The hottest Wearables Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

The Flawed V02 Max Craze

Ground Truths • 14084 implied HN points • 23 Feb 26
🏥 Health & Wellness Wearables
  1. Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and VO2max are not the same: CRF is estimated in METs from real-world or treadmill tests, while true VO2max requires a lab gas-exchange test and smartwatch VO2 estimates are indirect and often inaccurate.
  2. Nearly all the evidence linking fitness to lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality is based on CRF/METs, with about a 14–15% reduction in mortality risk per 1-MET improvement, not on wearable or routinely measured VO2max.
  3. For most people, don’t obsess over smartwatch VO2 numbers; prioritize increasing real-world activity, improving METs and muscle strength, and reserve lab VO2max testing for elite athletes or specific clinical cases, since AI and apps can amplify misleading wearable data.

MAX30102 + ESP32-C3 0.4 inch OLED

atomic14 • 346 implied HN points • 15 Mar 26
🕹 Technology Wearables
  1. You can build a compact heart-rate and SpO2 monitor by combining a MAX30102 sensor with an ESP32-C3 microcontroller and a 0.4 inch OLED display.
  2. The sensor itself is very cheap — around $3 — making this an affordable option for DIY health sensing projects.
  3. There’s a maker-friendly tutorial that explains the wiring and code so hobbyists can reproduce the project easily.

Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis on AI’s Next Breakthroughs, What Counts As AGI, And Google’s AI Glasses Bet

Big Technology • 5504 implied HN points • 29 Jan 26
🕹 Technology Wearables
  1. AI still needs major breakthroughs like continual learning, better long-term memory, and more efficient context handling to enable deeper reasoning and planning.
  2. AGI is defined as matching human-level abilities across creativity, scientific discovery, and physical skills, and true AGI remains years away, not an immediate milestone.
  3. Companies are pushing powerful multimodal models into real products like hands-free smart glasses and assistants, while emphasizing trust, privacy, and caution around ad-driven business models.

Wearables Mostly Don't Work

Cremieux Recueil • 404 implied HN points • 11 Mar 26
🏥 Health & Wellness Wearables
  1. Wearables usually only cause small, short-lived increases in activity, and those effects shrink further when you correct for statistical and publication biases.
  2. Those modest behavior changes rarely lead to meaningful improvements in hard health outcomes like weight, cardiovascular risk, or blood sugar for the general population — benefits mostly appear in high‑risk or closely coached groups.
  3. Many device measurements are noisy or unreliable and user engagement fades over time, so wearables often add cognitive load and flashy dashboards but little real health benefit for most people.

AI Davos: Four Reflections From The World’s Most Exclusive Tech Conference

Big Technology • 3502 implied HN points • 23 Jan 26
🕹 Technology Wearables
  1. People are debating whether the AI surge is a bubble or just a strong tech investment cycle. Some parts of the industry look frothy and a correction and consolidation are likely, which will make the next few years volatile.
  2. The market for AI devices could be enormous — forecasts talk about billions of always‑with‑you agents in the form of glasses, rings, watches, or desk devices. These products will only take off if they prove more useful than an app on your phone.
  3. Big tech is racing to ship wearable AI products: Google is gearing up for a major push in AI glasses soon, and other firms, including OpenAI, are moving on device plans while pursuing large funding and scaling revenue.
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Weekly Recap: MJ's NASCAR Dominance, F1's Global Schedule, Inter Miami's Naming Rights Deal

Huddle Up • 178 implied HN points • 08 Mar 26
🎾 Sports Wearables
  1. Michael Jordan is making a big impact in NASCAR with dominant performances that show his competitiveness translates to motorsports.
  2. Formula 1’s global schedule is expanding, with a busier calendar and new markets increasing the sport’s international reach.
  3. Inter Miami reached a stadium naming rights deal that boosts the club’s commercial revenue and highlights growing business interest in MLS.

The AI Device Wars Just Kicked Off In A Big Way

Big Technology • 2627 implied HN points • 05 Dec 25
🕹 Technology Wearables
  1. Apple's design leader moving to Meta might signal a competitive shift in AI devices. This could lead to intense rivalry among tech giants like Apple, Meta, Amazon, and Google.
  2. The race for creating the next big AI device is heating up, with companies focusing on wearables like smartglasses rather than traditional phones.
  3. Good AI models are crucial for the success of these devices, and the competition will depend on who can improve their AI systems the most.

The Intention Economy: Can you Vibe Code Reality?

What's Important? • 28 implied HN points • 12 Mar 26
🕹 Technology Wearables
  1. Manifestation is a real process that changes you into whatever can get what you want, and wanting alone isn’t enough. If you manifest from ego or without the heart, it often brings hollow success or harm.
  2. AI and other technologies act as mirrors and amplifiers of our manifestation skills, so what we prompt and build reveals whether we’re coherent or not. Using tech from the head alone can create chaos, so we need to bring intention and heart to how we design and use tools.
  3. A shift toward an "intention economy" and spiritual tech could move us away from attention-driven harms and toward heart-centered creation, but these tools are still crude and can be destabilizing. They need careful training, ethical use, and integration to be safe and truly beneficial.

☞ A Cabinet of Wonders Gift Guide

Cabinet of Wonders • 369 implied HN points • 02 Dec 25
🪑 Design Wearables
  1. Small, well-designed everyday gifts can be both useful and delightful, like a simple digital-analog watch, a pocket notebook, or a thin Tyvek wallet.
  2. Playful maker tools and creative hobbies — from type-design software and open-ended construction kits to Lego guides and ambigram puzzles — are great for tinkering, learning, and having fun.
  3. There’s a bigger theme urging technology and systems to enrich our lives rather than drain them, accompanied by curated links and a call to resonant computing and thoughtful design.

CES 2024 – Consuming an Ersatz Singularity

SINGULARITY WEEKLY • 1081 implied HN points • 17 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Wearables
  1. CES 2024 showcased a variety of futuristic gadgets and technologies like social robots and brain interfaces.
  2. People are embracing a digital future with wearables, brain scanners, and virtual reality gadgets.
  3. The event raises concerns about tech dependency and the potential loss of humanity in a rapidly advancing technological world.

The Box — the world's first anti-deepfake wearable

12challenges • 599 implied HN points • 18 Jun 25
🕹 Technology Wearables
  1. The Box is a satirical product designed to highlight the rise of deepfake technology, especially its harmful impact on women. It aims to raise awareness about non-consensual deepfake porn in a creative way.
  2. The creators hope to show how society might respond to the dangers of deepfakes with more technology, instead of addressing the root cause. This reflects a commentary on current tech solutions to serious social issues.
  3. The project represents a shift towards fewer but more in-depth creations, allowing the creators to focus on significant topics that matter. It's also part of a collaborative effort to engage others in addressing these pressing concerns.

New AI glasses — better than Ray-Bans?

Mike’s List • 157 implied HN points • 09 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Wearables
  1. AI glasses are emerging as a significant tech gadget category in 2024, offering quick access to AI agents, assistants, and tools.
  2. AI glasses are becoming popular due to their affordability, wearability, and versatility in various activities like driving, skiing, and even flying.
  3. The new AI glasses from Brilliant Labs, called Frames, offer a see-through screen interface, support prescription lenses, and focus on providing AI content and interactions, offering 'AI superpowers'.

The Real Significance of the new AI

In My Tribe • 425 implied HN points • 04 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Wearables
  1. New AI tools let us talk to computers like we talk to people. This makes using technology easier and more natural.
  2. With these advances, we may soon use smart wearables like glasses and watches with natural language rather than buttons.
  3. The new AI also opens up possibilities for better interactions with robots, making them simpler to train and use.

Friend.com Wants to Trauma Bond With You

Default Wisdom • 284 implied HN points • 16 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Wearables
  1. Friend.com pairs users with chatbots that start conversations by sharing their trauma stories. This doesn't seem like a normal icebreaker and can feel uncomfortable.
  2. If users try to lighten the conversation or ask too many questions, the chatbots might block them. It feels manipulative, like the chatbots are controlling the interaction.
  3. The founder believes the service can fill a gap in emotional connections that people used to find in religion. However, the emotional depth of chatbots seems lacking compared to genuine human interactions.

Your brain is the new semiconductor

storyvoyager • 3 implied HN points • 09 Feb 26
🕹 Technology Wearables
  1. Human brainpower, not rare metals, is becoming the main raw material for future artificial intelligence.
  2. Human intelligence is embodied and depends on interacting with the physical world, so training on written and visual outputs alone won't teach machines to think like us.
  3. Advancing toward AGI may require wearables or direct brain data to capture spatial and lived experience, forcing a choice between enhancing humans or extracting humans to power machines.

Neurotech Notables #2: Feb 2024

NEUROTECH FUTURES • 59 implied HN points • 14 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Wearables
  1. Neurotech industry news: Companies like Elemind, Brain Scientific, Healium, and more are making advancements in neurotechnology with new products and FDA clearances.
  2. Industry analysis and activities: Discussions and events are happening around topics like investing in neurotech startups, brain scanning technology, and advancements in deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease.
  3. Community engagement: Aside from the serious industry news, there are fun and interesting neuroscience-related studies and activities for people to enjoy, such as research on penguin microsleep and a neuroscience poetry contest for kids.

Defining Commercial Market Segments in Neurotech

NEUROTECH FUTURES • 19 implied HN points • 20 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Wearables
  1. Neurotech commercial market segments are challenging to define accurately due to numerous reports and estimates about various topics like BCI, neuromodulation, productivity tech, diagnostics, imaging, monitoring, and AI.
  2. Important commercial market segments in neurotech include consumer wearables, clinical diagnostics & monitoring, clinical treatment & intervention, life sciences, and research & manufacturing.
  3. Market research in neurotech often focuses on technology rather than who is actually paying for and using the tech to help people, leading to a need for critical thinking about the real market landscape.

2024: The Year of AI Wearables?

Year 2049 • 13 implied HN points • 12 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Wearables
  1. The next frontier in AI is creating a more advanced AI assistant that is easily accessible and offers powerful capabilities.
  2. Companies are focusing on developing AI-first wearables as a hardware battlefront, exploring designs like smart glasses and pendants.
  3. There are questions around the readiness for AI wearables, including concerns about privacy, habit changes, the timing for voice-only interfaces, and the potential competition from tech giants like Apple and Google.

The Promise of Wearables

Joshua Gans' Newsletter • 19 implied HN points • 26 Aug 20
🏥 Health & Wellness Wearables
  1. Wearables like Fitbit can potentially predict the onset of Covid-19 symptoms a day or two before they appear, offering a convenient monitoring method.
  2. Machine learning algorithms on wearable data can detect Covid-19 cases 1 day before symptoms start with about 21-29% accuracy, a significant advancement.
  3. Symptoms such as shortness of breath and vomiting are more likely to predict hospitalization due to Covid-19, while wearables offer continuous monitoring with broader implications for health management, especially during pandemics.

Data Science Weekly - Issue 329

Data Science Weekly Newsletter • 19 implied HN points • 12 Mar 20
🕹 Technology Wearables
  1. Google has developed a new shoe insole that uses machine learning to analyze soccer players' movements, helping them improve their game in real-time.
  2. Human-in-the-Loop Machine Learning is beneficial in many ways, such as avoiding bias, maintaining accuracy, and making processes easier and safer by involving humans in decision-making.
  3. Reinforcement learning is being explored to optimize trading strategies and financial concepts, showcasing its ability to learn and adapt in complex environments.

Gesture control and the QWERTY effect

Joshua Gans' Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 25 Feb 13
🕹 Technology Wearables
  1. Our interaction with devices has evolved from keyboards to touchscreens and gestures.
  2. Personal-specific interfaces like MYO offer customization for individuals, while device-specific interfaces like LeapMotion rely on standardized gestures.
  3. The battle between device-specific and personal-specific interfaces has implications for entrepreneurial strategies in the interface space.