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Wearable devices are a popular class of portable ubiquitous technology. These devices are available in a variety of forms, ranging from smart glasses to smart rings. The fact that smart wearable devices are attached to the body makes them particularly suitable to be integrated into people’s daily lives. Thus, we propose that wearables can be particularly useful to help people make sense of different kinds of information and situations in the course of their everyday activities, in other words, to help support learning in everyday life. Further, different forms of wearables have different affordances leading to varying perceptions and preferences, depending on the purpose and context of use. While there is research on wearable use in the learning context, it is mostly limited to specific settings and usually only explores wearable use for a specific task. This paper presents an online survey with 70 participants conducted to understand users’ preferences and perceptions of how wearables may be used to support learning in their everyday life. Multiple ways of use of wearable for learning were proposed. Asking for information was the most common learning-oriented use. The smartwatch/wristband, followed by the smart glasses, was the most preferred wearable form factor to support learning. Our survey results also showed that the choice of wearable type to use for learning is associated with prior wearable experience and that perceived social influence of wearables decreases significantly with gain in the experience with a fitness tracker. Overall, our study indicates that wearable devices have untapped potential to be used for learning in daily life and different form factors are perceived to afford different functions and used for different purposes.
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This content will become publicly available on May 9, 2026
An Overview of Smart Glasses and Some Research Issues
The concept of Smart Glasses has evolved since the introduction of early prototypes of the 1990s, only to gain wide acceptance recently. The global smart glasses market has recently experienced significant growth and is pre-dicted for further expansion. They can be tailored to many types of consum-er classes and industries, with several benefits. Like other IoT devices, Smart Glasses may be embedded with sensors to gather data which is then shared with other devices. Machine learning algorithms can be used for processing, sensor fusion, or classification and decision-making. Smart Glasses can also enhance productivity for medical practitioners, allowing them to view patient records or assist them during surgical procedures. New apps utilization such eyewear can also be an assistive technology, enhancing the quality of life for People with Disabilities. The paper provides a review of recent research on the applications of smart glasses, address critical research challenges, and the status of current smart glasses on the market. It also highlights key research issues that should be addressed in the short and long term to bring these powerful tools into mainstream usage.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2150484
- PAR ID:
- 10617740
- Editor(s):
- Ronchieri, Elisabetta; Carbone, John; Then, Patrick; Juric, Rewdmila
- Publisher / Repository:
- Springer International Publishing AG
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Integrated design and process technology
- ISSN:
- 1090-9389
- ISBN:
- 9783031965173
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- Smart Glasses, Assistive Technologies, Image Recognition
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Location:
- USA
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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