The link between wearable tech and health & fitness has always been a strong one. When wearable tech was first introduced, it had very little functionality other than simply counting steps or tracking distances. The next most valuable contribution that wearable tech may provide is in the area of health care, particularly in regards to health monitoring. Monitoring alone, is not enough however, as results have to also be carefully analyzed and that is where AI comes in. Here are three ways AI will help drive wearable tech.

Heart monitoring

Every year nearly three-quarters of a million Americans suffer a heart attack, with more than half a million of them being first-time events. In some cases, individuals do not even know they are suffering a heart attack. Heart disease currently accounts for over 600,000 deaths per year or one in four deaths. The symptoms of a heart attack, however, are myriad and can often be simply dismissed as other things. A new study between Apple and Stanford Medicine can help AI-powered devices not only provide constant monitoring but can run a myriad of statistical analysis to determine if a heart attack may or may not be imminent.

Bio-monitoring

The proper functioning of your body actually depends on thousands of different systems all operating in perfect harmony. If you eat something sweet, it can cause your blood sugar levels to rise, which triggers the pancreas to release insulin to help bring it slowly back down. A healthy body is constantly monitoring and adjusting hundreds of different functions to maintain balance – or what is known as homeostasis. In some cases, such as with diabetes, certain systems are simply broken and have to be manually monitored carefully. The farther a certain system gets out of alignment, the more difficult it can be to bring it back into alignment. Advanced biomonitoring may help individuals suffering from a number of biological malfunctions to better monitor their condition to allow them to better maintain stability.

Post-surgical monitoring

Other than having a chronic condition, post-surgical patients are generally in the greatest danger of having life-threatening conditions develop. AI-powered devices allow devices to be constantly measuring, monitoring and statistically analyzing a wide range of conditions to help better prevent post-surgical events.