Deployment of AI in smartwatches: Expert decodes trends to lookout in 2022

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the use of smartwatches and fitness apps. Integrated with Artificial Intelligence (AI), these new-age wearables are redefining the way people take proactive care of their health. Since COVID-19 has increased the awareness of personal hygiene, people have become more concerned about their health safety. They have started taking precautionary measures to stay active and healthy. Chapamk Lal Gurjar, CEO at MINIX India-Next Generation Computing, decodes trends to lookout in 2022 in the wake of deployment of AI in smartwatches:-

"In the past two years, the trend of smartwatches has changed from a fashion statement for the younger generation to turn into a necessity for millennials and the older population. AI-based wearables, mainly smartwatches have seen a steep surge in their sales and are still expected to grow in the forthcoming year. The market growth is largely driven by the rise in lifestyle diseases like COVID-19, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and many alike. These diseases are taking a huge toll on human health and need to be managed with constant monitoring and precautions. The trends in smartwatches integrated with new-age technology tools are predicted to have an optimistic outlook in 2022," says Chapamk Lal Gurjar.

Explaining AI assistance in wellness and sports performance, the CEO of MINIX India-Next Generation Computing said, "Today, many people are getting back to understanding the importance of including sports in their daily regime. Many tech-oriented smartwatch players have already included multiple sports modes in their offerings specifically to track running, swimming, skipping and other activities. Now is the time that forward-looking smartwatch players are looking to embed AI-based smart assistants in their offerings. They are equipping the smartwatches with intelligent assistants like Alexa or Siri. The trend is going to pick up at a fast pace as consumers can get AI in-app coaching to improve fitness activity routines using performance analytics. Its real-time actionable insights will help consumers make data-driven decisions, constantly improve their performance and stay motivated with cheerful assistants."

Talking about use of analytics to encourage smart healthcare, Gurjar says, "Smartwatches with predictive analytics are likely to improve quality of life. Smartwatches leveraging big data analytics play a crucial role in ensuring smart health choices. They collect the data, monitor and communicate with users on the go. In the forthcoming year, there will be increased use of data by medical practitioners to prioritize patients’ health and provide them medical attention on a priority basis. For instance – many international companies are working on embedding machine learning to analyze data for patients suffering from serious illnesses such as respiratory diseases or cardiovascular diseases to forecast potential attacks and take precautionary measures to save the patient’s life."

On data to ensure mental wellbeing, he adds, "With two-consecutive lockdowns, market slowdown and job layoffs, mental wellbeing have become more prevalent. Amid the pandemic, smartwatches proved to be a companion in stress and reminded people to track their mental health. To manage users' stress levels, new-age smartwatches are going beyond tracking sleep patterns to heart rate monitoring. Its AI-based advanced technological tools help in forecasting anxiety and panic attacks. Many players are also incorporating mindful activities that can help a user to learn and practice deep breathing techniques and meditation. These activities track and present values to calculate the stress level of the user and encourage them to take care of their mental health."

About focus on holistic customer experience, he says, "Smartwatches are undergoing tremendous evolution in terms of technology and design. Apart from functionalities and performance, smartwatches players are focusing on hardware and other design capabilities to ensure a holistic customer experience. Many brands are investing heavily in R&D to focus on improving in-app experiences to make their offerings more successful with smooth functioning and smart integrations. Given the idea of ensuring a holistic customer experience, smartwatches brands are predicted to focus on making LTE smartwatches on the frontline. This will enable the user to control voice calls, messages and other activities without carrying their smartphone in hand all the time."

"Integration of security tools: There is no doubt on the fact that smartwatches offer immense benefits when it comes to tracking and monitoring healthcare activities. However, smartwatches brands are also looking at vulnerabilities related to security. While adding AI and other personalization tools, smartwatch brands are understanding the need to create a robust security system to protect vast amounts of users’ data and its cloud storage," he added.

"The future for smartwatches holds more versatility, efficiency and prevalence. Smartwatch brands will go beyond the landscape of fitness and health to ensure a holistic customer experience. On the other hand, users will keep learning to protect their data and ensure device security. Thus, the year 2022 is predicted to leap forward in terms of innovative hardware designs, advanced user interfaces and seamless integrations," he concluded.