Don’t give up on wearables just yet
Inspirations from a mental disorder
I’ve been wearing the Jawbone UP for a few months now. It was super valuable early on. I got into a habit of working out regularly. When your wife asks you, how many steps did you put on that silly toy you have around your wrist, you act. I acted and that was awesome. Also, understanding how my sleeping patterns were impacting my energy levels during the day helped me fix that part of my life. So far, so good.
Once that was done, my interest waned. I still wear the band but I don’t sync it as regularly. I am not sure if I am going to buy the upgrade.
Given this frame of mind, why am I still bullish on Wearables?
One word. Synesthesia.
As wikipedia puts it-
Synesthesia is a neurological phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway.
What that means, is that Synesthetes (people with Synesthesia)have some of their senses cross-wired. Some of them see numbers as colors, some can taste words they hear, while some hear sounds when they see a particular color.
Imagine what a wonderful world these people inhabit! It’s like adding a whole new dimension to this boring 3-d world. Not surprising that a lot of reported cases of synesthesia come from the world of Art. Russian painter Kandinsky, the famous novelist, Nobokov and the jazz virtuoso, Duke Ellington are just some examples. Even Feynman enjoyed a mild case, seeing equations in color!
Now hear this.
Neil Harbisson was born completely color blind. He grew up used to a greyscale world but at the age of 21, things changed. He and computer scientist Adam Montandon, created a synesthesia inspired electronic eye, that could translate colors that Neil could not see into sounds, that he could hear! In this TED talk, Neil talks at length about how his world has transformed into a symphony (literally!) of colors with the new device.
The reason I took that rather long detour is because I think this is a fantastic example of technology and our bodies join organically to create a whole new experience. Infact, a whole new reality. I am not colorblind, but I would love to get this device to add a new dimension to my perception of the world!
This is the case I am making for Wearables. Sure, actvity tracking might not be a great usecase for wearables but there is a whole universe of possibility out there. What is happening right now is that the industry is solving a lot of the components needed for making a super experience — the materials to use, physical product design, software.
I believe that our desire to be superhumans is fulfilled most tangibly by wearables. All that needs to happen is for the industry to figure out the killer app that can balance how much value it delivers vs how much effort it expects.
Image — The verge
