Examples Of Wearable Technologies

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Does using wearable technology for medical purposes make us humans or technological beings? Wearable devices and technologies have become somewhat of a trend and it is understandable that these technologies can be used in the medical field. This essay will discuss what wearable technologies are, how these technologies are used in the medical field, how these technologies may operate as an extension of the human body or mind and will debate if humans are both “natural” and/or technological beings. Further discussion will be on the meaning of technology and nature and these may not be opposites but rather fluid. It will make reference to primary readings by W. Brian Arthur (The nature of technology 2009:203-216), Donna Cox (The Tao of Postmodernism:…show more content…
This technology collects data information related to health, disabilities education, transport, fitness, gaming, finance, enterprise and music (Tehrani et al 2014) from the wearer and records it usually by the form of software (Beal [sa]). These devices are embedded into clothing or jewellery and, depending on the purpose of the device; it can be implanted in to the skin (Tehrani et al 2014). The goal of wearable technology and devices is to increase the user-device experience and increase the functional use of these devices and technologies in the lives of the users daily (Tehrani et al 2014). The medical field has been one of the first sectors to use wearable technology and devices as it has been in talks about these technologies for the past 10 years and coming up with terms such as “Wearable motherboard” and “Smart Shirt” (Park and Jayaraman in Tehrani et al…show more content…
For example, an art network and a food chain can be described as a system because there is an order within which certain functions and objectives are carried out. Technology behaves in the same manner. We, humans, design and create technology is help us improve ourselves so that we may function better as a network or system (Cox 1989:10). I disagree with the definition of natural because I feel that it suggests that humans are not of nature. Our methods of creating technology is based on our nature and how we wanted to better ourselves and make our lives easier as a specie (Arthur 2009:203-204). Technology is as Hal Foster explains that any form of new art is not essentially new because it is based on something from history (Cox 1989:8) but instead of it being history as past events but rather on the behaviours carried out in nature by nature. Wearable technology can be seen as a better way of sustaining ourselves a s a specie based on the previous methods we had used in the past prior to the age of wearable

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