...working in secrecy on the long-awaited iWatch. Talent’s been snatched from telehealth sensor companies AccuVein (vein mapping), the recently defunct C8 MediSensors (blood monitoring), and Senseonics (embedded sensor for blood glucose). And they are most interested in sleep tracking. iWatch’s novelty emerges as Apple taps sensor and fitness experts Apple’s been interested all along in healthcare–and others have been interested in Apple No surprise to TTA readers, as you’ve been tracking Apple’s and competition’s healthcare moves along with us from the start. the iPad in hospitals and their preliminary tests starting in early 2011 when tablets were new and untried... Continue Reading
Search Results for sensor patches
New York, New York…it’s a health tech town (Part 1)
...to model their healthcare behaviors in a better way using a ‘third person’ device. It’s currently testing with non-compliant diabetics and scheduled to launch in September. Other highlights: Three big trends in healthcare innovation via Health 2.0’s co-chairman Matthew Holt: data mobility (Blue Button downloads), trackers (consumer engagement using sensor-based technology) and EMR usability (doctors moving away from EMRs which are difficult to use). How entrepreneurs can mitigate risk from Goodwin Procter’s Jeff Klein (listen to your legal counsel!): Know the customer’s purchasing cycle…their budget availability…their pressures…and how they acquire their customers Your product has to address their problems (above)... Continue Reading
Beyond the bracelet; the coming ubiquity of sensor-equipped wearables
Wearables are developing into the next big thing in the health tech/monitoring area, and developing beyond the bracelet form factor represented by Jawbone UP, Fitbit and Nike Fuelband. Misfit Shine of course has been touted as the major future player, but has experienced a few bumps on the road to Damascus, taking a technically-caused delay to their bracelet/pendant sensor debut now mid-July and not being compatible with Android [TTA 30 May]. But they have also entered the clothing fray with a trademark filing, according to Mobihealthnews. This article also spotlights wearables makers Zephyr, OMsignal (compression shirts); Heapsylon Sensoria socks. This... Continue Reading
Sensory feedback adds to prosthetics and situational awareness
...and improve control (Gizmag) For the sight-impaired, the Russian company Oriense is extending its technology that assists robots to avoid objects to a human-worn camera/sensor combination. It combines a Primesense sensor (akin to Microsoft’s Kinect camera) with Oriense’s software which scans data from the sensor and gives voice notifications about where objects are and if they are directly in your path. The prototype would not be out of place on a robot (camera on chest, computer in hand, earbud) but second generation promises to be more streamlined. From robot tech to humans: hardware to “see” the world around you (MedCityNews).... Continue Reading
Misfit Shine debut delayed, minus Android
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/leather-band21-1024×682.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /]Announced to Misfit Shiners on the Saturday of the Memorial Day holiday weekend, of all times, was the further delay of their wearable tracker-sensor to mid-July from early June. The five to six week delay due to waterproofing was less aggravating to many pledgers than the dropping of Android compatibility for iOS only. To those early birds who enthusiastically pledged their money to buy 10,000 units as part of the $846,000 incredibly oversubscribed placement on Indiegogo, the squishily worded justification on their blog from founder Sonny Vu, ” iOS allows us to roll out the features we... Continue Reading
Simpalarm: A venture into within-family telecare has some nice features (UK)
Simpalarm is a new company bravely venturing into the UK telecare market. Accepting the premise that the ability to raise an alert through a press-button device and around-the-home sensors is what is required by many people, Simpalarm uses today’s technology to strip the system back to bare bones. A landline is not necessary because alerts go directly by SMS to friends, neighbours, family, housing provider, etc. and response is not moderated through a call centre (although one assumes it could be). If sensors are added to the system, it is possible for alerts to be triggered when the occupier’s activity... Continue Reading
Sensors for detecting substance abuse
Last week’s ATA also included a session on a test of using an already-existing sensor system–the Zephyr BioHarness–to detect substance abuse. Dr. Jin Ho Yoon, a psychologist at Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, Texas) is leading the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded test of tracking cardiovascular and respiratory changes in cocaine users. An in-hospital test with low levels of cocaine in saline detected a sharp increase in heart rates for the first 10 minutes after exposure, with increased heartbeat versus the control group throughout the entire 30-minute measuring period. The plus side is that it works outside hospital monitoring; the... Continue Reading
£12m project to up the game on home sensor data for health and wellbeing (UK)
...to make it clear that they do not intend to develop new sensors but to improve ways of analysing data from existing systems. “The IRC’s vision is not to develop fundamentally-new sensor technologies for individual health conditions but rather to impact all these healthcare needs simultaneously through data-fusion and pattern-recognition from a common platform of non-medical/environmental sensors at home…The system will be general-purpose, low-cost and accessible. Sensors will be entirely passive, requiring no action by the user and suitable for all patients, including the most vulnerable. An example of SPHERE’s home sensor system could be to detect an overnight stroke... Continue Reading
Jawbone definitely ‘up’ with BodyMedia acquisition
...variety of features such as mood, sleep, activity and food tracking. It appears the two products will be kept separate for now. The bonuses: BodyMedia’s deep technical expertise (indicated by the unusual announcement of BodyMedia’s employees joining Jawbone, badly needed by the latter in light of their product development stumbles), 87 (!) patents, a massive database of human sensor data and the Vue Patch disposable sensor developed in conjunction with Avery Dennison announced at CES. Jawbone release, Mobihealthnews article. Related: Jawbone UP’s iOS version now can incorporate data from other devices and platforms via partnerships with IFTTT, LoseIt!, Maxwell Health,... Continue Reading
Electronic paper and tactile robots
E Ink technology, popular on e-books like the Kindle and on displays, is now showing up as a highly readable, lightweight (80g), low power display (one week life) phone. A prototype E Ink-only Android phone was demo’d at Mobile World Congress. The tradeoff is full color for great readability and simplicity in any light. Kind of like silent movies. Watches, anyone? Springwise Hat tip to TANN Ireland’s Toni Bunting. Robots with tactile sensors for pressure and adjustable gripping are necessary but at present don’t come cheap–sensors are about $16,000 for a robot hand. The cutely named TakkTile, developed by grad... Continue Reading
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