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The first consumer-facing wearable devices launched in the late 1980s and mostly comprised of computers strapped to your head or wrist PDAs that weren’t quite as useful in real life as they were on paper.

However, one big shift that’s happening in the industry is that mobile manufacturers are embracing the wearables challenge, making much more exciting devices than we saw even three years ago.

With the launch of wearables including the Samsung Gear, Google Glass, Oculus Rift and Apple Watch promising enterprise enablement, it looks as though organisations finally have the technology they need to improve efficiency in the workplace.

Additionally, wearables are starting to get more attention in both consumer-only and enterprise applications. Wearables certainly have their uses where hands free use is demanded, such as first emergency responders, in warehouses and military use.

ABI Research is predicting that wearable technologies will become an even more important feature of enterprise mobile enablement strategies over the next five years, with the enterprise wearables market hitting $18 billion (£11 billion) by 2019.

Industry-specific drivers

Across a wide range of industries, technology forms the basis of doing things more efficiently. Engineering, logistics and manufacturing are just some examples where mobility has delivered a large amount of value and competitive advantage for a number of years.

For any job where both hands are needed to carry out most roles, wearables allow operatives to view information, without technology getting in the way. This enables hands-free working for fixing equipment, packing boxes onto a lorry or operating machinery.

Many industries, especially those in the medical sector require access to real-time data while carrying out day-to day tasks. For example, a surgeon may need to see patient information while operating on them. Wearables provide glanceable data on a screen in front of the user’s eyes, making this information instantly accessible.

No longer do those operating on patients need to refer to screens that could prove to be unhygienic, should they need to touch the equipment, or waste time finding out further details on the patient’s condition or to view Xrays while operating, for example.

Healthcare

According to ABI Research, medical applications are one of the main drivers of wearables in enterprise. The company predicted that by 2016, 100 million wearable medical devices will be sold annually and another 80 million will be sold to consumers for sports and fitness-related uses.

But these devices can only be successful if the right infrastructure is built around them. Allowing developers to create apps to interpret, analyse and provide value to the end user or to trusted parties is key.

One of the first proof-of-concepts for health-related wearables is the Mayo Clinic Patient iOS app launched in the US. In addition to allowing patients to access their appointments, message doctors and obtain lab and imaging results without calling the surgery, the app will also soon integrate with Apple’s HealthKit API, according to Forbes. This will allow patients to send data about their wellbeing to the surgery.

For example, diabetes patients will be able to take their blood sugar level and then send the data back to the surgery and this information will be added to their file. Heart patients can record their pulse and blood pressure and if anything is out of the ordinary, it will alert their GP.

Emergency services

When an emergency happens, it's important that those first on the scene have the equipment they need to do the job properly and efficiently.

This commonly means they'll need their hands free to deal with multiple issues at once - whether that's a paramedic tending to a patient and recording information about their condition, or a fireman searching for people in a fire while assessing the best route to get to them.

Wearables present a perfect solution: providing the insight and tools the emergency services need, while giving them two hands to carry out essential care at the same time.

First responders

BAE Systems has created an app that utilises Google Glass to allow first responders to collect data and images from an area, while they are treating those affected by the disaster, or partaking in a search and recovery mission.

For example, they are able to clear rubble with their hands, while sending the data about their location back to servers that store information and share it with other first responders - this could be the same search and recovery team, paramedics or the fire service.

Police

With new police stop and search laws being introduced in the UK, which specify police officers must record more information about their actions, officers in London are already trialling portable cameras that record the searches, ensuring they are sticking to the rules.

If a smart solution such as Google Glass was used, integrating facial recognition, or a biometric reader that can read a fingerprint, the person being stopped could be cross-referenced with the police database and the officer would know whether they are dealing with a wanted criminal or someone who already has a record.

Other solutions for police forces are also being tested around the world. These include sensors that monitor an officer's pulse and other biometric indicators, with a holster sensor that sends out a warning signal when a gun is drawn.

Warehouse workers

Wearables are not a new concept in the warehouse and logistics industry - warehouse workers have been wearing wrist scanners for years - but now the next advancement is using glasses such as Google Glass to find the load and pack it safely.

Tesco has been using smart armbands in its warehouse operations since early last year. The company is using the smart bands to track the goods operatives are gathering, helping with task allocation, tracking movements and reducing the time it takes to log inventories. It has helped management track efficiency of staff and log the work completed, rather than using pen and paper as was previously the case.

Manufacturing

With machinery posing risks to employees’ wellbeing, producing a light, unobstructive wearable is important.

More often than not, employees working on the front line must have their hands free and wear safety goggles and clothing to prevent any toxic substances or materials injuring them.

Wearables can also improve employee monitoring, beaming back information about potential delays along the production line to managers, while also presenting data about individual worker productivity.

Developer challenges

At the moment, wearables are still largely unproven in the marketplace. To be successful, they require developers to create solutions that demonstrate value to users. For business use cases, proof of success will come from showing how ROI can be achieved and other metrics for success can be measured.

This will likely come from apps that utilise wearables to drive value to both the end user and the business as a whole. This could be from reducing the steps it takes to complete tasks, or from providing employees with the information and tools they need.

It could be something as simple as providing employees with information contextual to what they are doing. For example, it could be a CRM related app that will alert a sales member if one of their contacts is nearby, their name and the last topic they discussed. This could integrate with a backend system to make our physical interactions smarter, without the need to look at a mobile or tablet.

Benefits for the enterprise

Although the challenges of implementing wearables may make you think adoption in your company is a mammoth task, the benefits of implementing such an ecosystem usually outweigh the potential pain points.  It’s important to involve users, roll out the technology slowly and grow this initial base as you receive feedback from the trial group.

Those who have implemented wearables in the workplace have reported a huge uplift in productivity and job satisfaction. Research by Goldsmiths at the University of London in partnership with Rackspace, showed productivity increased by 8.5 per cent, but job satisfaction levels of the workers rise by an average of 3.5 per cent too, across 85 companies using wearables.

When it comes to tracking technologies, always-on wearables allow you to track where employees, patients or customer orders are more precisely. This can be shared quickly with those who need to analyse it, in real time, to identify possible delays or issues that allow companies to respond with greater effectiveness.

 

Interested in hearing industry leaders discuss subjects like this and sharing their use-cases? Attend the co-located IoT Tech Expo, Blockchain Expo, AI & Big Data Expo and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo World Series with upcoming events in Silicon Valley, London and Amsterdam and explore the future of enterprise technology.