia</a>, and certain <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23720265/">cancers</a>. In some cases it helps improve health conditions such as <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28708479/">type 2 diabetes</a>. Exercise can also help us improve and maintain our <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17303714/">immune system</a>. However, based on the current research out there, it appears that getting 10,000 steps a day isn’t essential for health benefits – half that target appears to be beneficial.</p>
<p>If you want to increase how many steps you get daily, or simply want to move more, one easy way to do that is to increase your current step count by about 2,000 steps a day. Other easy ways to move more daily include walking to work if possible, or taking part of an online exercise programme if you’re working from home. Meeting with friends for a walk – rather than in a cafe or pub – can also be useful. And given that even small amounts of physical activity positively impact your health, taking regular breaks to move around if you’re working at a desk all day will help to easily get more physical activity.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/153765/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lindsay Bottoms does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Even half the amount of steps shows health benefits.Lindsay Bottoms, Reader in Exercise and Health Physiology, University of HertfordshireLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1309142020-02-18T18:01:06Z2020-02-18T18:01:06ZThe risks of algorithmic (il)literacy on healthcare platforms<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/315074/original/file-20200212-61958-1a8eoh1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6720%2C3631&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Going for a run... with big data.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/fr/image-photo/asian-woman-ultramarathon-runner-set-sports-1482370955">De lzf/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The use of wearable technologies, mobile health applications and online health platforms is <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190621005131/en/Global-Wearable-Technology-Market-Growth-Trends-Forecasts">on the rise</a>, allowing us to track and share our health data, and engage in online discussion forums to ask about health-related questions. The wealth of data in theory allows us to manage our health more effectively and be better equipped when we visit the doctor. Such tools can also act as a new source of knowledge legitimacy, integrating “layman” input and enabling patient access to and control of information. While patient access to secrecy of the healthcare system and its <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/01/technology/the-healing-power-of-your-own-medical-data.html">proprietary power</a> on patient data, is increasing and demonstrating the potential to have healing powers for patients despite privacy and security concerns.</p>
<p>According to the Pew Research Center, more and more people are seeking health-related information online. In the United States, <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3077086/t/more-people-search-health-online">93 million people do so every day</a>, and among them, 55% seek information related to their medical condition prior to visiting the doctor. Digital platforms such as PatientsLikeMe, MedHelp and MyHealthTeams offer the potential to change the power dynamics that have <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/barrylibert/2017/01/04/digital-platforms-are-the-key-to-improving-health/">long characterized the healthcare sector</a>, bringing the focus back on the patient. Indeed, traditional medical research with its scientific rigour is shifting from control by researchers to the one that crowdsources patient needs.</p>
<p>One of the online health platforms, PatientsLikeMe (PLM), brings together a community of diverse stakeholders – patients, doctors, caregivers, researchers, pharmaceutical companies, and the government – for collaboration for big data generation and medical research. The platform currently engages more than 600,000 members worldwide. Patients on PLM have generated <a href="https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2019/09/02/michael-gill-patient-data-for-sale/">43 million data points to date</a>. Patients with life-changing diseases or conditions, including multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and ALS, openly share their data such as the medications they use and their side effects, lifestyle modifications, and diagnostic and prognostic disease information.</p>
<p>The company then pools and aggregates this patient-generated data for research, and analyses and visualises it with algorithmic tools. The data are sold to institutions and partner companies for medical research. Based on any new treatments developed, patients have the opportunity to modify their behaviours and better manage their health. Patients also share their data with their physicians, creating new forms of interaction between patients and doctors in clinical settings, and increasing patient access to clinical trials. On its website, PLM asserts that it seeks to use artificial intelligence and other tools to <a href="https://www.patientslikeme.com/about">“democratise learning”</a> about health and medicine.</p>
<p>Indeed, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolemartin1/2019/09/30/artificial-intelligence-is-being-used-to-diagnose-disease-and-design-new-drugs/">AI health-care applications</a> are being used for diagnostic and treatment purposes, designing new drugs and treatments, as well as supporting patients in their health decision making.</p>
<h2>The risks of data illiteracy</h2>
<p>Despite the promise of these platforms, increased stakeholder inclusiveness is essential for greater transparency in how our health data is shared with and used by others. As empowering and utopic as these technologies and platforms seem, one cannot help but think about the expert versus layman divide. In other words, how expert are patients to provide input on their health data as well as interpret data provided to them? In a <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0276146708325385">2008 article in the <em>Journal of Macromarketing</em></a>, I drew attention to the issue of new media literacy and its empowering potential – and also the need for expertise to be able to use and benefit from these technologies.</p>
<p>In the case of today’s online health-tracking platforms, patients who are not sufficiently literate to use the tools and describe their symptoms will not be able to reap the benefits. In addition, when we talk about data literacy, we do not only need cognitive and technical skills but also the ability to act on this data to manage our health. Hence, social challenge of big data algorithms emerges, as human judgment is required to make sense of it and act on it (<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1369118X.2016.1199721">Gillespie, 2017</a>; <a href="https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/the-data-revolution/book242780#preview">Kitchin, 2014</a>). Such actions may also impact others’ health – for example, a person could strive to track the mood swings of a friend, partner or family member, reminding her or him to, say, take medication. Although these self-tracking tools have significant potential, their use shifts responsibility to individuals, not only for their own health but also for others.</p>
<p>In addition, when corporations design tracking tools, they may not be able to capture all the aspects of patient experience, nor – most importantly – understand the language of the patient in describing his/her experiences (<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/01972243.2015.998108">Tempini, 2015</a>). Consequently, patient and corporate illiteracy become the main contributors to the digital divide that hinders the capability to report, analyse and make sense of data, and manage our and others’ health accordingly.</p>
<h2>Knowing too much</h2>
<p>But what happens when patients are <em>too</em> literate as they track and report their data? Indeed, the risk for data manipulation exists, to have the right profile to make specific demands that cater to their own interests, which may then yield results that lead to unsuccessful treatments. This is alarming as platforms such as PLM engage in patient-generated medical research in partnership with pharmaceutical and research institutions.</p>
<p>Being too literate to manipulate data or not literate enough to provide the necessary data may obstruct the medical knowledge generation process. Patients with scientific skills could manipulate data that poses privacy and security challenges such as <a href="https://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/04/02/using-patient-data-to-democratize-medical-discovery/">job security, and insurance and criminal concerns</a>. Furthermore, such risk is carried to patient-physician knowledge exchanges in clinical settings, as patients share their self-tracked data with their physicians. Although online health platforms create predictive data modelling that allows tracking of each reported change in drug use and symptoms, accuracy of such data models remains a concern.</p>
<p>As we are mesmerised by talk of openness, transparency, personalisation, and empowerment, we often overlook the detrimental effects of such discourses on control and information asymmetry. Online health platforms as new data intermediaries control the flow and manipulation of data (Gillespie, 2017; <a href="https://www.publicaffairsbooks.com/titles/shoshana-zuboff/the-age-of-surveillance-capitalism/9781610395694/">Zuboff, 2019</a>), serving as gatekeepers of big data generation and distribution. Zuboff (<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/jit.2015.5">2015</a>, 2019) adamantly expresses the dangers of big data in the age of surveillance capitalism and how it constitutes the “big other” via indecipherable mechanisms of extraction, commodification, and control that exile people from their own behaviours and create seemingly non-democratic new markets. </p>
<p>Critical questions remain concerning the (mis)use of self-tracking tools as well as ethical and privacy issues. These include how the patient-generated data are being stored and used by third parties, who owns and controls the data, and to what extent patients should have a voice in the use, reuse and sale of their data.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/130914/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Handan Vicdan ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>The use of online health platforms is on the rise, allowing us to track and share our personal data. While such platforms have promise, significant scientific, ethical and privacy questions remains.Handan Vicdan, Associate professor of marketing, EM Lyon Business SchoolLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1189722019-07-18T11:24:12Z2019-07-18T11:24:12ZBetter design could make mobile devices easier for seniors to use<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283148/original/file-20190708-51305-j6lvrv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=16%2C40%2C5447%2C3596&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">If all of these devices really work together, they can be a bigger help than any one of them alone.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/contemporary-senior-bearded-man-glasses-grey-1246190890">Pro Image Content/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A loud “bing” sounded as we drove onto the highway access ramp. I didn’t see a message on our car’s screen. Was it my phone or my wife’s? Was it a calendar alert, or did one of us receive a text message? Was it the low battery warning on one of our hearing aids? Was it our home security system? Maybe the car needed an oil change or lost tire pressure? Should we stop in heavy traffic or ignore it?</p>
<p>Younger people may <a href="https://www.emarketer.com/content/wearables-2019">take this kind of thing in stride</a>, but it often frustrates us older folks. It’s not our fault, though. The problem is really that these systems require people to adapt to them – rather than adjusting themselves to accommodate what people need and want. And when products share information with each other, they often create unexpected and indecipherable events.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/280334/original/file-20190619-171192-b7b01b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/280334/original/file-20190619-171192-b7b01b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/280334/original/file-20190619-171192-b7b01b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280334/original/file-20190619-171192-b7b01b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280334/original/file-20190619-171192-b7b01b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280334/original/file-20190619-171192-b7b01b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280334/original/file-20190619-171192-b7b01b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280334/original/file-20190619-171192-b7b01b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Many current hearing aids can connect to smartphones with Bluetooth.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/hearing-impaired-man-phone-home-1022214994">Africa Studio/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These situations are particularly interesting to me because <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=JZG2WAoAAAAJ&hl=en">I am a</a> <a href="http://ap.buffalo.edu/People/faculty.host.html/content/shared/ap/students-faculty-alumni/faculty/Steinfeld.detail.html">design researcher and gerontologist</a> who likes to try out new technologies. Over the past two years, I have used two smartwatches, a mobile phone, two sets of Bluetooth-enabled hearing aids and several Bluetooth-enabled cars. I have found that these devices bring huge benefits that can help compensate for age-related health and function issues. One smartwatch app, for example, can detect if I fall or have an irregular heart rhythm; it may even one day save my life.</p>
<p>Each device is complex in its own right, and trying to use them together in many different settings makes things even more complicated. If technology designers paid more attention to how these gadgets work with each other, they could help customers of all ages – but particularly older people – explore and enjoy greater benefits of mobile computing. They could also help to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2018/10/03/apple-watch-faces-its-toughest-challenge-yet-grandma/">reduce seniors’ reluctance to purchase new devices</a> that could benefit them.</p>
<h2>A litany of confusing encounters</h2>
<p>That experience driving with my wife is far from my only confusion about how my many devices are supposed to interact. Other technophiles likely have similar stories, too.</p>
<p>When I got my second smartwatch, which had built-in mobile service, one of the first things I did was try to answer a call. I read the instructions and tried three times, but it didn’t work. When I called the support line, I learned that I had somehow inadvertently activated a “Theater Mode” that turned off call notifications. A tiny blurry icon on my watch face was supposed to alert me that this mode was on, but I’d had no idea what it meant or whether it was important. And, I could barely see it.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283150/original/file-20190708-51273-c01d4y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283150/original/file-20190708-51273-c01d4y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283150/original/file-20190708-51273-c01d4y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=353&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283150/original/file-20190708-51273-c01d4y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=353&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283150/original/file-20190708-51273-c01d4y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=353&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283150/original/file-20190708-51273-c01d4y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283150/original/file-20190708-51273-c01d4y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283150/original/file-20190708-51273-c01d4y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The ‘Theater’ mode icon on the watch face, at left, is too small to see with aging eyes. A larger icon, at right, would be better.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Screenshot by Edward Henry Steinfeld</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As a bicycle commuter, I sometimes get phone calls about work while riding. To answer the call on my watch, I would need to release my right-hand grip on the handlebars, reach across and press the “answer call” icon, while looking at the watch to make sure I don’t press cancel by mistake. Then I’d need to regrip the handlebars with my right hand and hold my left wrist close to my head to talk and listen. It is not a good idea to do all this while trying to avoid potholes in an urban street. </p>
<p>I can route phone audio to my hearing aids. This avoids having to hold the phone close to my ear to hear, but it works only when it is relatively quiet around me. When there is lots of background noise, my hearing aids amplify the noise and drown out the phone’s audio signal.</p>
<p>If I get a phone call while driving, there are four places I can direct the call: my car, my smartwatch, my hearing aids or the phone itself. But the phone seems to default to my hearing aids – even my millennial-aged hearing aid supplier cannot figure out why. That choice doesn’t activate the car microphone, though, so I still can’t talk without taking my hands off the steering wheel. I can turn off the hearing aid option, but it requires drilling down six levels on my phone. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283151/original/file-20190708-51278-1tioriv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283151/original/file-20190708-51278-1tioriv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283151/original/file-20190708-51278-1tioriv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=633&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283151/original/file-20190708-51278-1tioriv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=633&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283151/original/file-20190708-51278-1tioriv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=633&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283151/original/file-20190708-51278-1tioriv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=795&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283151/original/file-20190708-51278-1tioriv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=795&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283151/original/file-20190708-51278-1tioriv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=795&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The setting controlling which device receives the audio is buried six levels deep in the phone interface.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Screenshots by Edward Henry Steinfeld</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Handling complexity with design</h2>
<p>In many ways, advanced technology is inherently complicated: If users want devices that can do incredible things, they need to deal with the <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/living-complexity">complexity required to deliver those services</a>. But the interfaces designers create often make it difficult to manage that complexity well, which confuses and frustrates users, and may even drive some to give up in despair of ever getting the darn things to work right.</p>
<p>Older users may be particularly prone to finding their gadgets exceeding their limits of agility, vision, hearing and cognitive capacity. All the mobile devices I use are reasonably usable by themselves and have accessibility features like interfaces with hearing aids and text magnification. But they’re not really designed to be easily used together.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283158/original/file-20190708-51268-dzn2h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283158/original/file-20190708-51268-dzn2h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283158/original/file-20190708-51268-dzn2h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283158/original/file-20190708-51268-dzn2h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283158/original/file-20190708-51268-dzn2h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283158/original/file-20190708-51268-dzn2h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283158/original/file-20190708-51268-dzn2h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283158/original/file-20190708-51268-dzn2h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">My vehicle infotainment display shows only the status of the phone, not of other connected devices. Background images and reflections create perceptual clutter.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Edward Henry Steinfeld</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It would be helpful if designers in the mobile technology industry thought broadly about how their devices might be used by a more diverse population, including those with mobility and sensory limits. My co-author and I explored this prospect, and its significance, in a book called “<a href="https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Universal+Design%3A+Creating+Inclusive+Environments-p-9780470399132">Universal Design, Creating Inclusive Environments</a>.”</p>
<p>Overall, the mobile computing industry could adapt key principles of universal design, a philosophy that seeks to empower all users and enhance all users’ experiences. The best news is that our research shows that <a href="https://segd.org/interactive-wayfinding-visually-impaired">designs that work for older people</a> will work that much better for everyone else.</p>
<p>Based on our knowledge, I’d recommend the mobile technology industry improve user experiences by ensuring every connected device with a screen has a personalized dashboard with direct access to all settings. Mobile devices should use a combination of easy-to-perceive icons, text and sound cues (which are coming to be called “<a href="https://wp.nyu.edu/musedlab/2016/10/07/design-for-real-life-qwertybeats-research/">earcons</a>”) to give users clear information not just when they are standing still in the middle of the day, but also when they’re outdoors, at night, driving or bicycling. </p>
<p>They should also design accessories to be integrated with other equipment, such as microphones for talking on hearing-aid devices and touch-sensitive controls that could be mounted on walkers, canes and bicycles to avoid the need to release hand grips or divert attention from the path ahead. In addition, device makers should use their gadgets’ sensors to detect when the user is moving and automatically activate hands-free use, including canceling, answering and terminating telephone calls. With manufacturers’ help, more seniors could enjoy the benefits of advanced technology, without the frustrations.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/118972/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Edward Henry Steinfeld has received funding from the National Institute for Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitattion Research, the U.S. Departement of Housing and Urban Development and The National Endowment for the Arts.</span></em></p>Each device is complex in its own right, and trying to use them together in many different settings makes things even more complicated.Edward Henry Steinfeld, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Architecture, University at BuffaloLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/890802017-12-19T19:24:00Z2017-12-19T19:24:00ZThe social factors that influence whether you’ll use your wearable device<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199611/original/file-20171218-17884-lqxhud.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Sales of Apple smartwatches are increasing, while Fitbit sales are on the decline.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ASmartwatch-828786.jpg">By Crew [CC0 or CC0], via Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Christmas is upon us, and the New Year fast approaching. Many of us are buying wearable self-tracking devices for loved ones, or as part of our own New Year self-improvement regimes. </p>
<p>Wearable devices, as the name suggests, are technologies with digital sensors that can be worn in various ways on the body. It’s estimated that worldwide shipments of wearables this year will reach <a href="https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS42818517">125 million</a>. </p>
<p>But how useful are they, and what benefits do they provide to users?</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/fitbits-decline-is-a-reflection-of-the-end-of-the-over-hyped-promise-of-wearables-73823">Fitbit's decline is a reflection of the end of the over-hyped promise of wearables</a>
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<hr>
<h2>The wearable craze</h2>
<p>There is a now <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wearable-Technology/b?ie=UTF8&node=100487000110">huge range</a> of wearable devices available: smart sneakers to analyse your walking pattern, smartwatches to count your calories, wristbands to assess your sleep quality, and smart gloves to help you with your golf swing.</p>
<p>It makes sense that the companies that sell wearables, and the entrepreneurs who develop them, talk up these devices. However, industry blogs and market research suggest the excitement is beginning to wear off. </p>
<p>While sales for smartwatches, such as the Apple Watch, <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2017/08/01/apple-watch-sales-up-over-50-since-last-year">are healthy</a>, Fitbit – one of the market leaders – has seen its <a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/technology/one-five-australians-use-wearables-business-smartwatch-friendly/">fortunes decline</a>. </p>
<p>Most research into wearable use involves surveys. For example, <a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/technology/one-five-australians-use-wearables-business-smartwatch-friendly/">a 2016 survey of the Australian market</a> showed that fewer than one in five respondents used wearables. </p>
<p>Colleagues and I have conducted three different qualitative studies with Australians aged from 18 to 75 years old about their use of wearables and smartphone apps for health and fitness. </p>
<p><a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2053951717700924">The first study</a> involved ten male and eight female cyclists who used digital devices to monitor their rides. <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3085751">The second study</a> included 40 people (split evenly by gender) who were self-tracking for any purpose. The final study involved 55 women using a range of digital health technologies.</p>
<p>The research revealed some of the key reasons people use wearables and health apps, and why they give them up. </p>
<h2>What wearables are good for</h2>
<h3>Taking control over health and wellbeing</h3>
<p>Michael, a 35-year-old father, uses apps to track his food intake and physical activity. In his interview, he said,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>To be a responsible husband, father and son, I need to track things, whether it be health or finances. </p>
</blockquote>
<h3>Providing motivation to achieve personal bests</h3>
<p>Damon, 48, is a keen cyclist who uses a bike computer to monitor his cycling trips and he uploads his data to the cycling platform, Strava. In his interview, he confessed that,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I’m kind of obsessed with going for local course records or testing myself on certain courses.</p>
</blockquote>
<h3>Spurring healthy competition</h3>
<p>Embarking on fitness tracking together with others can also increase motivation. Valerie, 62, uses the same type of fitness band as her husband. She commented that,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It’s fair to say that we engage in a little friendly competition. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>This may mean that one of them sets out for a late-night walk, just to reach their target for the day.</p>
<h3>Giving real-time feedback</h3>
<p>Fitness trackers that allow users to review data in real-time can spur them to work harder to improve their numbers. Valerie said that,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>If I actually get up to my 10,000 steps, you get the buzz and the flashing lights….So that’s pretty exciting!</p>
</blockquote>
<h3>Learning healthy behaviours</h3>
<p>Some fitness trackers are useful for a limited time while they teach users healthy behaviours. </p>
<p>Jessica, 22, is a keen team sports player, and uses a calorie-counting app to help her lose weight and eat better. She commented that after using the app for some months,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I can now take a look at a plate of food and pretty accurately guess how many calories it has. </p>
</blockquote>
<h3>Creating a sense of community</h3>
<p>Devices that plug into an online community of fellow fitness trackers can support efforts to improve fitness. Danielle, 35, shares her Fibit and Strava data and photos of her cycling trips with her friends. She said,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>All my friends are very encouraging and I’m encouraging of them, particularly when they’re getting into cycling.</p>
</blockquote>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/downside-of-fitness-trackers-and-health-apps-is-loss-of-privacy-69870">Downside of fitness trackers and health apps is loss of privacy</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Why people give up on wearables</h2>
<h3>Goals feel unachievable</h3>
<p>At times, fitness trackers can become a source of negativity by reminding users of what they’re failing to achieve. </p>
<p>Carolyn, 33, is a new mother who used to wear a Fibit to track physical activity, energy expended and sleep patterns. However, now that she has a small baby, she doesn’t want a device to make her feel even worse about her poor sleep and lack of exercise through detailed monitoring. She said,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>My baby’s having a clingy day today - I could barely put him down this morning. As if I’m going to get 10,000 steps! </p>
</blockquote>
<h3>Reminders can become annoying</h3>
<p>If circumstances prevent users from reaching fitness targets, constant alerts can prompt them to switch off. Valerie has a demanding desk-bound job and can’t easily jump to her feet just because her device is asking her to. She describes her wearable as sometimes “pestering” her.</p>
<h3>Lack of community support</h3>
<p>If friends, partners or family members aren’t supportive, this can make a big difference to success with wearables. </p>
<p>Friends of sportswoman Jessica sometimes criticise her for paying so much attention to her diet and weight using a calorie-counting app. She said,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I think there’s a real stigma about calorie counting. It’s like a bad thing and it means you’re preoccupied with the way you look or you’re not happy within yourself. </p>
</blockquote>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-way-we-walk-can-be-used-to-power-and-secure-our-devices-76152">The way we walk can be used to power and secure our devices</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>As these participants’ stories show, people’s social networks, employment conditions and life stages are integral to their use of wearable devices. Understanding how these factors have an impact on the use of fitness trackers can help you make the best use of your wearable device.</p>
<p>So if you’re considering buying a Fitbit for a relative who’s a new mother, you should think about whether she has the time or inclination for self-tracking right now. If you’re chained to a desk job, you might choose a device that won’t send you alerts during the day. And if your friends and family won’t support your self-tracking activities, you might want to join an online community that will.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/89080/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Deborah Lupton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Research shows that people’s social networks, employment conditions and life stages all impact their use of wearable devices. Understanding these factors can help you achieve your fitness goals.Deborah Lupton, Centenary Research Professor, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/844252017-09-28T23:13:15Z2017-09-28T23:13:15ZHow to stop sitting yourself to death<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187902/original/file-20170927-20330-1fkp19r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">When we sit, we accumulate calories and excess fat which can cause obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease and death. The solution may be as simple as counting.
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Sitting is probably killing you slowly — whether you exercise vigorously every day or not. Sitting has been referred to as <a href="http://www.techrepublic.com/article/is-sitting-really-the-new-smoking-an-in-depth-discussion-with-the-experts/">the new smoking</a>. And a recent study shows that <a href="http://annals.org/aim/article/2653704/patterns-sedentary-behavior-mortality-u-s-middle-aged-older-adults">risk of death begins to rise if bouts of sitting persist for longer than 10 minutes</a> at a time.</p>
<p>How do we reverse this evolutionary trend towards laziness? This question preoccupies me, as a cardiologist and a senior scientist with the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and University Health Network. In my clinical practice, I make certain that patients receive appropriate medical therapies to improve their quality of life and longevity. But physical activity is one therapy I cannot prescribe as effectively. </p>
<p>One solution is to think of physical activity as a “pill.” As with other medical prescriptions, this “pill” requires a preparation, a quantity and a strength. </p>
<p>To know how much to take, we must monitor our behaviours. We must count the number of minutes per week we embark on moderate to vigorous physical activity. We must count the number of hours per day we remain sedentary and count the number of minutes we remain sitting at any one point in time. </p>
<h2>What’s wrong with sitting anyway?</h2>
<p>We know that physical inactivity has significant adverse implications to our health. <a href="http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(17)31634-3/fulltext">A recent study</a> examining more than 130,000 patients from more than 17 countries worldwide estimated that one in 12 deaths could be prevented if everyone exercised 30 minutes per day, five days per week at just moderate intensity. </p>
<p>Exercise prevents many chronic diseases, including heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and cancer. It <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2795824">improves our cardiopulmonary fitness levels</a> — a measure of how efficiently our oxygen is extracted from our blood into our organs and tissues throughout our body — and is linked closely to our overall health and survival.</p>
<p>Now evidence suggests that our <em>sitting times</em> and sedentary behaviour also have important impacts on health, irrespective of physical activity levels. For example, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25599350">a recent review by our team</a> found that sedentary times of six to nine hours or more per day are associated with a higher risk of death, cancer and cardiovascular disease. The greatest risks are linked to type II diabetes. In this study, moderate physical activity only partially reduced, but did not eliminate, the risks. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187903/original/file-20170927-5909-1utgh3f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187903/original/file-20170927-5909-1utgh3f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187903/original/file-20170927-5909-1utgh3f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187903/original/file-20170927-5909-1utgh3f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187903/original/file-20170927-5909-1utgh3f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187903/original/file-20170927-5909-1utgh3f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187903/original/file-20170927-5909-1utgh3f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A new generation of smartwatches allows people to count their steps and count their minutes of sedentary activity, as well as measuring heart rate and sleep quality.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The <em>duration</em> we sit at any one time may also count against our health. Patients who sit for prolonged periods burn fewer calories than those who stand or move frequently throughout the day. Insufficient calorie expenditures may result in excessive fat, which may be <a href="https://insights.ovid.com/crossref?an=00003677-900000000-99797">toxic to our metabolism</a>. Such toxicity can <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17987311">give rise to chronic diseases</a> such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease and death. </p>
<p>In sum, while moderate to vigorous physical activity may improve our fitness levels, sedentary behaviour may accumulate calories and fat. <a href="http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/134/13/e262">Each behaviour affects our health and survival</a> in different ways. </p>
<h2>Laziness: A new evolutionary trend?</h2>
<p>As humans, we are primed to move. One needs only to look at babies and toddlers who, once they have acquired the motor development skills to crawl and walk, rarely keep still. To explore their environment, they need to move through space. </p>
<p>Then, at some point, a child becomes more sedentary. Perhaps through their first exposure to TV, their first video game or Internet search, children realize that their quest for self-discovery need not involve movement. The seeds of the disease known as physical inactivity are planted, with devastating <a href="http://www.cps.ca/en/documents/position/screen-time-and-young-children">physical and psychosocial health impacts</a>. Parents may offer little treatment to their children, for they too have been inflicted.</p>
<p>Of course, things weren’t always this way. From an evolutionary perspective, we were once hunters and gatherers. This necessitated high amounts of physical activity throughout the day just to procure water and food for survival. It has been estimated that between one third and one quarter of the total energy consumed by our ancestors was burned through physical activity. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187904/original/file-20170927-24162-13oxe2j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187904/original/file-20170927-24162-13oxe2j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187904/original/file-20170927-24162-13oxe2j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187904/original/file-20170927-24162-13oxe2j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187904/original/file-20170927-24162-13oxe2j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187904/original/file-20170927-24162-13oxe2j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187904/original/file-20170927-24162-13oxe2j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">One 2012 Canadian study found that children who watched just an hour of TV per day were 50 per cent more likely to be overweight than those who watched less.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Contemporary humans <a href="https://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=uMohwgMMrBgC&oi=fnd&pg=PA49&dq=evolution%3B+calorie%3B+ancestors+vs.+contemporaries%3B+physical+activity&ots=IhvDLBb9IF&sig=fFcIhFogBNH1GNj4x1AYZhFuCOA#v=onepage&q&f=false">burn a much smaller component of their total energy</a> through physical activity. Even when compared against highly agricultural societies, the physical activity levels of most adults pale by comparison. For example, one study demonstrated that average daily steps taken in the U.S. population are <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20980470">less than half of that among older order Amish communities</a>.</p>
<p>Perhaps not surprisingly, the decline in physical activity levels over the last several decades has come from <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24658411">non-recreational physical activity</a>, i.e. work. Most alarming has been the dramatic reduction in physical activity among youth and adolescents. </p>
<p>If this evolutionary trend continues, we are looking at a bleak future.</p>
<h2>Counting can help you survive</h2>
<p>How to reverse this trend? Well, assuming that optimal health requires patients to both undertake moderate to vigorous physical activity and avoid excessive sedentary behaviour, solutions seem rather intuitive. Move more, and sit less. </p>
<p>To avoid sitting yourself to death, you can follow some simple strategies:</p>
<ol>
<li><p><strong>Take frequent standing or walking breaks.</strong></p></li>
<li><p><strong>Limit sitting episodes to under 30 minutes (particularly at work).</strong></p></li>
<li><p><strong>Take 10,000 steps or more per day.</strong></p></li>
<li><p><strong>Engage in 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week.</strong></p></li>
<li><p><strong>Engage in resistance (strength) training two days per week.</strong></p></li>
</ol>
<p>Strength training improves muscle mass and resting metabolism, minimizes weight gain and helps prevent osteoporosis.</p>
<p>While humans are primed to move, urbanization, technology and societal norms have resulted in our physical stagnation. We have become sedentary, physically inactive creatures. And the solution may be as simple as counting. </p>
<p>As I sit here, I am reminded by my cellphone alarm that my 30 minutes of uninterrupted sitting must come to an end. My writing of this article must cease. I ask my nine year old to stop playing video games and to join me for a few minutes of catch outside. He reluctantly agrees, and proceeds by asking Alexa to turn off his TV on his behalf. </p>
<p>Oh well, at least it’s a start.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/84425/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr. David Alter has received external funding, as part of a research grant from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. He is also a Research Chair in Cardiovascular and metabolic rehabilitation, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute-University Health Network.</span></em></p>If you sit all day at work, then cancer, diabetes, heart disease and death are the likely outcomes. A cardiologist explains how the simple act of counting can reverse this evolutionary trend.David Alter, Associate Professor of Medicine and Senior Scientist, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/592412016-05-12T20:04:23Z2016-05-12T20:04:23ZStudents are using ‘smart’ spy technology to cheat in exams<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122065/original/image-20160511-18140-3tv1rz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Students are using smart technology to try to beat the exam system.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock/hxdbzxy </span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Students at a medical college in Thailand have been <a href="http://www.france24.com/en/20160509-thai-students-caught-using-mission-impossible-exam-spy-glasses">caught using spy cameras</a> linked to smartwatches to cheat during exams. They used wireless spycams in eyeglasses to capture exam questions, transmit them to associates elsewhere and receive responses through linked smartwatches.</p>
<p>But the entrance exam in question was cancelled after the plot was discovered and Arthit Ourairat, the rector of Rangsit University, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/arthit.ourairat.9/posts/1012866002136568">posted pictures</a> of the hi-tech cheating equipment on his Facebook page.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122064/original/image-20160511-18123-1x4bjzc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122064/original/image-20160511-18123-1x4bjzc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122064/original/image-20160511-18123-1x4bjzc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=403&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122064/original/image-20160511-18123-1x4bjzc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=403&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122064/original/image-20160511-18123-1x4bjzc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=403&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122064/original/image-20160511-18123-1x4bjzc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122064/original/image-20160511-18123-1x4bjzc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122064/original/image-20160511-18123-1x4bjzc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Spy camera glasses used by the exam cheats.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.facebook.com/arthit.ourairat.9/posts/1012866002136568">Arthit Ouraira/Facebook</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The cheating attempt has already been compared to Hollywood’s classic spy dramas but it shows how easily such high-tech devices are available to those who seek to gain an unfair advantage in educational pursuits.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, it’s a problem that will only get worse when devices such as smartglasses become cheaper and more readily available. </p>
<p>Smartglasses such as Google Glass have the capability to take photos, send information and also display information on the lens itself, eliminating the need to connect to a smartwatch.</p>
<h2>Smartwatch ban</h2>
<p>It was around this time last year that universities globally started <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/aucklander/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503378&objectid=11447226">banning</a>, or at least exploring a ban on, smartwatches in exams. </p>
<p>Smartwatches are considered an <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/comment/is-it-cheating-to-wear-a-smartwatch-into-an-exam-20150608-ghixg1.html">aid to cheating</a> in exams because they give easy access to stored text and images, language translation, mathematical calculations and internet access. </p>
<p>Subsequent bans on smartwatches were also introduced by <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/wearables/apple-watches-banned-from-vce-exams-20150824-gj6h8h.html">school boards</a> for <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/apple-watch-banned-from-hsc-exams-and-schools-20150820-gj3px2.html">Year 12 exams</a> in Australia.</p>
<p>But a blanket ban on all watches – traditional or smart – could be on the horizon, especially because it is difficult and impractical for exam invigilators to differentiate between the two in an exam environment.</p>
<h2>Other gadgets</h2>
<p>It’s not just smartwatches we need to worry about. A plethora of hi-tech cheating gadgets exist that would also not look out of place in a James Bond or Mission Impossible film.</p>
<p>These are devices such as special glasses with a built-in transmitter and a <a href="http://www.gsm-earpiece.com/howto/how-it-works/">separate wireless earpiece</a>, aimed at establishing a two-way secretive audio communication between people during exams.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S6ZlepIHZT0?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>There is a device marketed as a <a href="http://cheatingwatch.com/">Cheating Watch</a> that can store PDF, Word and other documents. But it also has a super-fast emergency button that locks other buttons and displays only the time when approached by any suspecting exam invigilator.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UTElLneWqW0?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Many <a href="http://www.spystudy.com/">other devices</a> are offered for covert cheating in exams through wireless audio transmission. </p>
<p>There is even an <a href="http://www.24kupi.com/webshop-en/invisible-watch.html">Invisible Watch</a> that appears to display nothing when the watch is switched on. But when viewed with special glasses sold with the watch, the screen becomes visible and you can see any uploaded content, such as your exam cheat notes.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xYxGHChOh8I?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<h2>An open market</h2>
<p>Before you criticise me for giving away details of these devices, I should point out that there is a very open marketplace where they are being spruiked and sold as gadgets to aid cheating in exams. They are not hard to find.</p>
<p>Similar devices are also being sold on Amazon and eBay, companies that appear to claim no ethical responsibility for what is being sold on their platforms. Prices range from as little as A$40 up to A$600, depending on the features.</p>
<p>Although these devices could be used for legitimate purposes, the marketing of such gadgets to students for cheating in exams is an issue that is plaguing educational institutions.</p>
<p>Globally, educational institutions abhor the erosion of academic integrity and want students who are smart with gadgetry – not smart-cheaters. The dilemma facing exam administrators is deciding which devices to ban and how.</p>
<p>Similar to the ban on mobile phones in exams, any devices capable of storing, transmitting, receiving and displaying digital information should also be banned.</p>
<p>So, as a starting point, a ban on watches – traditional and smart – for now is the way forward.</p>
<p>In order to eliminate the problem of differentiating between watches in an exam environment, some <a href="http://www.examiner.com.au/story/3865975/sydney-university-university-of-nsw-and-uts-crack-down-on-cheating-students/">Australian universities</a> have already implemented bans on all wristwatches. Others across Australia and the world should follow suit.</p>
<p>As newer surreptitious technologies emerge, educational institutions will have to come up with better plans to combat these new ways of cheating, and devise solutions that could range from <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/may/05/students-ticked-off-by-ban-on-watches-in-exams">banning devices</a> to <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-33059635">scanning for radio signals</a> as was done using drones in an exam in China!</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/59241/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ritesh Chugh does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Technology that wouldn’t look out of place in a Hollywood spy movie is being marketed at students to help them cheat in exams.Ritesh Chugh, Senior Lecturer (Information Systems Management), CQUniversity AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/385432015-03-10T06:20:18Z2015-03-10T06:20:18ZSoon smartwatches will listen to your body to work out how you’re feeling<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/74204/original/image-20150309-13559-1axt29y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">How much does your smartwatch know?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">gdainti/smartwatch image via www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Final details of Apple’s new smartwatch have finally arrived at the firm’s glitzy <a href="http://www.apple.com/live/2015-mar-event/">Spring Forward</a> event. But while the hype machine steps up another notch, there are other issues regarding health and self-tracking and, possibly even more important, over wearable tech companies’ interest in our emotional lives.</p>
<p>Apple’s Watch records exercise, tracks our movements throughout the day, assesses the amount of time we are stood up and reminds us to get up and move around if we have been sat for too long – let’s not forget Tim Cook’s “<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/feb/11/tim-cook-apple-watch-health-benefits">sitting is the new cancer</a>” line. It achieves this by means of an accelerometer, a heart rate sensor, WiFi and GPS. There are already many smartwatches on the market such as the <a href="https://getpebble.com/pebble">Pebble</a> and offerings from <a href="http://www.lg.com/global/gwatch/index.html#main">LG</a>, <a href="http://www.sonymobile.com/gb/products/accessories/smartwatch/">Sony</a>, <a href="http://www.samsung.com/uk/consumer/mobile-devices/wearables/">Samsung</a> and <a href="https://moto360.motorola.com/">Motorola</a>, among others. Of course, these haven’t had the Apple marketing Midas touch. </p>
<p>Whether the Watch will be a flop or success, Apple’s entry is a significant contribution to industry-wide attempts to get us using wearable devices. The market is predicted to grow from 9.7m units in 2013 to 135m in 2018, according to <a href="http://www.ccsinsight.com/press/company-news/1944-smartwatches-and-smart-bands-dominate-fast-growing-wearables-market">CCS Insight</a>, while a report from UK retailer <a href="http://www.johnlewis.com/inspiration-and-advice/home-garden/jl-retail-report">John Lewis</a> also records steady growth in wearables for health and well-being: sales were up 395% from 2013. This is notable because John Lewis is not aimed at the tech-savvy, and therefore presents a reasonable indicator of mass-market take-up of wearables.</p>
<h2>Information is power</h2>
<p>To understand the significance of Watch and other self-tracking wearables, we should look to Silicon Valley and the <a href="http://quantifiedself.com/about/">Quantified Self movement</a>. This began in San Francisco around 2007 as the editors of <a href="http://www.wired.com/">Wired</a> magazine, Gary Wolf and Kevin Kelly, initiated a group of like-minded people interested in “self-knowledge through numbers”, a motto and philosophy of sorts for the Quantified Self movement. It entails a deeply libertarian outlook of de-centralisation, a shrunken state, autonomy and self-reliance, and pre-emptive and preventative measures based on the use of data.</p>
<p>Apple’s move into wearables is inevitable as the market grows, but the broader interest in health is also notable. It reflects an interest from corporations and national health providers alike in <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/384650/NIB_Report.pdf">promoting preventative and anticipatory technologies</a>. The promise wearable technology offers is information: about consumers’ and patients’ behaviour, their health, and whether they stick to prescribed treatments. </p>
<p>This has ushered in an age of medical self-interrogation, in real time and real life contexts, whether this be from office pressure, in relationships, or the impact of disease or physical stresses on the body. Wearables are only part of the health story, as advocates of digital health care foresee how the doctor-patient approach would be radically altered by means of wearable monitors and sensors in the home. Technology behemoths such as Apple and Google alongside many startups would clearly be interested in the possibilities offered by reorganising health provision along these lines.</p>
<h2>Think and act</h2>
<p>Beyond health, Apple’s interest in emotion is key to understanding the significance of its watch. Apple’s website promises that we will reach out and connect in ways we never have. Watch will allow us to draw doodle pictures and observe others as they create theirs, give loved ones a “tap” on the wrist to show we are thinking of them, send real-time heartbeats to others, and so on. </p>
<p>The message is to use connectivity to be intimate even at a distance, with the <a href="https://www.apple.com/uk/watch/">language</a> Apple uses an attempt to claim intimacy and sociability from afar, and to humanise and make palatable what are essentially tracking technologies.</p>
<p>There is however a more literal emotional dimension to biometric technologies: the Watch is an example of what I term empathic media – machines able to assess, collect and make use of data about our emotions. This can be achieved through interpretation of speech patterns and tone, gesture, gaze direction, facial cues, heart rates, and respiration patterns. While Apple’s product does not offer all this (although <a href="http://mashable.com/2014/06/06/apple-iwatch-october/">earlier iterations</a> of Watch made similar promises), it still sits within a wider context of technologies that quite literally feel our bodily reactions.</p>
<p>Until now the online world has understood our preferences through the search term keywords we use and what we click; empathic media will quite literally <em>feel</em> our reactions. This is important because if companies can understand moods, emotions or states of arousal, they have access to information that may sway the decisions we make. </p>
<p>We have yet to see Apple’s privacy policy for the watch. While I’m sure it will state that no personally identifiable information will be disclosed to third-parties, what remains to be seen is what can be drawn from aggregated biometric and emotional data, and where that data ends up. This is a key revenue stream for other empathic media and wearable companies. Will Apple be doing the same?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/38543/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew McStay receives funding from ESRC and AHRC. He is also a member of Open Rights Group.</span></em></p>Our internet use is tracked by cookies and clicks, but smartwatches will listen to our body to sense how we feel.Andrew McStay, Senior Lecturer in Media Culture, Bangor UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/385612015-03-09T18:10:36Z2015-03-09T18:10:36ZApple Watch: phantom menace of smartwatches could make us even more self-obsessed<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/74190/original/image-20150309-13550-lrm2k3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=55%2C0%2C1992%2C1404&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Wrist reward. Apple arms itself against rivals.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/hetstyle/15222624538/in/photolist-xBaE4-j1EjW3-81wyYZ-j1CuxE-97LJ3K-81zJk3-mYoJSM-mYqyoN-mYoKaR-81wz7H-81wz4D-81zJiJ-99Vnvt-99VnwX-8qiWNk-bLHrwi-eawgCF-oGkZXC-mYqyjE-81wz6g-oGkobZ-8GSHFq-oRKnKf-pcaVVL-oGm1pj-n8HKB1-zNutn-d2yvbj-d2yutd-d2ytP1-d2yt6S-d2yso9-d2yrGE-d2yqU9-d2yq93-d2ypqb-d2yoF1-d2ynRE-d2ymZj-d2ymbm-d2ykH1-d2yhYJ-pafBcu-kh6XMi-d2yxdY-d2ywqu-d2yvyb-d2yjZj-d2yjnf-d2yiEq">Houang Stephane</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Apple CEO Tim Cook has <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/watch/11458389/Apple-Watch-event-live.html">released the much anticipated Apple watch</a> – his company’s first new product since the iPad. Cook said the new watch, in addition to telling the time, was a “comprehensive health and fitness companion”. But we’re unlikely to hear much about how people will actually use this new product for some time. </p>
<p>Our research has found that smartwatches certainly do have some benefits for users. But they also have a hidden, darker side which the companies selling them are unlikely to talk about. </p>
<p>As part of <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/10949941/Smartwatch-wearers-have-you-experienced-the-phantom-device-effect.html">a research project</a> with Alberto Rizzoli, we have tried to understand what drives people to invest in smartwatches. One participant, a judge, hoped he could keep track of the deluge of emails during long hours in the courtroom when he had to pay attention – and be seen to pay attention.</p>
<p>The dilemma is familiar to many of us. We spend our days engaged in social interaction. Huge proportions of our time are taken up with meetings or impromptu encounters with colleagues. However when we are in these meetings, our smartphone is buzzing away reminding us that our inbox is filling up. We may want to check these incoming messages, but <a href="http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/is-your-smartphone-helping-you-be-rude/">know it would be rude</a> to glace at our phone. When one of the first smartwatches came to market, the judge thought he had found the solution to this problem.</p>
<h2>Compulsive checking</h2>
<p>We found that heavy smartwatch users valued how the devices helped them track information as it arrived while still appearing socially attentive. It also saved users the hassle of having to dig through their pockets or handbags to find a buzzing phone. Surprisingly only about half the people we spoke with actually used all the health tracking technology built in to the watches. They were more interested in keeping abreast of their inbox than their calorie count. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/74195/original/image-20150309-13585-189vtpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/74195/original/image-20150309-13585-189vtpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/74195/original/image-20150309-13585-189vtpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/74195/original/image-20150309-13585-189vtpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/74195/original/image-20150309-13585-189vtpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/74195/original/image-20150309-13585-189vtpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/74195/original/image-20150309-13585-189vtpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/74195/original/image-20150309-13585-189vtpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ghostly devices, delicious variety.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/cozinhandofantasias/12915868633/in/photolist-5yNeiu-guR3gG-7baL9Y-7chAZ1-3Pm9HV-933Yd1-bsNrfZ-b6fPuK-b6fPCi-giXGrA-5LKHUk-vfZ49-9TPmKs-7ccQQ2-8Ytz5o-3PqjBJ-zucWf-h91QGh-dE4hpy-r2cBS-zucSw-5LFGaC-8KFVgG-aB8Jsa-kFkcLe-4PWEeX-utWqd-oWyMno-uvmZt-6y9Z1L-3KQMTM-2jHeMU-7CjxE9-dppV5S-6vMVD1-edwKHw-edr6EH-4kFQD1-7qbgLF-8PvLX2-qeoz8h-akEUSa-8G7Rvo-7zDEEF-7eMc9b-9wcuwg-9kaZgk-PkFMF-aA4wPo-68tBrd">Cozinhando Fantasias</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We also noticed a worrying side to these new devices as heavy users of the watches incorporate them into their daily routines – we call it the “phantom device effect”. They would compulsive check their watch not just for the time, but for a wide range of information. In some cases their new gizmo would become such an instinctive part of their life that even when not wearing one they would check their bare wrist. Some would feel a phantom buzz, notifying them of an imaginary incoming email. </p>
<p>The phantom device effect leads us to ask about just how ingrained in our daily habits these devices might become. Recent research has suggested that average smartphone users <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2013/05/cellphone-users-check-phones-150xday-and-other-internet-fun-facts/">check their phone 150 times a day</a>, starting just minutes after waking up.</p>
<p>We also know this has the effect of extending work into all areas of our lives – monitoring work emails late into the night or during social or family events. We used to worry that the average American watched television for six hours a day. Now we accept as a matter of course the fact that we tied to our devices for most of the time we’re awake. Indeed many of us go to bed with our smart devices quietly monitoring our rhythms as we sleep. </p>
<h2>Keeping track</h2>
<p>This raises the question of what impact it will have on our lives. In the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jan/22/the-wellness-syndrome-carl-cederstrom-andre-spicer-persuasive-diagnosis">work</a> Carl Cederström and I have done on the hidden dangers of wearables, a big big concern is privacy. </p>
<p>The Apple Watch, like most wearables, is essentially a tracking device, recording heart rate, sleep patterns, movement, whereabouts, and much more depending on the apps installed. All this is packaged and transmitted to datacentres for analysis. The result? A database of personal information of which <a href="http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/563751/Stasi">the Stasi</a> could only have dreamed. </p>
<p>As well as sucking up personal information, wearables could fuel an unhealthy obsession with personal wellness. By pumping health and wellbeing information at us non-stop, we start to become a little too focused on our bio-rhythms. Data which would have been generated only in the most unusual situations now becomes commonplace, making people not just health conscious, but also self-obsessed. </p>
<p>Instead of checking in with social networks, we spend more time checking in with our own bodily rhythms. As a result other people start to become more interested in what is going on inside themselves rather than what is happening in the world. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/74194/original/image-20150309-13543-cizhrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/74194/original/image-20150309-13543-cizhrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/74194/original/image-20150309-13543-cizhrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=430&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/74194/original/image-20150309-13543-cizhrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=430&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/74194/original/image-20150309-13543-cizhrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=430&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/74194/original/image-20150309-13543-cizhrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=541&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/74194/original/image-20150309-13543-cizhrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=541&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/74194/original/image-20150309-13543-cizhrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=541&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Have a heart. Get the data.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/18909153@N08/7194920984/in/photolist-bXMRkN-xHf9W-7NH13K-rm3dUQ-mNyhJ-99JhHa-76rGmU-knMSG-6BxdTP-35CjDr-zVg3F-7wsS22-a6BqJy-eLcUmA-9Ek24V-kiwhvX-sEfXu-oxZwis-tXNTP-9AVSAU-eL1uzD-eL1uNz-kpa49b-kpa1yw-9jj2Lo-6Gzaik-9hYnCu-9hVgvZ-9hYmDQ-9hVfv8-9hVg9B-pksjai-p4eA67-p4fp2D-62nNgQ-6ebygT-7E4sXh-arzymY-47Zxyz-47Zxpg-4J82op-d9Cz7j-5BT3G-kp8qdi-4JsTCi-4Jcf45-7V4mqD-9Lp9rC-6tWRLe-kpaaaE">Cross Duck</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Information obsession</h2>
<p>As we pay more attention to our feed of personal biodata we’re likely to become more anxious about things that we may never have given a second thought to in the past. Not walking your <a href="http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=2877769">allotted steps in a day</a> or finding you had a poor sleeping pattern at night can become a source of significant personal guilt or worry. As a result, we pour more attention into monitoring and controlling ourselves, giving us less time to do the things which actually make us happy. </p>
<p>If Apple’s projections are indeed correct and <a href="http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2015/02/jp-morgan-forecasts-26-million-units-of-apple-watch-will-be-sold-in-2015-vs-720000-android-units-sold-in-2014.html">tens of millions of people</a> purchase smartwatches, it’s likely to create a step change in our lives. We already see people routinely posting on social media information they would have only shared with their doctor a few years ago. </p>
<p>Widespread use of smartwatches could mean that instead of relieving our boredom by answering emails, people will spend their time sifting through their biodata stream, planning ways to maximise their personal wellness ratings. Rather than talking about what was on television last night, people will start comparing charts of their sleeping patterns. When this happens we will know that <a href="https://theconversation.com/youve-heard-of-the-internet-of-things-now-behold-the-internet-of-me-36379">the internet of me has arrived</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/38561/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andre Spicer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Smartwatches will bombard us with data about our internal lives. We risk letting sleep patterns, calorie counts and bio-rhythms dominate our days.Andre Spicer, Professor of Organisational Behaviour, Cass Business School, City, University of LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/364402015-01-19T14:38:08Z2015-01-19T14:38:08ZGoogle Glass finally cracks: it was a product looking for a market<p>The <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-30831128">announcement</a> that Google is to halt sales of its Google Glass augmented-reality spectacles has been interpreted by some people as the end of a pilot project and the start of a new phase of product development, or by others as indicative of failure.</p>
<p>Google tell us that the 18-month run of Google Glass is a successful pilot, one that ends now that the device has moved out of Google X – the firm’s out-there research facility – and into a new development facility headed by the founder of <a href="https://nest.com/about/">Nest</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Fadell">Tony Fadell</a>, which Google bought last year.</p>
<p>So, success or failure? A pilot that crashed, or a first-step experiment? Without a doubt, if the product had taken off commercially, words such as “pilot” would have been quickly forgotten. Google Glass has not been the success that was hoped for. Feedback has thrown up a host of problems – from fashion, to privacy and governance, to industrial design.</p>
<p>Google Glass has cracked. The <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/30830265">post-mortems</a> have already started coming, suggesting several reasons: cost, battery life, our attachment to mobile phones and the look of the thing – all are pointed to as culprits.</p>
<h2>A market that never was?</h2>
<p>But not everyone was critical: in October 2014, India was reported to have the <a href="http://gadgets.ndtv.com/wearables/news/india-has-second-highest-number-of-google-glass-owners-survey-609397">highest number of owners</a>. Yet around the same time <a href="http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/90-percent-of-americans-wont-wear-google-glass-survey-says/">a survey of Americans reported by CNet</a>, found that 90% said they wouldn’t wear Google Glass. The reason? Social awkwardness. Essentially, people were freaked out by wearing the kit on their heads. </p>
<p>A <a href="http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/72-percent-say-no-to-google-glass-because-of-privacy/">second study</a> identified a, perhaps less surprising, reason why 72% reported they wouldn’t wear Glass, that of privacy concerns. Many respondents had concerns such as “the potential for hackers to access private data, the ease with which others could record their actions without their knowledge and the potential for private actions to become public”.</p>
<p>Even as wearables more generally were launched by just about every firm in tech, Google Glass was singled out as a problem within a bigger set of worries for wearable marketers. A <a href="http://fortune.com/2015/01/07/what-do-consumers-want-better-batteries-not-wearables/">survey for Fortune</a> found that only 12% said they were likely to buy a wearable device in 2015, while 74% said they were not likely to. But only 2% were likely to buy smart glasses such as Google’s, while 92% said they wouldn’t.</p>
<p>One might say the virtual writing was on the digitally projected wall. But is it still the case? More <a href="http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/stratos-announces-state-of-wearable-technology-research-1982359.htm">recent research</a> suggests that, even in the past six months, wearable sales are still rising. But this includes all wearable devices including smart watches – smart glasses like Google Glass are clearly the least popular of the wearables.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/69391/original/image-20150119-14489-14zu9pj.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/69391/original/image-20150119-14489-14zu9pj.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69391/original/image-20150119-14489-14zu9pj.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69391/original/image-20150119-14489-14zu9pj.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69391/original/image-20150119-14489-14zu9pj.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69391/original/image-20150119-14489-14zu9pj.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69391/original/image-20150119-14489-14zu9pj.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">For many, the look of Glass was pretty out there.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Google_Glass_photo.JPG">Danlev</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Gone for good, or just gone for now?</h2>
<p>So, what’s next for Google Glass? Formerly at Apple, Fadell – deemed the “father of the iPod” – brings his more commercial, design-driven background to the product’s future. This marks a shift away from the what was seen as a more fashion-dominated approach to Google Glass driven by <a href="http://www.technologyreview.com/view/534246/why-ivy-ross-got-picked-to-make-google-glass-succeed/">Ivy Ross</a> and her experience of jewellery design, who nevertheless remains on the team.</p>
<p>Fashion will always play a part with wearables. Currently the smart money is on smart watches that <a href="http://recode.net/2014/12/22/finally-a-smart-watch-that-doesnt-look-like-a-geek-watch/">look more like old watches</a>. On the other hand, no one would necessarily have imagined the iPhone when they were gripping the handset of an old <a href="http://www.knowyourmobile.com/nokia/history-mobile-phones/19848/history-mobile-phones-1973-2007">Nokia</a>, and look how successful they’ve been. The next version of Glass (if there is one) may well be game-changingly different, or may just settle into the comfortable familiarity of an ordinary pair of spectacles.</p>
<p>In any case, a future version of Google Glass has to solve the concerns over privacy, the feeling of being freaked out by sensory overload – and that of looking, and feeling, a bit bizarre. Copycat products, some aimed at the personal consumer, others more at corporations, are arriving on the scene with even worse offerings – as writer Pavel Alpeyev <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-15/lots-of-wearables-but-nothing-worth-wearing-yet.html">acidly remarks</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Some of the consumer designs seem to draw inspiration from the soulless aesthetic of an office copy machine. Those designs destined for the enterprise world aren’t much better – apparently you can treat people as equipment racks once they’re on the payroll.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I wouldn’t write off Google Glass, nor discount the company’s willingness to regroup and re-imagine its ideas, nor write off what other tech innovators will come up with in this category in 2015 and beyond. That said, we may one day look back on the whole digital spectacles idea as an Alice-in-Wonderland curiosity. But hey, curiosity is where innovation starts, isn’t it?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/36440/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul Levy owns shares in CATS3000 Ltd.</span></em></p>The announcement that Google is to halt sales of its Google Glass augmented-reality spectacles has been interpreted by some people as the end of a pilot project and the start of a new phase of product…Paul Levy, Senior Researcher in Innovation Management, University of BrightonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/253992014-04-09T05:11:03Z2014-04-09T05:11:03ZSamsung heats up wearable tech race with graphene wafers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/45862/original/2bbfgwpt-1396955368.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Will your smartwatch contain graphene? Samsung thinks so.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/janitors/10345217416/">Kārlis Dambrāns</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Samsung has had a mixed relationship with wearable technology to date but an <a href="http://global.samsungtomorrow.com/?p=35576">announcement</a> this week may put it ahead of the crowd. </p>
<p>The South Korean firm made an early bid on the market with smartwatches but its Galaxy Gear has <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/apr/01/wearables-consumers-abandoning-devices-galaxy-gear">received tepid reviews</a>. Now it says it has come up with a technique for producing <a href="https://theconversation.com/from-pencil-to-high-speed-internet-graphene-is-a-modern-wonder-3146">graphene</a> in a way that is commercially viable and plans to use it in wearable technology.</p>
<p>Graphene has been touted as a wonder material that will revolutionise electronics. Strong, flexible, and conductive, graphene may bring us flexible displays on devices and clothing that can do more than just sit on your body. </p>
<p>But making high-quality graphene on a commercial scale is difficult so Samsung’s claims have been greeted with <a href="http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/6543/20140407/samsungs-graphene-research-advance-electronics.htm">excitement</a>. Researchers from the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology and Sungkyunkwan University in Korea report a new method for producing large, flawless graphene wafers that could be used in new electronic devices. Crucially, the new method seems well-suited for commercialisation on a large scale.</p>
<p>Graphene consists of a single flat layer of carbon atoms arranged in an ordered hexagonal pattern. This regular arrangement of atoms, a crystal, is vital to its promising electronic properties. To realise next-generation electronics based on graphene, single crystals as large as several centimetres must be made on a large scale.</p>
<p>Previous research has revealed several routes to graphene, but all are limited in one or more ways. The graphene might consist of multiple crystals joined together by disordered borders or might contain wrinkles in its flat surface. Any defects in the crystal will impede its electronic properties. Other methods produce highly desired single crystals of graphene but on a very small scale. Producing large wafers of single-crystal graphene is vital to its use in electronics.</p>
<p>The new method produces a single layer of perfectly crystalline graphene as large as 50mm in diameter. The key breakthrough was the use of a germanium chip as a template for the growth of the graphene layer from multiple crystal seeds.</p>
<p>Germanium has several properties that turn out to be perfect for graphene production. The surface of the germanium wafers used here is very smooth and well-defined, and has a defined direction to it. It also does not form chemical bonds to graphene, but rather forms weak interactions that allow graphene to slide along the surface.</p>
<p>As a result of these properties, when a hot stream of methane and hydrogen gases are passed over the germanium wafer, small, separated islands of graphene are deposited. Importantly, these individual graphene crystals are all aligned in the same direction. The graphene layer grows outward from the edges of these crystals and merge with each other seamlessly to produce a single, perfect crystal.</p>
<p>The directional surface of germanium is essential to the process as it forces each individual graphene crystal into alignment, allowing them to grow into one another without producing defects. Indeed, when a perfectly symmetrical germanium surface was used instead, the product was a mosaic of crystalline graphene joined together by disordered seams.</p>
<p>A further advantage of germanium is that when heated and cooled, it expands and contracts at a similar rate to graphene. Combined with the ability of graphene to slide along the surface, this completely prevents wrinkles from forming in the graphene layer and diminishing its electronic properties.</p>
<p>Once grown, the graphene layers can simply be peeled off the germanium wafer, allowing the wafer to be reused. Typical methods of graphene production involve the use of corrosive chemicals to remove the product from the template. This is environmentally unfriendly and also damages the template, preventing its reuse. By avoiding these pitfalls, the new method promises to be commercially viable.</p>
<p>If Samsung makes its technique work in the long term, it may lead to remarkable new electronics. After its smartwatch woes, it might have finally found a way to take on Google Glass.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/25399/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew Bissette does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Samsung has had a mixed relationship with wearable technology to date but an announcement this week may put it ahead of the crowd. The South Korean firm made an early bid on the market with smartwatches…Andrew Bissette, PhD student, University of OxfordLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/218972014-01-10T06:02:46Z2014-01-10T06:02:46ZWearable tech sees all, so choose what you want to share<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/38764/original/4rzcw24q-1389294035.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Went to CES, couldn't decide, so bought the lot.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Robert Scoble</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>This week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas has offered up a veritable smörgåsbord of wearable technology. We’ve seen devices of all kinds to tempt us into this new age. So now is the time to decide what you want from them and how much information you are willing to hand over to your friend via your arm.</p>
<p>Depending on how you define the term, “wearable technology” has been developing since the mid-1990s or since the advent of spectacles or even clothing. When wearable computers were first introduced to the market in the early 2000s, these tended to be quite bulky devices in the form of boxes in bags or on belts that were connected by trailing wires to the headset and control devices.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/38763/original/mxm8qcj7-1389292543.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/38763/original/mxm8qcj7-1389292543.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/38763/original/mxm8qcj7-1389292543.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=304&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/38763/original/mxm8qcj7-1389292543.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=304&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/38763/original/mxm8qcj7-1389292543.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=304&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/38763/original/mxm8qcj7-1389292543.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/38763/original/mxm8qcj7-1389292543.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/38763/original/mxm8qcj7-1389292543.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">We’ve come a long, long way.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Glogger</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>What is different about the new wave of wearable technology on display at CES is that it puts the digital on to the person. And what unites most of the devices we’ve seen is a central purpose: logging.</p>
<h2>What’s changed?</h2>
<p>Now, the miniaturisation of processors means that it is possible to put hefty computing capability into something small enough to be mounted on the wrist or on the head. That said, most of the products on show at CES need to connect to other, more powerful processors, either a phone or computer, even if it can be done wirelessly.</p>
<p>The choice of where to place the wearable technology on the person is split between the head, following the design pattern of spectacle frames, or the wrist, following the design pattern of the watch.</p>
<p>Even while they stick to the traditional in terms of where they aim for on the body, device makers are battling out to produce something different now that their wares are being seen as the next big thing.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.gizmag.com/martian-notifier-smartwatch/30388/">Martian Notifier</a>, for example, is selling itself as the incognito smartwatch. It subtly vibrates in different patterns when a different type of message – such as an email or social media mention – comes your way.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7fFo_fX5yNc?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The Martian Notifier.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The <a href="http://www.stuff.tv/pebble/ces-2014/pebble-smartwatch-will-get-classy-metal-and-gorilla-glass-makeover-ces/news#">Pebble Steel</a> is at the vanguard of wearable tech’s attempts to do fashion. Where rivals continue to be made in plastic materials, it can be bought in brushed steel, so it will go with your suit.</p>
<p>For those who want to go for the face, we’ve seen GoogleGlass, Lumus DK40, Ora-S AR Eyewear, Pivothead Smart Colfax. </p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gTqFXIR10zU?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The Pivothead Smart Colfax.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For those who want to keep it to the wrist but don’t want a Pebble Steel or a Martian, there is the <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/portable-devices/lg-lifeband-touch-shown-off-before-big-ces-reveal-1212371">LG Lifeband</a>, <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/watches-and-wrist-devices/sapphire-wellness-watch/4505-3512_7-35833913.html">Wellograph Sapphire Wellness</a>, <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/07/sony-core-not-wearable-its-a-sensor/">Sony Core</a>, and the <a href="http://androidandme.com/2014/01/devices/hands-on-with-the-zte-bluewatch-smartwatch/">ZTE Bluewatch</a>. </p>
<p>Not only do the wearable technologies on show at CES fit their processors into small spaces, but many include some form of sensor, either a camera, or sensors that collect data relating to movement or physiological conditions.</p>
<p>The LG Lifeband, for example, can record your movements and tell you how many calories you’ve burned. The Sony Core tracks you too, but also lets you log noteable moments.</p>
<p>These choices of sensors reflect the current trend to develop wearable technology as a support for logging. Those on the head are most often used for life logging. We’ll be able to share our daily lives with friends or even strangers by recording what we see.</p>
<p>Those on the wrist are predominantly aimed at health logging, supported by physiological sensors. Then there are those worn on the head that are used for augmented reality, with digital content projected directly in the viewer’s line of sight and overlaying their view of the world.</p>
<p>Because they all log, these devices necessarily raise questions about privacy. Any attempt to expand their use beyond early adopting enthusiasts will need to address these concerns. While fitness fans might be happy to share their every triumph with others online, others will want to feel more in control of some the most personal data they have.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/21897/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christopher Baber does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>This week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas has offered up a veritable smörgåsbord of wearable technology. We’ve seen devices of all kinds to tempt us into this new age. So now is the time to decide…Christopher Baber, Chair of Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing, University of BirminghamLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/180302013-09-16T05:37:30Z2013-09-16T05:37:30ZNot long now before on-body gadgets get under your skin<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/31319/original/vf3xwd5v-1379080179.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Now, where did I leave my keys? Ah, yes, in my left skin pocket.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ted Eytan</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>My Dad used to say that if he had a pocket somewhere on his skin he’d keep a torch in it. I thought it was weird at the time but as my eyesight has dimmed, I get what he was on about. Now it’s a mobile phone I’d keep in a skin pocket – after all, it has a flashlight app as well as many other functions.</p>
<p>Since the 1950s electronic devices such as pacemakers have been planted inside bodies to keep them ticking over, but most of us are still happy just to keep a mobile phone in a clothes pocket or a bag. A few months ago there was a fluster in the blogosphere about the prototype Google Glass, a computer with a head up display you could wear on the body. This month it is <a href="http://www.gizmag.com/galaxy-gear-vs-sony-smartwatch-2-specs-comparison/29062/">smartwatches</a>, such as the Galaxy Gear, the “kickstarted” Pebble and the Sony Smartwatch 2, all just about to be released on the market, that are the new on-body gizmos. Having offered a rather clumsy wristable 6th generation Nano in 2010, Apple is yet to confirm frenzied rumours that an iWatch is to appear next year.</p>
<p>Why would anyone need yet another electronic gizmo like this? Those that make them are restlessly looking for the “next big thing”, always warning that you have to “innovate to stay in the game” – all that business blather that drives consumer capitalism. And, like SMS in mobile phones, there just may be something in the excess of unused wristie functionality that catches on. They might be too small to use as video screens but the <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/what-is-nfc-and-why-is-it-in-your-phone-948410">near field communication</a> quietly built into them could turn out to be useful. Being able to wave your watch near a sensor to buy your newspaper, train ticket and lunch, to unlock the car, the office and the door to home – not to mention the computer and phone that carries all your personal data – could save us from carrying about keys and passwords, cash and a growing collection of membership and loyalty cards.</p>
<p>But what is interesting rather than useful about the smart wristies and glasses, is the continuation of computing power towards the body. From the institutional bunker of the mainframe, to the office desk, to the laptop, to the smart phone, one of the directions of computational technology has been to get closer and more personal. The other direction is smart chips getting into things – the internet of things and palpable computing. The technology has been around for ages and some examples, like the Oyster card, have been successfully rolled out but more of this has to happen before the NFC technology in wristies could take off.</p>
<p>Before all of us line up to have smart chips embedded in our bodies (remember Professor <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8HeFNJjuj0">Kevin Warwick</a> pioneering this back in the 1980s?), the next closest we can have them is strapped to our wrists or worn on our faces. The wristie and Glass are steps on the way to us taking computers inside our bodies. Everything that computers do for us builds on the existing sensory and cognitive capacities of the human body; doing sums, remembering appointments, recalling images of loved ones, hearing the music we enjoy, talking to those far away, writing notes, making pictures and so on.</p>
<p>The wristie, Glass and other wearable smart devices will make the intelligent and sensory capacities of computers and phones even more ready-to-hand than they are now. But eventually we will want to find a skin-pocket for them to, literally, incorporate them within ourselves. There are more steps along the way but it won’t be that long before computer power will become part of what Drew Leder calls the “absent body”; the organs and workings of the body that are internalised, taken for granted and only need conscious attention when they go wrong.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/18030/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tim Dant does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>My Dad used to say that if he had a pocket somewhere on his skin he’d keep a torch in it. I thought it was weird at the time but as my eyesight has dimmed, I get what he was on about. Now it’s a mobile…Tim Dant, Professor of Sociology, Lancaster UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/179602013-09-06T13:52:19Z2013-09-06T13:52:19ZScoff now, but you’re probably getting a smartwatch<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/30878/original/25m2xsq4-1378462930.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">I don't need one of these, do I?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Samsung tomorrow</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The tech wars took a major swerve into the leftfield this week. No longer content with updating their phone offerings, companies have come over all James Bond in the hope of hitting upon the next big innovation. While one of the biggest presences in technology busies itself with Google Glass, its rivals are looking to our wrists. Samsung has, in the past few days beaten Apple to be the first to unveil a “smartwatch” and Sony is not far behind. It has worked in this field for some time but is preparing to make its Smartwatch 2 <a href="http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-09/05/sony-sw2-smartwatch">available</a> some time this month in a bid to take on Samsung.</p>
<p>Samsung’s Galaxy Gear is priced at US$299 and can make phone calls, surf the web and take photos. Enthusiasts will tell us that we should all be getting on board with this innovation, even if these watches look like they’ve been lifted directly out of a 1980s action movie. We all originally scoffed at the idea that, one day, we would struggle to live without a telephone in our pockets at every waking moment but now the thought of leaving our mobile at home by mistake is enough to send chills down the spine. So can the same story play out for the smartwatch?</p>
<h2>The case against</h2>
<p>Some of the features that Samsung and Co see as major selling points are a little puzzling. First, any tech lover will know from experiences with iPod nanos and the early days of digital cameras that big promises about tiny movies can end in disappointment. How many people actually watched anything on their nano screen just because Apple made it possible to? Similarly, the Galaxy Gear’s 1.63-inch screen is too small to comfortably watch any lengthy movie and the 1.9-megapixel camera is too small to take any photos of real quality.</p>
<p>It looks like phone calls will be made and music listened to using “hands-free” equipment on these smart watches. This makes it hard to see the real benefit of wearing the device on your arm instead of having an equivalent one in your pocket. There are voice recognition features that allow users to draft messages, set alarms and check the weather but these can already be done with a phone and yet, are often not done. </p>
<p>The hype that surrounded voice control systems on phones, like Apple’s Siri, don’t appear to have been matched with uptake. People just don’t want to broadcast their activities and interests to the general public around them, whether it’s using a phone or a watch. They are still personal devices and we want reminders about our personal matters to remain just that.</p>
<p>As for web browsing on the go, this, more than any other feature, will need a good user interface. As we see with the range of apple devices, the web browsing experience becomes more complicated for the user as the screen gets smaller and the user interface becomes more basic. Scrolling around large websites or trying to enter words in a search using a small keypad becomes trickier and can be seriously off putting. I personally move from my iPhone, to my iPad, to my laptop, in that order, depending on how “serious” a web browsing experience I plan to have. If I’m just Googling some basic information, my phone will serve but the bigger devices really need to be brought out for anything more involved. I see smart watches at the very bottom of this hierarchy.</p>
<p>So, apart from cool James Bond-style tricks, the only benefit at this stage appears to be the size and accessibility of the device. Hipsters will no longer have to battle to retrieve their phone from the pocket of their skinny jeans. That’s a big win for parts of East London but hardly a gamechanger.</p>
<h2>The case for</h2>
<p>So these watches are too small, too annoying and not as good as your laptop. Why would you want to buy one? Because the people that make them think you should. According to one business analyst interviewed by <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-04/samsung-299-galaxy-gear-tests-demand-for-smart-watches.html">Bloomberg</a> this week, tech companies like smart watches because they are “personal devices that are highly visible to consumers”. With a watch, the consumer instantly becomes a walking advert and that is obviously appealing to the vendor. The users themselves may not want them to be visible, but they may come to accept visibility if the benefits are big enough. The general reaction from people who have tried out Google Glass has been that the experience the device offers makes it worth looking like a prize fool when you walk down the street.</p>
<p>There is a group who could make smartwatches work from the outset, a tribe who already see smart devices as fashion accessories. Just as the iPod prepared society for the iPhone - essentially an iPod with phone and web browsing capabilities - it is the similarities between the smartwatch and fitness wristbands that will make the smartwatch socially acceptable to wear in the end.</p>
<p>Wristbands such as <a href="http://nikeplus.nike.com/plus/">Nike+</a> are becoming more and more common as people embrace the potential of using personal devices to track their health and fitness levels. You don’t want Siri to tell everyone within a 10 metre radius that you’ve got an appointment at the GUM clinic in an hour, but you might be more inclined to share the news that you’ve just smashed your personal best on a 10 mile run. Smartwatches can log your step count, let you make a comment, and share your workout with your friends, all on one device rather than needing to synchronise and switch devices or take your iPhone for a run. Once you really need a watch for this part of your life, you’ll be nicely warmed up to embrace it as a phone and browser.</p>
<p>The primary use of any new technology is not predetermined by its designers or developers, it emerges from a conversation between the makers and the end users, and like most conversations it can evolve in unpredictable ways. We probably aren’t quite ready to stand on a street corner talking into our arms like a CIA agent every time the phone rings but we are ready to use these devices in some parts of our lives. And that’s how Samsung, Sony and Apple will sneak these tiny machines into our shopping baskets. You won’t notice it happening, but happen it will. </p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/17960/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Higgs works for University College London. He receives funding from the EPSRC.</span></em></p>The tech wars took a major swerve into the leftfield this week. No longer content with updating their phone offerings, companies have come over all James Bond in the hope of hitting upon the next big innovation…Matthew Higgs, Postdoctoral Research Associate, UCLLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.