Wearable Fatigue? Stick It In Your Ear 
Wearable devices, in particular activity trackers — i.e. glorified pedometers — have skyrocketed wearable technology to the mainstream. Companies left and right are hopping on the wearables bandwagon with very limited success. The industry is calling it wearable fatigue. Wearables aren’t sticking because consumers are not willing to alter their behavior to accommodate the product. One solution is to give consumers a form factor they are already comfortable with, namely devices that you wear in your ear.
Smart ear devices, or “hearables,” are the new horizon in the wearable space and for good reason. Current wearables — fitness wristbands, heart rate straps, even Google Glass — tend to be novelty-based and require convincing consumers to put something new on their body. Alternatively, ear devices have the potential to make a lasting impact in the wearable space.
Think about it: How many people use headphones, earbuds or hearing aids on a daily basis? Since the invention of the Walkman in 1979, portable headphones have become the most widely adopted wearable device in the world. The trouble with the fitness bands, heart rate straps and Google Glasses of the world today is lack of use. Fitness enthusiasts may forget to put on their fitness band, but they need their earbuds to listen to music at the gym. The elderly may have a difficult time putting their wearable device on their wrist due to arthritis, but many use hearing aids daily. It’s time to shift our focus to the ear.
Why the Ear? Isn’t the Wrist Where It’s At? The brilliant thing about placing a wearable device in the ear is that the ear provides a clearer gateway into brain and body activity. Currently, wearables on the wrist are kludgy, have significant kinks that lead to inaccuracy, and can be easily manipulated. Have you ever seen someone vigorously shaking their wrist to hit their daily steps? It happens. That’s where hearables come into play. Hearable devices have the potential to provide vital information, including heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, pulse and even electrocardiography — the electrical activity of the heart, from a very unobtrusive position on the body. Apple’s next generation “earpods,” in fact, are rumored to have the ability to track heart rate and blood pressure....MORE
