UPSC Prelims 2019 Q95: Science & Technology – Computer & Information Technology
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3
Explanation
Wearable Technology: Capabilities
| Task | Wearable examples |
|---|---|
| 1. Location identification | YES - GPS smartwatches (Apple Watch, Garmin), fitness trackers (Fitbit), medical alert devices (SOS pendants for elderly). |
| 2. Sleep monitoring | YES - Fitbit, Apple Watch, Oura Ring, Garmin - track sleep stages via heart rate + accelerometer. |
| 3. Assisting hearing impaired | YES - Hearing aids (traditional + smart), cochlear implants, live captioning smart glasses, sign-to-speech wearables. |
All three tasks are performed by wearables. Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3.
Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Sleep monitoring and hearing aids are also core wearable tasks.
- (b) Incorrect. Location tracking is a fundamental wearable capability.
- (c) Incorrect. Location and sleep tracking are also wearable tasks.
- (d) CORRECT. Wearables perform all three - location (GPS smartwatches), sleep monitoring (Fitbit, Apple Watch), and hearing assistance (smart hearing aids, cochlear implants).
Key point
Wearables cover: location (GPS), sleep tracking (accelerometer + HR), hearing aids, ECG/BP monitoring, glucose tracking (CGMs), fitness (steps, HR), notifications, payments (NFC).
Remember
Wearable devices accomplish all three tasks - location identification of a person (GPS smartwatches), sleep monitoring (Fitbit, Apple Watch, Oura Ring), and assisting the hearing impaired (smart hearing aids, cochlear implants, live-caption smart glasses).
Common mistakes
- Assuming wearables are only fitness bands - they include medical devices (CGMs, hearing aids, ECG monitors).
- Confusing wearables with hearables (audio wearables) - hearables are a subset.
- Not knowing India's wearables market has grown 25%+ annually with brands like Boat, Noise, Fire-Boltt.
Exam tip
Wearable device categories: Smartwatches (Apple, Samsung, Fitbit), Fitness bands, Smart rings (Oura, Ultrahuman), Hearing aids, CGMs (Continuous Glucose Monitors), Smart glasses (Meta Ray-Ban, Xreal), Health patches (Zio, Abbott), Baby monitors, Location trackers (elderly, kids).
Sources
- IDC / Counterpoint - India wearables market reports
- IEEE / ACM - Wearable technology surveys