Potential uses of wearable technology in medicine: lessons learnt from Google Glass

Whether or not the general populace is ready to accept Glass or similar optical head mounted wearables into general mainstream use, Glass has made some inroads into the practice of medicine and healthcare in general (2,3). While medicine and the overall healthcare environment have often been lauded for their slow uptake of technology, there are still many new adopters who look to integrate technology into clinical practice. In such manners, these early ‘Explorers’ are determining the potential uses of new technology and its limitations. Three of the current business partners recognised by Google are actively still engaged in using Glass and similar products within the healthcare environment, and their results have been seen in the news and media as of late (4). However, in January 2015, Glass was moved out of its Beta development as part of the Google X Division. As such, public access to Glass has since been withdrawn, but access is still available to certified business partners to continue using Glass in business projects (4). While Glass has been reduced from public access outside these business outlets, Glass will continue to undergo refinement at Google and may be seen in an altered form in the future (5). Despite this setback, the knowledge that has been gained by the use of Glass in practice will have longstanding impact on the use of wearables in clinical practice. With the recent surge in mobile devices and associated wearable devices coming to the market, it may come as no surprise that many in the medical sphere are eagerly looking to integrate such devices as Glass into their practice. The impact of Glass and the use of optical head-mounted display has been explored in multiple areas within the practice of medicine and has made some advancement in terms of finding a utility for wearable devices in clinical practice that may see further widespread adoption.