Some time has passed since the Apple announcement of the company’s “iWatch” (at least as of the time I’m writing this) and all the pomp and circumstance that goes along with it. Unfortunately, from the mobile healthcare aspect, it was underwhelming to say the least.
Sure, there are many interesting features that are offered through the device and undoubtedly, medical app developers will find interesting ways to leverage the sensor technology to enhance the capabilities and functionality, but at this stage, it’s not really anything we haven’t seen before.
That aside, the “iWatch” shares a characteristic that virtually every wearable shares, which I see as a design flaw (perhaps “shortcoming” is a better word). It is required that the user actually remembers to wear the device. A wearable must be worn in order to work and that poses an issue.
Not being an adopter of any type of wearable device myself (not at present anyway), I can’t speak from personal experience, but I’ve certainly heard the same tale from enough users to know that people don’t always remember to put on their wearable device and miss out on tracking a long walk in the afternoon, a nature hike, or a bicycle ride. Sure, the health benefit is still gained and ultimately, that’s the most important aspect, but the motivation for it resides, in part, in achieving a goal, which is tracked by the device.
For this reason, I see wearable technologies like Apple’s Watch, the Fit Bit, and so many other similar devices migrating toward an implantable type of device (or, at the very least, a device that is attached directly to a person’s body and worn long-term, like a patch). I don’t foresee invasive surgeries occurring just so someone can track the miles they are running, but given how serious many fitness-conscious people can be, I can certainly imagine them willing to have a simple procedure in a doctor’s office where a small chip-like device is slid under several layers of skin to provide continuous monitoring of their body’s vital statistics in an effort to maximize the results of a workout.
For more serious healthcare concerns, like diabetes or a heart condition, patients would certainly benefit from having a device that is on them (implanted) at all times, without concern of forgetting to take it with them. Given the miniaturization trend in the medtech world, coupled with more and more technology moving away from hospitals and out of doctor’s offices, this progression to an implantable device seems like the next logical step.
How long before we see this type of technology remains to be seen though. While electronic innovations are coming incredibly quick, there are still hurdles to cross before implantable patient monitoring technology can be considered a commonplace option. I don’t think it’s very far off though, so the clock is ticking on the time of medical wearables before they become a technological dinosaur that we look back upon and chuckle at.
That brings me to the next phase in this healthcare monitoring technology evolution, beyond the implantable stage. My prediction is that we will have monitoring devices that function within the body but do not need any type of procedure to implant at all.
Most are familiar with the PillCam, which is a pill-sized camera that can be used to image the intestines and colon, replacing or supplementing the traditional colonoscopy procedure. Take that idea and move it into the healthcare monitoring environment. That is, imagine having a sensor that can be swallowed, but instead of merely passing through the body, it embeds itself into a location inside a person to perform monitoring for 30 days, six months, or even longer.
This type of technology is even further out than an implantable device, but certainly represents a much more conveniently applied solution that still benefits from monitoring from inside the body. Additionally, it could perhaps monitor health factors that are still being realized, such as the impact of gut bacteria on the body. Monitoring technology that is located within the human body can certainly offer benefits that simply cannot be accomplished with the functionality wearables currently offer.
I find this direction for healthcare monitoring technology to be fascinating. As such, I was very excited to see it as a topic of discussion in ECN’s Engineering Live broadcast that focused on wearable technology (www.mdtmag.com/sept1420). If you are just as curious about wearables and the direction the evolution this technology is taking, I encourage you to view the broadcast.