'Biosensing wearables' encompasses a range of devices, from fitness trackers to smartwatches to ingestibles. They are also a market segment poised to experience significant growth in the coming years, according to a report from Rock Health.
Currently, the most popular biosensing wearables are those that measure movement, sleep and heart rate. However, there are many emerging niches within the market, including devices that measure glucose levels, respiration, blood pressure and other indicators of a user's health.
Venture capitalists have taken a noticeable interest in the space — investments in biosensing wearable companies have increased five-fold since 2011. Last year, $229 million was invested in these companies.
The biosensing wearble market is and will continue to be driven by three main factors: the ability of the wearables to send information to smartphones and the development of related apps, dropping sensor prices and a healthcare industry increasingly looking for ways to keep patients healthy in the new value-based reimbursement environment.
One of the main hurdles the market faces is devices' current inability to keep users engaged over the long term. An Endeavour Partners survey cited in the Rock Health report found after two years, less than 50 percent of biosensing wearable owners still used their devices regularly.
To become truly mainstream, biosensing wearables will need to improve their functionality, reliability and convenience. Adoption rates may be limited by platform, however — consumers choose Apple or Android first, and will then be shopping only for the biosensing wearables compatible with their mobile operating system.
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