7 Bits Of Body Tech You'll Actually Be Wearing In 2016

By Chris Rowlands /

4. Hearables

Thinking of buying some new earphones this year? They might just monitor your movement €“ even if you don€™t want them to. Wristband wearables may only just be hitting the mainstream, but manufacturers like Misfit are already unveiling the next stage of on-body tech €“ and it€™s all about the ears. Future kit could take your temperature and tap into your neuro-activity, but most of today€™s hearables (as they€™ve been dubbed) are still quite simple. Misfit€™s Specter is a set of Bluetooth €˜phones with a battery box that clips to your collar and doubles up as a step-tracking, sleep-monitoring machine. Like a wrist-based tracker, it€™ll also sync stats with your smartphone as well as allowing you to control compatible Internet of Things objects in your house via the Misfit Link app. That said, Bragi€™s wireless Dash buds are significantly smarter, packing in-ear biometrics, live activity feedback and gesture controls for a canal-filling smart experience. Simplistic or not, with connected chips shrinking you could soon be seeing activity tracking tech in every pair of €˜phones. Rumours abound as to Apple's possible removal of the headphone jack on the iPhone 7 €“ and a pair of hearable smart €˜phones could well be the replacement.