Leveraging Data Analytics to Support Customization of Inclusive Wearable Devices

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In this collaborative research project, we will explore the use of IBM Watson technology to support the mass-customization of wearable technologies for everyday use. Wearable technologies - or "wearables" - are smart electronic devices that can be worn as accessories or as implants. Wearable technology has a variety of applications including health monitoring, gaming, and fashion. Commercial applications for wearable technologies have been mostly limited to health monitoring (e.g., fitness trackers) or accessibility. Although wearable technologies are becoming more common and affordable, there are still many potential applications for wearables to improve Canadians' lives that are yet unknown. IBM is driven to investigate how Watson could be leveraged to support mass-customization of inclusive, wearable technologies in everyday life. Both IBM and the PI are interested in how wearable technologies can support Inclusive Design (ID). Inclusive Design is a way of designing technologies for the full range of human diversity, expanding beyond the important focus on usability and accessibility to also include considerations of user needs related to language, socio-economic status (SES), culture, gender, and age. We will do so by prototyping wearables and engaging with diverse user communities in order to explore how Watson can be leveraged to support the design of a single wearable that is capable of adapting to an individual users' needs..