Use of wearable health tech can rise 42x by 2050: Study

The consumption of wearable healthcare technology, including blood pressure monitors and ultrasound patches, can increase 42-fold worldwide by 2050, approaching two billion units yearly and emitting 3.4 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, according to an analysis.

China is projected to generate the most yearly greenhouse gas emissions from wearable healthcare electronics in 2050, followed by India. The analysis is published in the journal Nature.

The environmental footprint is estimated alongside ecotoxicity and e-waste issues posed by the devices. A kilogram of carbon dioxide equivalent is a unit measuring the climate impact of greenhouse gases emitted by comparing their potential for warming to that of carbon dioxide.

Researchers from the US' Cornell and Chicago universities estimated that a wearable healthcare device could be emitting up to six kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent during its entire lifetime, from raw material extraction through manufacturing to disposal.

The researchers also showed that the use of recyclable or biodegradable plastics offers only marginal benefits, whereas substituting critical-metal conductors and optimising circuit architectures can significantly reduce impacts without compromising performance.

The team's engineering-based framework of assessing a device's footprint during its lifecycle "holds promise for establishing (an) ecologically responsible innovation in next-generation wearable electronics."