Blog skyhook logo Top 3 Innovative Use Cases for Wearables and Location

Mar 21, 2016 9:30:00 AM

Top 3 Innovative Use Cases for Wearables and Location

Posted by Skyhook

Read All Posts

According to International Data Corporation (IDC), the wearables market will reach a total of 126.1 million units shipped by 2019. The availability of precise and accurate location to wearable devices can open up critical new use cases and experiences, ranging from fitness tracking, to adding context to photographic memories in real time, to providing parents with the peace of mind of knowing the location of their children.

Here are some devices that are using precise location to create vital use cases.

The Philips' Lifeline GoSafe Device

Philips gosafe device wearable skyhook

GoSafe is a mobile personal emergency response services offering (MPERs). Adding accurate and precise location to an emergency response device can help save a life by providing Lifeline Response Associates with the information needed in order to locate a user in the event of an emergency. If an individual experiences a fall or other emergency, quickly getting help to the right location is of vital importance. Accurate location enhances the safety and care that Philips Lifeline GoSafe provides to all of its customers.

“Accurate location information is of critical value to ensuring the quick dispatch, arrival and delivery of what is often life-saving assistance,” noted Rob Goudswaard, senior director, Global Product and Service Programs, for Philips Home Monitoring. “After reviewing the market, we concluded that Skyhook's location network and technology capabilities were consistent with our requirements for enabling timely and accurate response.” 

FiLIP Technologies

FiLip smart watch skyhook location

FiLIP has developed a wearable phone/watch and locator for children with the goal to help connect entire families. FiLip is very focused on providing value to not only the child but also to the parents. In this day and age, people’s smartphones are an extension of them, for better or worse, and people don’t leave their house without them. Children need a device that is comfortable for them but that has similar features to a phone - and if it wasn’t wearable kids would lose it. The FiLIP 2 has the ability to provide some of the same types of features and functionality for kids that parents and teens have come to rely on. And they provide this for children in a way that makes sense for them while providing peace of mind for parents. Location at the device level allows the device to have the same functionality as a phone and enables parents to keep tabs on their children in a reliable way.

“Location is the core enabling technology to FiLIP. Location is the “where”- it is one of the core 5 questions kids learned growing up, following who, what, when, and why. It is one of the things people always want to know. When precise location is just known, it is great because it is one less thing to worry about. We have only scratched the surface of what we can do with location.” - Joe Hughes, FiLIP’s Director of Software Engineering

The Narrative Wearable Camera

Narrative wearable camera

A few years ago the use case of a mobile camera revolved only around the smartphone and now it’s the world’s smallest wearable camera and the use cases are endless. Having location at the device level gives consumers the ability to include location-based context with the moments and stories they capture and share with the world. Location data is a foundational element to providing a tailored and dynamic user experience. Narrative is at the forefront of this contextual wearable revolution, and with the integration location, Narrative’s users will now be able to geotag their photos and videos with unmatched precision, adding context to their photographic memories.

“The best moments in our lives are unplanned, and Narrative’s wearable cameras allow people to authentically and seamlessly capture those memories through photo and video in real time. But without context, the value of that content decreases,” said Martin Kallstrom, CEO, Narrative. “Through our collaboration with Skyhook, people will record these moments, as well as when and where they occurred, with a simple tap of a finger.”

These use cases only scratch the surface of what wearable devices can do when paired with accurate and precise location. And with our new Precision Location for wearables, we are opening up the possibility of location to a new class of devices so they can have unlimited use cases. And as devices continue to evolve, so will the location solutions that we can provide. The ultimate goal is to deliver a vital experience and use case for the user, and location is a fundamental piece of this experience.

Screen_Shot_2016-02-26_at_11.35.39_AM.png