7 useful wearable technology ideas

Once the preserve of cyclists and bikers to show who was responsible for accidents or dangerous driving, high-definition pen cameras can now be strapped to anything or anyone. These can help capture a pleasant scene on a country walk, or are useful for watching and recording an event without having to keep looking through your camera lens or smartphone screen. 

Plenty of smartphones can now help monitor your fitness, but by using a smartband or smartwatch, you can monitor your heart rate to find out how you are really pushing yourself, and use that data to keep a fitness journal or other log. Most also feature GPS tracking, so you don't need to take your phone on a run anymore.

If you like carrying gadgets around with you, and want to keep them charged up, there's a range of footwear and trainers available that use your foot movement to create a current that can be used to top up your phone or music player on the go. Always handy if you're not sure there will be a plug at your next port of call. 

Ear pieces are pretty common, with many uses. But for sports and fitness fans, there are models that combine wireless music playing, heart rate monitoring, and the ability to take your core body temperature via a handy in-ear sensor. That's essential if you want to prevent overheating as seasons change and your exercise levels increase. 

You obviously know what the weather is doing when you're out and about, but how about those invisible factors that can affect your health or enjoyment? Environment sensors can help measure UV strength, humidity and changes in air pressure, all helping you to enjoy your day better.

Never mind something you can stick on your body, smart clothes take intelligence to the next level. Smart running tops are capable of measuring breathing, perspiration and much more. While they are more the preserve of high-level athletes, expect the technology to become more common and used in clothes that can change their colour (to help reflect or absorb heat as needed) or porousness (to let more air in or out) to improve our comfort. 

You may well have heard about smartwatches, but what can they actually do? Well, currently, you can see messages before needing to dig out your smartphone, and you can pay for things (in some places) just by tapping your watch, as well as monitor your heart rate, distance walked, and many other features. Expect watches to keep getting smarter and more useful in the future, but they will remain a pricey gadget, for now.