The Thermal Earring is a prototype piece of jewelry that identifies how health tracking technology could be intuitively integrated into an otherwise ordinary fashion item.
The earring is equipped with a dual-sensor system that will stay magnetically clipped to the earlobe to take the temperature of the wearer, while the second dangling sensor will take ambient room temperature readings for reference. The earring has an integrated antenna and Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) module to communicate directly with the user's device for tracking, and is rated to provide up to 28 days of use per charge. The earring was prototyped by Shirley (Qiuyue) Xue and Yujia (Nancy) Liu at the University of Washington.
Xue commented on the Thermal Earring saying, "Current wearables like Apple Watch and Fitbit have temperature sensors, but they provide only an average temperature for the day, and their temperature readings from wrists and hands are too noisy to track ovulation. So we wanted to explore unique applications for the earring, especially applications that might be attractive to women and anyone who cares about fashion."
Image Credit: Raymond Smith/University of Washington
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Intuitive Fashionable Wearables
- The Thermal Earring integrates health tracking technology into fashionable jewelry, opening up possibilities for more intuitive wearables.
- Dual-sensor Systems
- The Thermal Earring showcases the potential of dual-sensor systems for accurate and precise temperature tracking in wearables.
- Long-lasting Battery Life
- The Thermal Earring's 28-day battery life sets the stage for wearable devices with extended usage capabilities.
Where This Applies
- Fashion and Accessories
- The Fashion and Accessories industry can explore integrating health tracking technology into jewelry to create innovative and stylish wearables.
- Healthcare and Wellness
- The Healthcare and Wellness industry can leverage dual-sensor systems in wearables to provide more accurate and reliable health monitoring solutions.
- Consumer Electronics
- The Consumer Electronics industry can develop wearable devices with extended battery life, offering users prolonged usage without frequent recharging.
