One in seven of us wears a high-tech band on our wrist

THE arrival of the Fitbit, Apple Watch and other health trackers has triggered a 118 per cent surge in sales of wearable tech, say experts.

Three million of the gadgets were sold to Britons last year, according to retail analysts Mintel.

One in seven people now own wearable technology, with 63 per cent of wrist-worn devices sold last year being fitness bands.

Manufacturers are presenting the bands, which combine sensors and tracking devices, as the key to a healthy lifestyle.

Devices like the Apple Watch, which has an eye-watering starting price of £299, the Fitbit, pictured, and the Microsoft Band can measure the pulse, steps and calories burned during the day, as well as tracking work outs. In the future, health information collected by the devices will even be transmitted to doctors.

The smartwatches and bands connect to smartphones, and also allow wearers to pay for items by waving their wrist over a till terminal, open an electric door and even turn on other devices via voice command.

However the accuracy of the health monitors has been called into question. It emerged this month that several Fitbit owners in the US are suing the company because the devices underestimated their heart rates during workouts. One claimant said her Fitbit recorded a rate of 82bpm, when it was in fact at 160bpm.