All about fitness bracelets and smart watches: how they appeared, how they work and whether they are needed at all
Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2025 8:21 am
Fitness trackers in 2021 not only count steps and calories, but also monitor sleep, measure blood pressure and even stress levels. But some researchers doubt whether you should trust them with your health.
Digital watches with additional features have been around since the 1970s. One of the first smartwatches was the Seiko UC-2000, which not only told time, but also acted as a calculator, had a built-in Japanese-English malta number data translator, and games like Tetris.
write text of up to 2000 characters, save it in notes on the watch, and print it on a special printer.
In the early 2000s, Microsoft released a watch based on Smart Personal Object Technology (SPOT), which worked using FM broadcasting. The company stopped using the technology in 2008, but the idea of smart watches survived. And in the 2010s, watches and bracelets from Apple, Samsung, Sony and others entered the market, the functions of which work via the Internet.
for professional athletes to track physical performance and calculate stress. Soon, trackers began to be worn by amateurs, as well as those who do not play sports and lead a sedentary lifestyle.
If previously bracelets only had a pedometer and a heart rate monitor, now manufacturers are adding more and more new functions.
For example, Amazon has released a smart bracelet Halo, which can determine the percentage of subcutaneous fat and understands the mood of the owner by voice, while Apple, Garmin and Fitbit promise that their watches will show the level of oxygen in the blood.
Digital watches with additional features have been around since the 1970s. One of the first smartwatches was the Seiko UC-2000, which not only told time, but also acted as a calculator, had a built-in Japanese-English malta number data translator, and games like Tetris.
write text of up to 2000 characters, save it in notes on the watch, and print it on a special printer.
In the early 2000s, Microsoft released a watch based on Smart Personal Object Technology (SPOT), which worked using FM broadcasting. The company stopped using the technology in 2008, but the idea of smart watches survived. And in the 2010s, watches and bracelets from Apple, Samsung, Sony and others entered the market, the functions of which work via the Internet.
for professional athletes to track physical performance and calculate stress. Soon, trackers began to be worn by amateurs, as well as those who do not play sports and lead a sedentary lifestyle.
If previously bracelets only had a pedometer and a heart rate monitor, now manufacturers are adding more and more new functions.
For example, Amazon has released a smart bracelet Halo, which can determine the percentage of subcutaneous fat and understands the mood of the owner by voice, while Apple, Garmin and Fitbit promise that their watches will show the level of oxygen in the blood.