"Wearables 3.0": Exploring new tools for health and wellness by Colin Milner

The first pedometer, according to some accounts, was a windup watch created in 1780 to measure steps and distance. Swiss watchmaker Abraham-Louis Perrelet based the device on his 1777 mechanism to power a self-winding (or automatic) watch with the wearer's movements while walking. Leap forward to 2018. We now have a vast array of tools to help us measure our steps-from digital apps to smartwatches to, yes, pedometers. Those pedometers are what Stanford University's Ken Smith, MS, calls "wearables 1.0," the start of wearable tools. From this beginning, we have moved on to "wearables 2.0," says Smith. We use the new form of wearable tools to track activities and behaviors such as nutrition and exercise. Yet, it is the emergence of what he calls "wearables 3.0" that is set to change how we manage our health and well-being, Smith believes.