The Smartness of Things- I
A series of articles observing ‘smart’ things from an intersection of design, technology and human interaction
Almost everyday, there is a new smart thing introduced to us. Smartphones were probably the first mainstream ones and soon we all will be living in smart homes in smart cities. What does it mean for us humans to be surrounded by such smart things and to live in such an age? What do smart things imply and influence? Are we safe in their midst? How are we going to interact with them? As I tackle these questions myself, I share my perspectives.
One ring to rule them all
In this age of sedentary, stuck to our myriad screens lives, I am sure we all have been wooed by one fitness tracker or the other. The first generation of fitness trackers from big brands have galloped and made their mark as wearables. With their neon colored bands and digital screens, they served their mission well in terms of functionality and technology. But they do leave some room for improvement.
Enter Smart jewelry. Slowly and steadily they have been trying to tap not just into the fitness arena, but payments technology and some even have a rape alarm built in or a panic button built in. Take a quick peek.
A good balance
Motiv caught my attention while browsing through a number of CES reviews. Here is a ring which looks suave and sophisticated. Motiv is an activity and sleep tracker and it claims to seamlessly fit in your everyday life. With a slate grey and rose gold to choose from, it doesn’t offer you a wide range but with the tech features it does make a neat package.
It also won the CES 2017 award for Best of Innovation for Wearable Technologies.
For the ones who love their stones
Ringly stands closer to traditional jewelry with gemstone encrusted rings and bracelets fused with sensors. It is a fitness tracker which tracks your steps, calories burned and is water resistant. Alerts are in form of vibration patterns and lights which can be customized through the companion phone app. It sits pretty and stylish.
Although it probably is the most popular one in the market, I am reminded of Skeuomorphism. It is indeed fabulous to be featured in Vogue, but apart from combining existing jewelry patterns and optimizing technology to fit on, I don’t see ingenuity in the design process.
A tad different
The NFC ring is like a NFC key to all your NFC enabled devices, be it your smart phone or door lock. Some of the models can also be used too make payments and transfer information.
The interesting part is that it is probably the cheapest one among its ilk with this one below Eclipse, sporting a mat texture for 29.99 GBP
Not a ring but still fits in
Leaf by Bellabeat has been around is specially aimed at helping women achieve a mind-body balance. It can be worn as a pendant, bracelet or just clipped onto your clothes so that it touches your skin. It probably is one of the first few trackers which has got the balance of tech and design right.
Leaf monitors activity levels, sleep quality and reproductive health. By monitoring these elements, it creates an overview of the wearer’s lifestyle and detect patterns that may cause stress and alerts the wearer.
If you want some more eye candy, some more smart rings are reviewed here.
What’s next?
Fitness trackers and heart beat monitors have seen the light of the day. We need more aspects of human life to be covered and addressed through smart wearables. We need more innovators, designers and engineers working on concepts for Wearables for good. It would be indeed interesting to see devices to help diabetics who forget to take their insulin injections, for people living with epilepsy, suffering from Alzheimer's and dementia.We will have an ageing population in certain parts of the world and regions like Africa and India will be teeming with youth. It would be worth looking into the pressing challenges which the world faces everyday and would in the future.
What I have missed in the smart jewelry is the nuance of cultural identities. Though the target audience is global, urban and modern, does our diverse and rich craftsmanship have no place in the design moodboards of future?
A wishlist for the future smart jewelry:
Inculcate essence of heritage crafts, marry it with most suitable modern technology and address challenges of the present and the future.
It’s a promising start. We have interesting challenges and opportunities in front of us to design and develop for.
