[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/washfigure2.jpg” thumb_width=”250″ /]Truly unobtrusive health monitoring on the horizon? The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has contracted with cybersecurity firm Kryptowire to develop a health monitoring and analytics app to assess the health and readiness of warfighters (to us civilians–soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines) especially in the field. The WASH program–Warfighter Analytics using Smartphones for Health–will use the data from smartphone sensors like microphones, cameras, pedometers, thermometers, and accelerometers (see DARPA illustration, left above). Through sensor-based information, physiological and cognitive symptoms can be captured and analyzed.

Based on their information, most of the assessment will be passive rather than actively diagnostic, and with an emphasis on predictive health and a real-time approach to disease detection and biomarker identification. Part of the challenge will be to filter out the ‘noise’–extraneous information also captured by these sensors on a daily and extraordinary basis. Security, of course, is a major concern. (Where better than to award the app development to a cybersecurity company?)

DARPA is fond of commercializing its technologies (remember something called DARPANET?) so this is planned for commercial release in due time. Usage in clinical trials is an area mentioned. One day we may all be wearing smartphones which unobtrusively monitor our health and positive behaviors. (I’ll leave it to our Readers to say Yay or Nay to this notion.)

The award is for $5.1 million. A development timeframe is not mentioned. Business Wire, DARPA WASH page, HealthcareITNews, Daily Mail (which amusingly tries to paint this as a spy program through an ACLU representative quote).