If you feel that smart wearable devices have disappeared from the radar a bit, you're right. It's clear they still need to improve in several aspects, and it's likely we'll have to wait one or two generations before really seeing their benefits. However, a project that made quite a bit of noise at the latest CES was WELT, a smart belt with Samsung technology inside that closely tracks four very important aspects for health: number of steps, time spent sitting, waist measurement, and whether we've eaten too much.
The wearable problem
The wearable devices that monitor our health are not new. In fact, we've seen a wide share of smartwatches, wristbands, and other similar accessories in the past, but their benefits don't really compensate for the added inconveniences for the user. What do I mean by this? That it's "another" accessory, with "another" battery and "another" charger that we have to manage. From a certain point of view, the obstacles facing wearable devices are similar to those that keep the so-called "Internet of Things" stagnant: It's not a good idea to integrate technology into something "just because", and when it's integrated, it has to go unnoticed. With that in mind... let's take a closer look at the WELT.
A belt that monitors health
Yes, it seems to be a belt. It has designs for men and women, with a good variety of colors and different buckle formats. However, there's a small micro USB port on one side of the buckle, and that already tells us something else is going on. In reality, the WELT has a sensor that measures the circumference of our waist, a pedometer, a sensor that records time spent sitting, and another that measures changes in waist size during the day, indicating the possibility that we've overdone it in recent meals. Of course, WELT comes with an official app (available on iOS and Android) that must be installed on a smartphone compatible with Bluetooth Low Energy. The WELT's battery lasts twenty days, a time that doesn't sound bad at all compared to other wearables.
From CES to Kickstarter
WELT had its public debut at the latest CES, and was created by three Samsung employees. For a while, the possibility of turning the belt into a standalone product was discussed, and that's how we got to its Kickstarter campaign. With barely two days on that portal, WELT had already doubled its financial goal, and sold out the most economical models. If you want a WELT today, you'll have to pay 99 dollars for the "casual" model, and wait until January to receive it.
