Blog # 3: Computers under Our Sleeves Are Beneficial
Say you go to a doctor's appointment and your doctor asks you several questions about your health. He's asking you not just how much meals you took the previous day or week but even the particulars [that you don't even bother to take note of or fail to remember] such as how many calories you burnt for specific span of time or your blood sugar level as of the moment.
Of course, knowing that you're not accustomed to tracking every single health related moment of your day up to the particulars would be a hassle, wouldn't it?
However, Sonny Vu, a health care entrepreneur and the co-founder of AgaMatrix, is on his way towards finding a solution to this problem.
Co-Founder of Misfit Wearables, makers of wearable sensor products
From his previous invention, Vu developed the first glucose sensor approved by the FDA which operates to manage and display one's diabetic information. This device, known as the iBGStar, is compatible with an iPhone and caters to diabetic patients.
The IBGStar as the first blood glucose meter. The device can be used with an iPhone or used solely.
Having that said, this article zeroes in on his newer idea of bringing mobile computing up the notch. With the intention of making it easier for patients and doctors alike to monitor health information, Vu ties up with his new company called "Misfit Wearables" in order to make this idea come to life. This idea will be improved and augmented with the hopes of catering to everyone, especially those who needs to regularly keep an eye on their health, i.e. physical activities and behavior, vital signs and so forth. The proposed monitoring device can be put in place inconspicuously into the daily clothing and objects we use.
According to Vu, the purpose of pursuing this idea is to eliminate our every day choices in using a health related technology (e.g. pedometer, calorie counter) considering that this routine might turn into an inconvenience for most people in the long run. He coins this notion abolishing the "intentionality" because for him the best products are considered the things that you depend on without having to constantly keep in mind that you need to use the device recurrently.
I think it's true that health is not much of a priority for us, or at least if I'm not mistaken most of the population of children up to the young adults. It's better to YOLO by doing or eating what you want without having to continually monitor your health. If you're still in your 20s, you wouldn't mind that much cause you're still young and have more years to go, would't you? Unless you're a health buff, I think during a typical day you would be on the same page as I am.
But for the people who needs to continuously monitor their health, I think this would gain advantage to them. The price definitely will not come cheap but with its convenience and benefits, this would be worth it. For instance, my dad, who is a diabetic, hasn't been mindful about his usage of his glucose meter. There are times when his blood sugar suddenly runs low while driving. This is frightening because it could not only pose a risk on his health but these particular incidents might jeopardize his passengers at that moment because the effects of blood sugar dropping leads to irritability and shakiness. With such device, this really can come in handy as it will easily monitor the range of his blood sugar and would prompt him to eat something with glucose content in order to prevent these episodes from happening again. In the long run, I also agree that this could further alleviate ailments (e.g. diabetes, heart disease), from my previous statement, as it reminds the users the health information they need to know without even having to carry a glucose meter or any gadget for that matter.
Although the idea and its benefits are promising, Vu believes that the development can be quite difficult. He mentions setbacks such as the complication in devising an interface which can give accurate physiological signals to be dispatched to a mobile device or the problem of managing these data. Since the product is still under development, Vu, along with his team, is threading his way to make this idea into reality. The functionalities will include the operations of existing current fitness/health monitors but will add a distinguishing function that differentiate it from other wearable devices.
In 2012, Misfit Wearables debuted its first wearable sensor called "Shine" which monitors and gauges physical activities (e.g. swimming, cycling, running, walking) and can be strapped anywhere on your clothing. Reviews perceived it as the typical wearable tracker like others available in the market (e.g. BodyMedia FIT, FitBit, Jawbone UP, Nike Fuelband, Striive et al) so it did not receive much hype.
Misfit Wearables' "Shine" Activity Monitor
Nevertheless, but what I'm really waiting for is the aforementioned idea above which offers more flexibility for people not only tracking their daily activities but also in-depth vital sign monitoring and other functionalities. So I'm actually looking forward to the end of its development. Whether this would be successful or not [but of course I hope it would], let's figure out in the near future.
http://medicinex.stanford.edu/conf/conference/speaker/9
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/427789/wearing-a-computer-is-good-for-you/
http://www.imedicalapps.com/2012/11/misfit-wearables-debuts-wearable-sensor-shine-indiegogo-campaign/
http://store.misfitwearables.com/
