Wearable technology; you either love it or hate it. As the name suggests, it refers to any smart devices that can be worn in one fashion or another. While the first picture that may pop up in our heads is that of a super-stylish smartwatch, wearable tech can also be fitted into clothing items and, in advanced cases, embedded into a user’s body. 

Wearables are now at the forefront of the Internet of Things (IoT), an ecosystem of connected devices. Not only can we use them to communicate, but they can also store, manage, and relay important data. The focus for wearables has greatly shifted from consumer-oriented to more specialized applications.

The last decade has seen these devices come in many different shapes and sizes. Fitness freaks and individuals with health concerns seem to benefit from its health-tracking ability, while professionals with busy schedules find that their daily tasks are simplified. 

Wearables do not just end with Fitbits and Apple Watches. The technology continues to flourish as companies strive to outcompete each other in producing the new “it” gadget. From e-skin sensors to smart swimsuits, every time we go online there seems to be a new cutting-edge wearable on the market.

Wearables, Reinvented

Wearables today are more than just monitoring heartbeats and tracking your fitness performance. Top players like Apple and Fitbit are upping the ante by adding advanced health-monitoring features that allow users to keep track of their wellness in real-time. 

ResearchandMarkets.com in its Global Wearable Technology Market Growth, Trends and Forecasts Through 2019-2024 found that this appeals to older people—a target that is harder to reach when it comes to the latest tech innovations. The fall detection app and an EKG monitor featured in the Apple Watch Series 4, and sleep apnea detection function in the new Fitbits, are some of the additions that older users love. 

Wearables and COVID-19

The industry is expanding and it is definitely experiencing a boom. The same report projected that “the wearable technology market will grow from $27 billion in 2019 to $64 billion in 2024, expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19%”. This is prompted by many factors, including increased health awareness during COVID-19.

At the time of writing, the pandemic has infected over 34 million people and caused over 1 million fatalities worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Can these devices really make a difference in flattening the pandemic curve and if so, why hasn’t it been done?

Ongoing COVID-19 Initiatives

It makes sense to utilize data collected using wearable devices to come up with an early prediction system. Through the magic of data science, healthcare providers can help predict potential outbreaks from users’ heart rates, amount of sleep, and the daily number of steps. Works are currently underway and here are some studies that we should keep an eye on:

Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) 

In August, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) announced that it is working on a specification that will leverage the existing smartphone-based Exposure Notification System (ENS) as a response to the pandemic. The company said the technology will be extended to include wearables to “better address population groups where smartphone usage remains low, including children in primary school and older adults living in care facilities”. We can expect to see an initial draft within the next few months. 

Scripps Research Translational Institute 

In March, Scripps Research Translational Institute began a trial study called the Digital Engagement & Tracking for Early Control & Treatment, or DETECT, to identify small COVID-19 outbreaks before they spread, Fortune reported. By using data collected from thousands of volunteers who wear smartwatches and fitness trackers, the system can potentially eliminate the need for frequent testings, which are costly and time-consuming.

Fitbit

In May, Fitbit launched its own Fitbit COVID-19 Study which can be accessed through its app. The study aims to figure out algorithms that can detect outbreaks even before there are any symptoms. The target group is individuals over 21, living in the US or Canada, and who have contracted COVID-19 or experienced Flu-like symptoms. Fitbit users can find the questionnaire in the Assessments & Reports section of the Discovery tab.

Stanford Healthcare Innovation Labs 

As of July, Stanford Healthcare Innovation Labs has had over 5,500 participants in its COVID-19 Wearables Study. According to the institute, its team was able to collect, analyze, and discuss some initial results within a few weeks and we can expect to see two papers published soon. Initial findings further confirm the importance of self-isolation in mitigating the pandemic. The institute is also working on improvements for its MyPHD app. Read the full report of Phase I here.

Germany’s Public Health Authority 

In April, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) launched the Corona Data Donation App, in partnership with health-focused startup Thryve. The app requires users to register their wearable fitness devices and volunteer information to collect health and fitness-related data. As of date, over 500,000 Germany residents have ‘donated’ their data. The country has been praised over its tactical approach to combating the pandemic and for keeping the numbers low.

Challenges Faced by Global Stakeholders

In spite of wearables’ potential as health trackers, stakeholders are still facing a few roadblocks in their attempts to build algorithms for an early warning system. 

Unequal Access to Wearable Devices

This is probably one of the biggest problems—wearable devices are not accessible to everyone across the globe. Wearables were initially introduced as an extension of lifestyle devices, and they are still commercial items sold by businesses for profit.

Although the number of connected wearables has more than doubled in the space of three years—increasing from 325 million in 2016 to 722 million in 2019—these devices are still considered non-essentials and, therefore, only appeal to select groups of people. 

Low Number of Participants

Dr. Eric Topol, a professor at Scripps Research, told Fortune that the low number of participants is one of the reasons developing a strong warning system nationwide is difficult.

“To do it well, we need pretty dense coverage, like hundreds of thousands to millions of participants,” he was quoted as saying, adding that a coordinated national effort is also instrumental in achieving success.

Skepticism Toward Data-Sharing

Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported that a huge number of Americans are still hesitant about health-tracking via wearables due to privacy concerns. Some others said that they are skeptical about sharing data with the government.

The news agency spoke to a volunteer contact tracer for Florida’s Larkin Community Hospital, Nasrin Sultana, who found that only 40% to 52% of the target group (those who tested positive for COVID-19 at the South Miami Hospital or have had close contact with those infected) would respond. “We can’t force them to participate or give us the information. It’s voluntary,” she reportedly said.

Data Security Concerns

Another issue that is affecting the effectiveness of such systems is security. Even Germany’s Corona Data Donation app is feared to be at risk of cyberthreats and cyberattacks. According to a Xinhua news report, Europe’s largest association of hackers, the Chaos Computer Club (CCC), has raised data security concerns following the app launch in April.

Although the CCC failed to access data collected in the app, it said in an analysis that, “The risks are not sustainable in the long term”. The association and the state authority then reportedly had “a constructive exchange about possible attack scenarios”.

Future of Wearables as a Response to COVID-19

In May, Harvard’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics published the COVID-19 White Paper, outlining several concerns and measures that can be taken by global stakeholders to ensure that the use of wearables as a pandemic response is not being manipulated for unlawful gains. 

It also pointed out “the lack of adequate legal framework and oversight, and the business model of dominant tech vendors predicated on commercial collection and trade of individual users’ data.”

The paper suggested that data should be kept decentralized and that there should be a mid-level entity that represents users or Mediating Institutions for Data (MIDs) to help challenge any unlawful or inappropriate uses of data.

“Wearables may complement or supplement widespread COVID-19 testing and immunity certificate models in the effort to promote safe reopening and ongoing pandemic response during subsequent waves.

“However, we have also highlighted the potential dangers of redeploying existing wearable technology without appropriate ethical, legal, or social safeguards for individuals’ rights and interests regarding their data.

“Indeed, the solutions we propose have implications beyond the COVID-19 setting and could strengthen the privacy protections in all domains where personal data is collected through digital means,” the report concluded.

The post More than Just Fashion: Wearables in the Time of COVID-19 appeared first on ReadWrite.

The healthcare industry is experiencing rapid shifts. Some of this is due to the current pandemic, but much of this evolution was happening even before the COVID-19 outbreak. Understanding and embracing the introduction of new technology into the market will be important for healthcare professionals and patients alike.

Here are some of the trends worth keeping tabs on:

1. Telemedicine

If you want to talk about major evolution and change within the U.S. healthcare system, look no further than telemedicine (also known as telehealth).

In a country as large and spread out as the U.S., telemedicine – or the practice of doctors meeting virtually with patients – is highly attractive and mutually beneficial. This is especially true from a cost perspective. Telemedicine lowers the cost of care for both patients and doctors by eliminating many of the physical barriers that take time and deplete resources. It’s also a much more efficient way of meeting – eliminating the commuting aspect and preventing wasted time in waiting rooms and lobbies.

According to one recent report, the global telemedicine market is expected to expand from its current size of $45 billion to $175.5 billion by as soon as 2026. That represents a robust compound annual growth rate of 19.3 percent. The growth drivers will include:

• Rising cases of COVID-19 and anticipation of similar future events
• Increased prevalence of chronic diseases in an aging population
• Growing number of smartphone users and internet-connected households
• Major technological advances in relation to mobile phones and internet (like 5G)
• Serious need for cost-savings in an expensive healthcare environment
• Long waiting times in hospitals for disease treatment
• Advantageous government initiatives

There are also some challenges and risk factors moving forward. In the United States, the biggest concern has to do with cyber security and privacy – particularly when it comes to sensitive patient data (which is carefully regulated under HIPAA rules).

Regulatory issues and compliance requirements – both on a macro scale (government) and a micro scale (healthcare industry) – will create issues moving forward. But once the red tape is dealt with, growth and adoption will skyrocket.

2. The Internet of Medical Things

According to Deloitte, medical technology companies manufacture more than 500,000 different types of medical devices. This includes wearable external medical devices (like insulin pumps and skin patches), implanted devices (such as pacemakers), and stationary medical devices (like scanning machines). And almost every interaction a patient has with a healthcare provider or system involves the use of one of these devices or pieces of equipment.

At the same time, the healthcare industry is becoming increasingly connected (in a digital sense). Cloud computing, big data, wireless technology, and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) are all working together to transmit, store, and interpret data.

What happens when you combine telemedicine with the internet of things (IoT)? Well, you get the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), of course!

“The IoMT brings together the digital and physical worlds to improve the speed and accuracy of diagnosis and treatments, and monitor and modify patient behaviour and health status in real time,” Deloitte explains. “It also improves health care organizations’ operational productivity and effectiveness by streamlining clinical processes, information and work flows.”

The IoMT market was valued at roughly $41.2 billion in 2017 and is expected to balloon to $158.1 billion by 2022. (The connected medical devices portion of the market – which is responsible for diagnosing, monitoring, and treating patients – will account for $52.2 billion of the market.)

Most healthcare organizations in the United States are already using IoMT technology in some capacity. The growth will occur from increased use and greater reliance on these devices and platforms over the next 24 to 30 months.

3. Low-Level Light Therapy

Now that we’ve addressed a couple of the major sweeping trends in the industry, let’s explore some of the smaller healthcare tech trends that are occurring within specific niches and industries.

Low-level light therapy (LLLT) is the first micro trend we want to discuss. It’s one of the most promising developments in the premature hair loss space (which impacts tens of millions of men and women on an annual basis).

LLLT, which is backed by years of research and several authoritative scientific studies, can be administered in a number of ways. One of the most common and convenient methods is through the use of a laser hair cap (which looks a lot like a standard baseball cap).

LLLT caps work by improving cellular respiration and stimulating hair follicle growth through the use of safe low-level lasers that are known to produce thicker and healthier hair. Until recently, the technology could only be administered in a physician’s office. But with advances in safety and the practicality of new laser caps, people are now able to perform regular sessions (usually 30 minutes) from the comfort of their own homes.

Considering that two-thirds of American men will experience some degree of hair loss by the age of 35 (and 85 percent by age 50), health-tech like LLLT is extremely important and relevant.

4. Wearable Health Devices

There’s a massive surge in the number of patients who want to be able to monitor their own health on a day-to-day basis. This swelling rise is coupled with an increased familiarity and willingness to use mobile devices and technology that track information and data. The result is rampant demand for wearable health devices, which health-tech companies are using as a license to innovate and manufacture new lines of products.

The wearable health market has grown significantly over the last couple of years and is a welcome trend for patients, doctors, insurers, and everyone else in between. Common devices include wearable fitness trackers, smart health watches, wearable blood pressure monitors, wearable ECG monitors, and even biosensors.

This latter product category is especially interesting. It includes things like the self-adhesive trackers – such as the Philips wearable biosensor.

“Research from Augusta University Medical Center showed that this wearable device registered an 89% reduction in patient deterioration into preventable cardiac or respiratory arrest,” BusinessInsider mentions. “This demonstrates the ability wearables have to improve patient outcomes and possibly reduce staff workload.”

According to one industry forecast, the biosensor market is expected to grow from $21.2 billion in 2019 to $31.5 billion by 2024. That amounts to a compound annual growth rate of 8.3 percent.

5. Augmented Reality

Currently valued around $850 million, the global market for virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) in the healthcare space is expected to scale up to somewhere north of $5.1 billion by as early as 2025.

While AR can be used in any number of ways, one of the primary healthcare applications will occur in operating rooms and doctor training/education.

Depth perception is something that’s very challenging in certain procedures, yet paramount to achieving successful outcomes. When blood vessels and nerves are in close proximity to one another, being able to have precise and accurate assessment of depth becomes critical. New technology is addressing this.

The Maryland Blended Reality Center is one of the leaders behind this charge. They’re currently in the development stages of an AR application that overlays computer images over the doctor’s view of the real world to help guide catheters into patients’ brains to relieve pressure after injuries. With the use of this technology, doctors can perform procedures like this within 0.5 millimeters of accuracy.

As the underlying technology improves, healthcare experts anticipate seeing even more revolutionary technology emerge. The next two or three years will be incredibly important for innovation in this sector of the health-tech market.

A Brave New Medical World

The innovation that’s happening in and around the healthcare industry is both unprecedented and astonishing. While this is an industry that’s always been characterized by innovation, the speed of iteration is blistering. As a healthcare professional, techpreneur, or trendsetter, these are exciting times.

Stay tuned in – as always, don’t be afraid to pivot, shift, or evolve along with the technology.

The post 5 Healthcare Tech Trends Worth Keeping an Eye On appeared first on ReadWrite.

Mobile phones don’t look drastically different than they did in 2007. Foldable phones will shape 2019, and they may change that. But when the iPhone launched, it completely changed the market. It took successful devices by major players Blackberry, Motorola, and Nokia and rendered them obsolete.

Nothing since has had such a massive impact on cellphone design. More than a decade into this mobile phone shift, everything has changed. By drastically increasing what could be done with a device, Apple opened up a whole new market to consumers. And eager adoption is exactly what happened: In 2018, Pew Research Center found that 95 percent of Americans had mobile phones, with 77 percent having smartphones.

Another industry is at this exact same point: wearables. What can be done with them is far greater than what’s being done now. In a decade, we’ll look back at popular items like FitBits and wonder how we ever used them, just like we do with flip phones. Google Glass already looks like a strange first attempt. Smartwatches have improved, but no game-changing tech has been introduced to push the phone into obsolescence.

Where will the innovation come from to make wearables an inescapable part of daily life? Sports performance and workplace safety are possible, but my bet’s on healthcare.

Healthcare Will Drive Wearables

Andrew Ronchi was a physiotherapist in Australia before becoming the founder and CEO of wearable tech company dorsaVi. “What we do as health professionals could be improved with more accurate and objective data to guide the advice we provide. I looked for solutions, but I couldn’t find one,” said Ronchi.

“There really seemed to be a gap in the market for a wearable that could provide this accurate movement data to better guide and inform treatment of patients and eliminate the guesswork,” he explained.

Knowing the number of steps you walk or your average heart rate is a good first step in collecting data, but those data points don’t make the device a must-have for consumers. Where science is heading next with wearables is in preventing injury, eliminating trips to the doctor, and making them the standard in preventive medicine. Rather than simply provide status updates, wearables will track patterns and make predictions about what’s to come.

As a doctor, the more informed you are, the faster and more accurately you can find solutions. Making this data accessible and inexpensive for the masses is key to enabling this technology to influence the healthcare they receive.

“The data produced by dorsaVi was previously only available in a biomechanics lab, which was out of consideration for the vast majority of people,” Ronchi says. “It was pretty much the exclusive domain of elite athletes and researchers.” The dorsaVi solutions aim to provide lab-quality data at a price that’s accessible to physical therapists, chiropractors, pain specialists, strength and conditioning coaches, ergonomists, and workplace health and safety executives.

A wearable device that can make you feel better or even save your life is a much better proposition. But there are lots of use cases looming on the horizon. Imagine being able to know exactly what food you should or shouldn’t eat that day, when to stop or start an exercise, or when you should worry — or not even think about — something that’s going on with your body. As those of us living in the internet age know, certainty is way better than self-diagnosis through WedMD.

Creating a ‘Check Engine’ Light for the Human Body

And that’s where we’re heading with healthcare wearables. Not only can wearables monitor and track real health variables, but they can also improve the speed and efficiency of setting appointments. Fewer labs and less time spent testing theories will improve the diagnosis cycle.

I’m a big proponent of managing our time well, and that’s especially important when it comes to our health, where a few weeks of waiting can make a huge difference. Nobody wants to wait three months to see a specialist when he’s sick. When you’re sick, you want immediate answers and an action plan.

Bringing this kind of data to the masses can — and will — impact the healthcare system. The best way of explaining what wearables could be for the healthcare system is a “Check Engine” light. Your car alerts you when something undetectable to the eye or ear is happening under the hood. A wearable device is perfectly capable of doing the same thing and empowering you to manage your health.

Our bodies tell us when we’re hungry, when we don’t feel well, and when we should stop doing things because they’re causing pain — but they don’t tell us with specificity what the problem is. Being able to get at a root problem is everything in healthcare.

At the Consumer Electronics Show in January, multiple brands, even those not in healthcare, showcased their efforts to propel mass adoption of wearables through health. Under Armour, for example, is partnering with Samsung’s Galaxy smartwatch, HOVR Infinite’s running shoe, JBL’s UA True Wireless FLASH headphones, and its MapMyRun app to change the running experience. Seeing how a runner leans on his feet or carries his shoulders can make a huge difference in both his running performance and potentially long-term health issues, preventing visits to chiropractors or orthopedists.

Welt debuted its smart belt at CES, clearly aimed at business professionals. Tracking waist size, overeating, and activity, the belt is capable of nudging executives out of their chairs after long periods of time and triggering an alert when excessive calories have been consumed. Taken as isolated incidents, those things aren’t so bad. But a smart belt constantly analyzing a busy person’s activities can make travel or packed meeting schedules less harmful to a leader’s health.

While some businesses have used technology to make nice-to-haves more accessible, I’m predicting that healthcare will push must-haves to the top of its tech stack. And that’s how, with the power of true and relevant health data, wearable technology will go from being the Motorola Razr of healthcare to being its iPhone.

The post The Key to Mass Adoption of Wearables appeared first on ReadWrite.

You’ve probably seen augmented reality (AR) smart glasses in a “Mission Impossible” movie, or at a trade show. Maybe a friend has told you they are revolutionizing work processes for line workers in aviation, auto, medicine or manufacturing. There are certainly plenty of versions available, from top brands in the industry who’ve all found different ways to deliver AR by putting a computer on the user’s head.

But with all that hype, you’ve probably still never seen your local FedEx driver, or utilities worker, or mechanic, actually wearing a pair of smart glasses. The reason is that, like most new technologies, AR has great potential – with some persistent challenges.

The Promise of AR

For workers, AR devices are designed to help access job-enhancing information, while keeping hands free. No more typing, swiping or tapping keyboards or screens. Workers simply wear a head-mounted display — in the shape of eyeglasses — so computer-generated content can be superimposed on top of the ‘real world’ and delivered to their line of sight.

Listen to Silicon Valley and you’ll think we’re all on the cusp of this next landslide technology revolution. There’s certainly reason to believe. As of 2017, 52 of the Fortune 500 were testing, or had already deployed, AR solutions. Hands-free computing has also been steadily creeping into the assembly line, assisting such operations as machinery inspections, medicine, emergency response, and delivery truck driving. It’s even been used for training, benefiting everyone from miners to astronauts.

The Problem with AR

But despite all its potential — and as much as Hollywood and Silicon Valley would have us believe otherwise — smart glasses are not yet a guaranteed new technology craze.

Of course, there are the typical obstacles of skepticism and resistance among workers. This is especially true of those who worry it could interfere with their job — or take it over entirely.

But that’s not the whole story. When it’s done right, employees can be open to, and even evangelize, technological changes. In fact, the “paper to processors” movement happened because advances in mobile connectivity and computing power influenced even the most blue-collar sectors. Yes, it took some convincing, but eventually the ease and convenience of information-on-the-go won workers over.

But mobile technology — accessed at your discretion—is different from wearing a computer over your face. The unique challenge of smart glasses is that to use the technology, you have to wear the technology. Selling this idea to millions of people doing practical, hands-on work means manufacturers will have to persuade them that this ridiculous-looking technology is a useful, essential friend.

Historically, new technology waves have been nudged into mass adoption by a “gateway” industry. Some examples include the way Wall Street glamorized the mobile phone, and law enforcement and healthcare popularized tablet computers. In the world of smart glasses, field services (such as Utility workers, Telecom workers, Energy, First Responders, Warehousing, Insurance Adjusters, etc.) is considered the gateway.

But that comes with a potentially daunting challenge: these workers are often the most resistant to adopting new technology.

Ask any industrial-spec device salesperson how often they’ve seen paid-for-but-untouched technology stacked in field offices, all because it didn’t fit the workflow or comfort zone of the intended users. The reason could be an unfamiliar user interface, or that the device is too bulky, or fragile. Maybe it simply doesn’t save all that much time. Sometimes it’s just plain unsafe to use a computer in certain environments. Even with a technically sophisticated and eager workforce, the best intentions have been known to fail.

The Way Forward for AR

Possibly the best way to achieve adoption among field workers is by simplifying. In other words, remove the complications of technology to make it useful for every day, mundane tasks. Too often engineers and designers fall into the trap of building technology for perceived problems, not actual ones. The result can be a product deemed too exotic, too expensive, and therefore unnecessary.

This is probably nowhere more evident than in AR smart glasses squeezing ‘tech for tech’s sake’ into a pair of head-worn frames, rather than focusing on the human factor first. When designing for field workers, remember that your end user may be standing knee-deep in sewage, climbing a 40-foot electrical pole in a storm, or riding a cherry picker bucket through tree limbs – all while trying to access data.

So, while companies often start building technology by focusing on a specific work problem, the successful ones then pump the breaks to let it evolve and get users familiar with the device. Ideally, the technology will become so useful that it will organically lead to requests for added features and applications in future versions.

Assist the intended user, don’t impose upon them. To help users feel comfortable enough to engage with a new technology, designers need to build trust by delivering products that feel good to use – and that users want to have at their disposal.

Financing AR

Besides appreciating the challenges of coaxing workers to try new technologies, consider costs. A recent Perkins Coie survey found that user experience, lack of content, and cost are the three biggest obstacles to mass adoption of AR technology.

Sure, the ROI from your smart glass technology might improve efficiencies by 50 percent immediately, but what are the costs associated with training, buying new applications, incompatible peripherals, or even just replacing broken or lost devices? Most organizations dislike changes to their hardware and software because the cost is much more than ordering one new device. To fully integrate technology into a work process, it must significantly deliver increased efficiency, while also driving down an entire cost ecosystem.

Those inside Silicon Valley and the AR industry need to acknowledge that they may not understand the actual needs of the customer. Instead of foisting technology on them, they would be better served by listening to all their needs – practical and financial. Ultimately, the end user knows the job they do, and what will help versus hinder.

The post You Think Your Employees WANT to Wear That Device? Think Again appeared first on ReadWrite.

When the weather is warm enough, I like to go for a quick run up two to three times a week. It’s somewhat meditative. It allows me to focus on the day ahead, and my Apple Watch lets me see how many steps I’ve run. It’s nice.

I’m not alone.  Fitness trackers like FitBit and Jawbone have been on wrists for year. Consumers rely on them and the ecosystem of associated apps to meet fitness goals.  And yet, these devices often fall short of identifying actionable health insights, such as risk factors for diabetes and heart disease.

Companies like Apple plan to change that. Last year, the company partnered with Stanford to bring diabetes testing to its smartwatch. Even more recently, Apple joined forces with a startup called Cardiogram to find meaningful ways to use information on irregular heart rates. Eventually, this information could be used to detect diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, and atrial fibrillation.

But Apple isn’t the only company innovating the wearables space. Here are some ways wearables will help consumers take charge of their own health in the very near future.

Heart Rate Health Monitoring

Heart rate can offer valuable insights into a person’s health. An accelerated heart rate is a sign of an impending heart attack, for instance, and an irregular heartbeat can signal a variety of concerning conditions. Although many of today’s fitness wearables provide heart rate tracking, consumers are still unsure how to put the information to use.

The next generation of wearables will address these shortcomings. The iBeat smartwatch will not only monitor a wearer’s heart rate, but it also includes a help button that connects to a 24/7 response center.  Jawbone has been ramping up to shift into medical tracking, and the latest models of its fitness bracelet are an important first move. The Jawbone UP3 and UP4 monitor your heart rate, but they also give you information on what those metrics mean for your health.

Patient Data Monitoring

Patients spend time in the hospital hooked up to machines that monitor vital signs around the clock. Once a patient leaves the clinical setting, however, medical professionals no longer have a way to monitor them. Technology like that being developed by MYIA Labs uses a combination of under-bed sensors and apps to track your heart rate and respiratory rate while you sleep. This information is collected and used to monitor chronic conditions like Congestive Heart Failure (CHF). Another wearable sensor is the  Kardia Band, which can note an abnormal heart rate or signs of atrial fibrillation, which can lead to issues like blood clots and stroke. Once detected, the app sends an email to either you or your doctor so you can take action.

Few conditions are as ideal for patient monitoring as diabetes is. Patients suffering from the disease must keep constant watch on their glucose levels. This has traditionally required drawing blood through a finger prick. Wearables bring the possibility of monitoring those levels without drawing blood. Diabetes Sentry, which tracks a patient’s skin temperature and perspiration levels to detect signs of a drop in blood glucose levels. The alert signals it may be time for treatment.

Health Insights

In addition to monitoring for health problems, fitness wearables will still do what they were originally designed to do. However, they will become more advanced in the health data they provide. The Polar A370 fitness tracker not only measures your activity. It also provides guidance on what you can do to improve your workout routine. Like others, this wearable tracks sleep activity. It also asks the wearers how they’re feeling each day to put that information to use in offering insights.

For those who aren’t interested in wearing bracelets, watches, or patches, SPIRE has a tag that clips onto your clothing. Once in place, the wearable takes tracking to the next level. It starts offering insights to help reduce stress levels, sleep better, and be more active. Trackers are even being built into clothing items like sports bras and underwear.  This helps to monitor people without forcing them to wear a band or watch.

Technology innovators are envisioning a time when no one will be surprised by a heart attack or stroke. At the same time, companies across the globe are making it easier for chronic patients to enjoy around-the-clock care. All this from the comfort of their home. More than just fitness trackers, these sensors are revolutionizing healthcare.

The post How Wearables Will Take Health Monitoring to the Next Level appeared first on ReadWrite.

Whether from home, in the stands, or over the radio—Americans love their sports. Today, part of that All-American sports experience involves big data and new immersive technology like virtual reality (VR) to draw in more fans and improve gameplay.

There are dozens of ways sports teams can use data to their advantage—and both fans and players alike can benefit from advances in VR technology. Here are 4 reasons that big data and VR are starting to play a key role in professional sports.

See Also: Take me out to the (augmented) ball game (A look at an immersive reality device for sports viewing)

1.) Headset VR Provides Immersive Access

How many people do you know who have VR headsets yet? Probably not many, but that’s sure to change as the technology becomes cheaper and more readily available. With this shift, VR technologies should become more popular amongst fans and athletes, with many industry insiders believing that the VR market could grow to $30 Billion by 2020.

One key to making VR devices more popular on the market is creating more VR content, which is just what Samsung and the NBA teamed up to do in 2015. In 2015, the VR was still more exploratory, but the league has become confident enough in the quality that they have offered one VR game per week as part of the NBA League Pass.

Partnering with NextVR, the league streams high-quality VR immersion—and reviews indicate it’s worth the hype. One reviewer even got annoyed when a waiting player blocked his view—just like being courtside!

2.) IoT & Big Data Helps Plan Lineups and Monitor Players

When it comes to top athletes, an incredible number of factors play a role in their overall performance, as well as the performance of the team as a whole. Thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT), coaches and trainers can now monitor players’ health and stamina in revolutionary ways.

With sensors, cameras, and other equipment available that can be used during training, coaches can record vital data that can be analyzed and used to make strategic decisions for developing lineups, creating plays, and even revealing ideal calorie intake for optimal performance. With so many great teams vying for a spot in the playoffs each year, these little insights can give a competitive edge.

3.) VR Training is Safer for Players

Teams have been using video for years to help players review important plays, but VR introduces so much opportunity for safe training, especially in contact sports like football. Young players can use the technology as a “playbook”, while other players can review their own plays, or learn new ones. It helps players stay safer, since they can “practice” dangerous plays off the field.

Some NFL teams are using this technology, but college teams are also seeing great success, with Stanford’s quarterback Kevin Hogan’s completion percentage jumping from 63.8% to 76.3% after using STRIVR VR training.

4.) VR Will Allow Fans to See Through Players’ Eyes

As VR progresses, more options and interactive features will become available to fans. One eagerly-anticipated development is the advent of VR through players’ eyes. The hope is that one day, fans will be able to see the action from the perspective of their favorite players, further immersing them in the action on the field.

Smart wearables are being developed quickly for professional sports, with many artificial intelligence features, cameras, sensors, and more, which could be used in a better VR experience.

Future Changes in Big Data

Currently, the NFL does not allow sensors and trackers in games, so they’re only useful during training. However, there are signs of change that indicate the future may be quite different, and more welcoming to big data on the field. FIFA has begun to relax these rules, allowing players to use wearables during matches.

The NFL may not be far behind, since the NFL Players’ Association recently teamed up in a five-year partnership with WHOOP, a wearable that helps players monitor their bodies, and how much stress they’re putting themselves under in training. Big data is slowly but surely becoming one of the biggest players in professional sports—and this is just the beginning.

Sources:

https://techcrunch.com/2016/09/15/how-virtual-reality-is-transforming-the-sports-industry/
http://sportsworld.nbcsports.com/virtual-reality-sports-arkansas-kentucky/
http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/17/8052163/nba-all-star-virtual-reality-samsung-mobile-gear-vr
http://onlinemasters.ohio.edu/virtual-training-for-football-is-becoming-a-reality/
http://safetymanagement.eku.edu/resources/infographics/the-benefits-challenges-of-using-artificial-intelligence-for-emergency-management/
http://time.com/4591051/nba-basketball-virtual-reality-samsung-gear-vr/
http://www.sporttechie.com/2015/03/18/technology/sxsw-sports-the-future-of-virtual-and-augmented-reality-in-sports/

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Safety is a concern & responsibility for all businesses, especially when talking about workplace safety. It is a vital responsibility on the part of safety assurance experts to check and confirm whether the worksite is suitable and safe for the employees to carry on with their daily tasks. Workplace safety becomes crucial when the area is objectively an accident-prone zone.

International Labor Organization has reported that about 151 laborers face workplace accidents every 15 seconds. It goes without saying that the count is both high and alarming. According to reports, globally, a striking 317 million non-fatal occupational hazards occur per year. The  report also states that about 321,000 workers die annually from workplace-related mishaps.

See Also: Tata makes worker safety wearable available to competitors

Ramon T. Llamas, the Research Manager at International Data Corporation, Massachusetts for mobile phones and wearable, believes that devices using IoT technology will serve as a healthy medium to share crucial information.

This technology will have sensors at the core of their functionality. This will help the managers in extracting real time safety information in order to alert the employees and their supervisors so that they can take necessary steps and prevent any potential worksite hazard. Most of the worksite accidents that take place can actually be prevented if the worker’s status is continuously monitored .

With the help of IoT devices and hybrid solutions, one can monitor and send across safety information which includes an employee’s biometrics. This, as a result, will help companies reduce their insurance cost through enhancing worksite safety in a smart and effective manner. Since workplace safety is a top concern, development and collaboration of such IoT technologies will be critical for companies to invest in. 

Author Bio

Hello I’m Berney, I am creative blogger by profession & offer freelance assignment writing. It’s my hobby to write and educate people with the latest news and industry buzz. You can follow me on social media and stay connected to read more of such informative blogs covering a plethora of category.

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Anyone who likes to binge watch TV while cooking knows the pain of having to stop kneading dough to pause a show or move to the next episode. In comes Bixi, a device that’s the brainchild of French startup Bluemint Labs. It connects with iOS or Android phones and tablets via Bluetooth LE.

However, Bixi does more than just control smartphones. It can operate a GoPro Camera, adjust connected lighting or other smart home devices through gesture control. There’s also a built-in microphone and support for Amazon’s Alexa meaning it can accept verbal commands also.  Bixi currently supports eight gestures, with the intention to add support for more types of gestures as people get more comfortable with Bixi. The device’s sensors easily differentiate between horizontal, diagonal, and vertical swipes.

I spoke to Chief Marketing Officer Pierre-Hughes Davoine to find out more at IFA 2017. He explained that the company was currently in conversation with several automotive companies and OEMs to discuss the future integration of their technology into their products. The company intends to release the API of Bixi App to developers who can make new use-cases to be integrated into the main Bixi App via ‘In-App’ Purchases.

It;s not the first time this technology has been proposed. Car insurers, Ingenie released research this year predicting the functionality of the cars of the future. They forecast that keys will be eschewed for a fingerprint sensor, iris scanner or other biometric systems to identify you as you walk up and open the door. The windows will have AR capabilities and embedded touchscreen. Some driving functions will be carried out through gesture controls and voice activation instead of buttons and a steering wheel.

Kinemic brings writing to the air

Founded in March 2016, German startup Kinemic takes Bixi’s ideas several steps further with not only gesture control but the ability to write in the air (as if signing your name perhaps) and click on an ‘air mouse.’  I’ve seen a demonstration of the writing capability in person and it’s something quite wonderful. Kinemic enables the gesture control of digital devices – such as PCs, smartphones, wearables or AR glasses. Their focus is industrial customers can use the technology to improve their processes to become safer, more ergonomic and faster.  They’ve piloted with the pharmaceutical and automotive sectors and won a place in the DeutschBahn (Germany’s national railway) MindBox Accelerator in July this year, providing them with hands-on access to the railway sector.

MYO Armbands

A slightly earlier application is MYO armbands by Canadian based Thalmic Labs that uses, as the name implies, electromyography, a sensor technology that is typically used in the medical world, to pick up electrical impulses from muscles. These allow users to control computers, toys, and other devices. It uses Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy to communicate with the device it’s paired with.

The company offers SDKs for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Andriod. Some keen developers have already developed a plethora of use cases ranging from surgical applications to controlling drones. There’s even a marketplace for apps developed. Amazon’s Alexa fund invested in Thalmic Labs‘ US series B last fall although it’s unclear what the company will focus on next.

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American luxury home builder Toll Brothers has launched a virtual reality app that lets home buyers view all 360 degrees of their kitchen in high-definition and choose from thousands of configurations.

The app, called Kitchen 360, provides buyers with a tour of the kitchen through a connected tablet or HTC Vive VR. While on the tour, buyers can look at different configurations, swapping out appliances, changing colours and prefered models — all changes take effect in real time.

See Also: How universities are defining the future of VR

Toll Brothers has partnered with Marxent, an augmented and virtual reality solutions company, specializing in commerce. The company has developed apps for Lowe’s and American Woodmark.

“Until now, the personalization process of buying a new home posed a challenge for home buyers to visualize their combination of selected materials using small material samples,” said Mark Bailey, President of Toll Brothers Colorado Division.

“The Kitchen 360 experience enhances a home buyer’s ability to visualize their space with a level of quality that has never been available before. Using this VR technology in combination with the look and feel of those material samples, the buyer has a more complete idea of their vision. They get the chance to actually step inside the space they’ve created, and preview how that space will work for their everyday lives.”

Customization will be limited to Toll Brothers Englewood Design Studio, where representatives will help plan out configurations in real-time. There are 420 configurations at launch.

The app is similar to IKEA’s new AR app launching on iOS 11, which allows customers to fit furniture into their home, using defined parameters. The difference here is the customer is buying the entire kitchen.

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After disappointing first quarter sales, Fitbit is making a move for the wearable health market. The company said it has a device in development that will be able to detect sleep apnea, a disorder that affects around 18 million American adults.

Symptoms of sleep apnea include pauses in breathing, shallow breathing during sleep, and tiredness throughout the day. The disorder can increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and obesity.

See Also: Told you that you were getting good sleep, says Fitbit

Fitbit is keen to start with sleep apnea because it can be detected using sensors inside the company’s fitness trackers. To detect the disorder, Fitbit plans to shine a light onto the skin throughout the night to see if there are any changes to the blood oxygen levels.

The technology seems in place, but Fitbit still needs to get over the regulatory hurdle. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been against allowing wearables to diagnose illnesses, which supposedly led to the original Apple Watch getting a few of its health tools removed.

Fitbit will most likely market the technology as an advisor, rather than a diagnostic tool. That means if a user does display signs of sleep apnea, it would advise them to go see a doctor, rather than telling them the results beforehand.

Fitbit is not the only wearable maker looking to enter the health market. Jawbone, its once bitter rival, is planning on a series of medical devices to turn the company’s fortunes around. Apple may also be looking to add blood glucose level tracking to the next Watch.

Sales of Fitbit devices fell 35 percent in the first quarter of this year, to 2.9 million. Apple and Xiaomi stormed ahead of the wearable giant with 3.5 million sales each. The company’s stock has dropped over 60 percent since the start of the year, as investors start to wonder how Fitbit will compete against two mobile goliaths.

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In the increasingly crowded market place of smart watches, a small niche of companies is offering an alternative to the standard designs by offering smart watch bands as an alternative to smartwatch faces.

One of these is Madrid- and Paris-based startup Maintool, who have created the Classi watch band, a wearable which enables users to make their regular watches “smart.”

I met with co-founder and CEO Hussain Ahamed and Community Manager Jody Serrano to learn more.

“We’re giving you the chance to keep your own watch but still benefit from the same functionalities as some of the best wearable technologies,” Ahamed said.

The smart watch band can be attached to any watch face. It offers a range of functionalities: sensors within the watch band measure heart rate, track footsteps and calories burned (pedometer), skin and ambient temperatures, alert through discrete vibrations and communicate with apps for iOS and Android. You can navigate to your destination hands-free and send out for help with the push of a button. Classi also has a phone loss prevention feature and will vibrate strongly if you forget your phone.

Serrano notes that “Many times, people can’t tell the difference between a Classi strap and a regular watch strap. We switched out the microUSB port we used in our first prototypes for a custom magnetic charger, which greatly reduced the thickness of our watch straps. The new size makes our technology even more discreet.”

Enter the smart watchband

Sales of Swiss watches are on the incline with global wearable tech devices overtaking them in Q4 of 2015, according to figures released by market researcher Strategy Analytics.

This marked the first time the wearable tech devices have overtaken their luxurious counterparts. Much of the credit is attributed to the Apple smartwatch. Further, a 2015 report by Deloitte into the Swiss watch industry revealed a lack of appreciation of the challenges to the industry by smart watches with only 25% of Swiss watch executives considered smartwatches to be a competitive threat.

In response to the challenge of the economic outlook of the industry, 41% of respondents expressed pessimism with most attributing the economic challenges to weakened demand in China and Hong Kong and the strength of the Swiss franc. It suggests an industry that is in denial with Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics stating:

“The Swiss watch industry has been very slow to react to the development of smartwatches. The Swiss watch industry has been sticking its head in the sand and hoping smartwatches will go away.”

However, the upward trend of smart watches has begun to decline. IDC’s second quarter wearable sales report for 2016 revealed a 27 percent decline in smart wearables and during this time Apple had a significant decline in wearable sales. Sales dropped from 3.6 million in the same quarter last year to 1.6 million this year, a 56 percent downturn. Perhaps it’s time for smart watchbands to strike.

Maintaining that Swiss watch heritage

Ahamed believes that their smart watchband can actually preserve the heritage factor of the Swiss watch industry, noting that their conversations with Swiss watch makers have been positive:

” The CEOs and board members are acknowledging that they didn’t get on board with quart [Mechanical movements are typically chosen over quartz movements for luxury watches because of the level of quality and craftsmanship]. They admit ‘We’re Swiss so we’re going to be slow but we’re interested and we’re taking notice’. The beauty of Classi is that you’re not changing your industrial model. Instead you’re allowing consumers to change to our strap.”

He also contends that:

“Every watch has a personality, we want people to be able to express themselves and their personal style. Smart watches don’t have a lot of personality, there’s so much more to the watch than something that just tells the time, for a lot of people it’s about the design, the brand, the culture, Smart watches today destroy this. Classi has intergenerational appeal and we believe that for the first time, this is a product that our parents and grandparents will actually wear.”

It’ll be interesting to see how sales of smart watch bands fare. They could be key to bridging the gap between a very traditional industry of dedicated craftspeople and future focused technology.

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It’s been another wild year in swimming at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The last events wrap up today, but it’s been hard to miss the appearance of more technology poolside this year, even if all you noticed were the headphones helping Michael Phelps maintain his death-stare:

But getting into the zone while on deck isn’t that new. Getting closer to a world record is the greater goal of all this new technology. Here’s what you might have seen in swimmer’s bags this year:

The Misfit Shine

In June, wearables company Misfit and well know sports swimming brand Speedo announced the launch of their second Speedo-branded activity, swim, and sleep tracker, Misfit Shine 2 Swimmers Edition. Misfit and Speedo’s proprietary lap counting algorithms track a swimmer’s lap count with industry-leading accuracy and work for all stroke types.

New features with Speedo Shine include:

•  A vibration motor and multicolor lights, enabling multi-faceted user feedback—see progress and tell time in a halo of rainbow-colored lights, or get motivated with Misfit Move activity
• A countdown swim timer—users pick a time to swim and Speedo Shine 2 provides a gentle vibe alert when a workout is complete
• Text and call notifications and a silent vibe alarm
• Misfit Link compatibility, turning Speedo Shine 2 into a music remote, selfie trigger, presentation clicker, or button to enable a variety of smart home devices and web services

VTT wearable sensors

In cooperation with Finland’s national  swimming team and archery association, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed wearable technology for improving sports performance. Wearable sensors can be attached to, say, a swimmer’s hand paddles or an archer’s equipment. From there, data is wirelessly transferred to the coach’s smartphone or tablet.  

The sensors embedded in the paddles provide surprisingly precise and varied data on the wearer’s swimming technique. This covers stroke length and changes in it during swimming, the relationship between the outward stroke and recovery, the structure of the stroke and the average pull, the hand position and the pressure exerted by the stroke in different directions. According to Simo Karvinen, the Finnish Junior Olympic Team coach:

“Swimming is an unusual sport because it is not easy for the athlete to check his or her own performance in the water. In addition, very few means are available of measuring development in the swimmer’s technique, in terms such as the efficiency of hand strokes. VTT’s technology provides a means of directly observing the power of each hand stroke and its trajectory through the water, without disrupting performance.”

Using sound data to boost performance

Researchers at Bielefeld University have developed a system that professional swimmers can use to optimize their swimming technique. It enables swimmers to hear, in real time, how the pressure of the water flows created by the swimmer changes with their movements. This gives the swimmer an advantage over their competitors because they can refine the execution of their technique. This “Swimming Sonification” system was developed at the Cluster of Excellence Cognitive Interaction Technology (CITEC) of Bielefeld University.

Dr. Thomas Hermann of CITEC is working on converting data into sounds that can be used to benefit the listener. This is called sonification, a process in which measured data values are systematically turned into audible sounds and noises. “In this project, we are using the pressure from water flows as the data source,” says Hermann. “We convert into sound how the pressure of water flows changes while swimming – in real time. We play the sounds to the swimmer over headphones so that they can then adjust their movements based on what they hear,” explains Hermann.

This system includes two gloves worn during practice, featuring thin tube ends that serve as pressure sensors and are fixed between the fingers. The tubes are linked to a measuring device that transmits data about water flow pressure to a laptop. Custom-made software then sonifies the data; it turns the information into sound. The sounds are transmitted to the swimmer in real time over headphones. When the swimmer modifies a movement, he hears live how this also changes the sound.

In a practical workshop held in September 2015, professional swimmers tested the system out and confirmed that it indeed helped them to optimize their swimming technique. Of the ten swimmers who participated, three of them qualified for international competitions, and one of the female swimmers is competing this year at the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The researchers want to continue developing their current prototype. “We are planning to develop a wearable system that can be used independently by the user, without the help of others,” says Thomas Hermann. In addition to this, the new sonification method is planned to be incorporated into long-term training programs in cooperation with swim clubs.

Samsung blind cap

Samsung’s latest innovation is  a special swimming cap that vibrates to alert the swimmers precisely when to do their flip turn at the end of the pool. The Blind Cap eliminates the need for a coach or guide to physically tap the swimmer with a pole to indicate the lane coming to an end — the method used since swimming for the blind was established as an official Paralympic sport in 1960.

The Blind Cap is equipped with a vibrating sensor and Bluetooth technology. It synchronizes with the Samsung Gear S2 smartwatch and any Android smartphone to work in conjunction with an app. This allows the swimmer’s coach to send a warning signal from their smartphone or smartwatch, which is converted into a vibration within the cap of the blind swimmer, prompting the swimmer to turn without additional help.

What about swimming googles?

Evidence suggests that connected googles are indeed on the way but seem to be taking longer in manufacturing than anticipated. OnCourse Googles is created googles designed for open water swimming (ok, so technically these are more for the World Aquatic Games than the Olympics) to help keep the wearer swimming in a straight line using a pair of subtle LEDs. The goggles analyze the direction the user is swimming and if they veer off course. LEDs notify them of which direction they need to swim in order to remain on course as well as the severity of deviation.

These were predicted to be launched in the summer of 2016 but remain absent. Lebanon-based startup Instabeat has also created smart googles that specifically measure a swimmer’s heartbeat. However they’ve been subject to significant delays of over two years and are pledging to go to retail in Q1 2017.

In a sport where the difference between winning and losing is a hundredth of a second, there are no doubt boxes of technological innovations that are kept under wraps by the Olympic teams.

We’ll probably only become aware of these if medalists and their media machine sponsors, decide to share the word.

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In Germany, almost half of the people that own a fitness tracker have stopped using it and more than 85 percent said they have no interest in purchasing a fitness tracker.

It is dire news for the wearable market, of which fitness trackers make up more than half. Fitbit, the industry leader, sells more fitness trackers than the combined sales of Apple and Samsung’s wearables.

See Also: German manufacturing sector more gung-ho on IoT than U.S.

Over 2,500 people were surveyed by DKV, results found that 89 percent don’t own and don’t want to own a fitness tracker and five percent are thinking about it. Out of the six percent left, two percent don’t use their fitness tracker anymore, and 16 people confessed to never wearing the device.

“It’s a clear indication for us: the majority of people in Germany do not see the need to use wearables”, said Clemens Muth, Chairman of the Board of Management at DKV. “We believe that wearables don’t interest healthy people who have an average desire to exercise.”

The profile of the average fitness tracker owner, according to the survey, is young, healthy, and exercises often. That fits with the general profile of people that purchase fitness trackers across the world.

Fitness tracker design at fault?

Asked why they don’t use their fitness tracker anymore, 19 percent said it too difficult to use and 18 percent found it annoying. 15 percent felt that the fitness tracker didn’t give motivation to be healthy or lose weight.

Even though it is lower than the other two, the lack of motivation is a key point that fitness tracker providers need to figure out. Fitbit provides a way to log your food, water, exercise and see improvements, but there is no virtual coach telling you to walk faster, go swimming, or reduce the amount of carbohydrates in your diet.

This functionality could be necessary to keep people engaged and on a clear diet, but to implement it Fitbit (and other providers) need to make an assistant, like a bot, that can pester you to keep fit. It also needs a larger database that can give health warnings when you are eating too much of a certain food type.

Fitbit may be worried about the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), which may block wearables that attempt to control dietary regimes. Apple supposedly had similar problems adding health sensors into the original Watch, which led to underwhelming health and fitness features.

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Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving showed off a full-body wearable at the NBA Finals press conference, hours before the final match against the Golden Gate Warriors. And it could give the wearable’s maker, SubPac, the marketplace’s championship crown.

The wearable in question provides “tactile sound” that allows you to feel music or sound throughout your entire body.

See Also: Have a blast with this new supersuit

Irving didn’t mention if he is partnered with SubPac, only saying to press “you’ll be hearing about it soon.” It may be possible he was using the wearable during training, though for what purpose, we don’t know.

The SubPac that Irving wore is different to the product in the startup’s YouTube video, posted in late 2015. That may be what Irving was referring to when he hinted at news coming soon; a new version with enhancements and a new design.

If Irving is the poster boy for SubPac, we suspect the new version may have some sports-related functionality, like simulated force while shooting or dribbling in training.

SubPac currently aimed at music and VR

The current SubPac is marketed at music and virtual reality, both can utilize biometrics to provide a full body experience. SubPac also has a body wearable for people sitting down, the S2, which could be more useful for video gamers.

Some video game firms have delved into biometrics in the past, including Half Life and Portal developer Valve. In an interview with The Verge, Valve director Gabe Newell said:

“We think that, unlike motion input where we kind of struggled to come up with ideas, [there’s potential in] biometrics.We have lots of ideas.”

With the first Steam VR headset, the HTC Vive VR, launched earlier this year, we may see Valve’s first attempts at biometric feedback in game. Other developers are looking into the effects biometrics can have on gameplay, like changing a level depending on the player’s heart-rate.

Full body wearables that provide vibration could be valuable in other areas, including training simulations for firefighters, police officers, and soldiers. SubPac has not mentioned any of these areas as potential market, sticking with the music focus for its current wearables.

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Wearables have the ability to improve health and give us insights into our mental state — all we need are the apps that can analyze and quantify the data.

Missouri startup Mindset, created by engineering students at Washington University of St. Louis, has launched an app aimed at stress management. It uses wearable data to indicate rising stress levels and a mobile app to for users to lower stress levels and give feedback.

See Also: Richer, sicker seniors to drive medical wearables market growth

Mindset alerts the user with a smartphone ping, if they see rising stress levels. The main indicator will be from an increase in heart rate and from there users tell the mobile app what is bothering them.

Mindset gives you chill options

Different types of meditation and exercises are provided on the app. A message board is available for users to update with positive vibes reports; we’re not sure if moderators will remove negative status updates.

The developers believe that controlling emotions at critical times is the best way to lower stress. The goal is not to remove all stress at once, an impossible task for some, but to lower the amount of time stressed.

Multiple studies have shown that a stressful environment could knock a few years off your life, so it is very important that we have apps like Mindset available.

And since the workplace is one huge source of our stress, Mindset may find a ready market in the enterprise sector.

A recent report by market intelligence firm Tractica says wearables will be a big deal with enterprise users in the near future, perhaps to the point of replacing your gym membership with a Fitbit streaming back to your HR department…which may stress you out even further.

iOS and Android users can pick up Mindset today for free, but it does require a wearable to work properly. On the startup’s website, it recommends three wearables from Mio, but we assume Fitbit and other wearables support the app.

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In case you haven’t heard, there is a lot of hype right now about virtual and augmented reality. Three months into 2016, investors have already spent $1.1 billion to get a piece of the action.

All this money, but no revenue and, in large part, no clear market.

There are some good signs that 2016 really will be the year that VR gets widespread adoption, or at least the year we start to see the development of a consistently expanding base of consumers and use cases. Over thirty virtual reality films debuted at Sundance. Well-known artists like Reggie Watts and Justin Lin, director of ‘The Fast and The Furious,’ have put out virtual reality shorts. Even Stephen Spielberg seems to be looking to get into the game, as he has signed on to be an advisor to Virtual Reality Company (VRC), which has developed an immersive virtual reality experience to go along with Ridley Scott’s The Martian.

So far only a small subset of the general population have been exposed to this new round of virtual reality experiences, but in 2016 that number should grow significantly. This month, consumer versions of the much anticipated Oculus Rift, the innovative HTC Vive, and the PlayStation VR have finally gone on sale. Samsung has announced that everyone who preorders their Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge phones is eligible for a free Gear VR, which pairs with the phone to turn it into a virtual reality headset. And companies as wide-ranging as the New York Times, Coca Cola, McDonald’s, and the music festival Coachella have all gotten on board and are giving away inexpensive Google Cardboard headsets for free to their customers.

Nevertheless, it is still too early to tell whether or not VR will catch on while the hype lasts. Perhaps funding will dry up and development will slow. Sales may flatline and big companies like Facebook and Samsung might even pull back on their commercial offerings, like Google did with Glass, and bring their programs back to the drawing board.

I don’t think anything so drastic will occur, but the point is we cannot predict the tides of the market with accuracy. It’s possible that the technology is not sophisticated enough or that headsets are currently priced too high to be commercially viable.

Still, I am confident that virtual reality will revolutionize how we learn, and the reason is simple. Virtual reality is not just a technology, it’s a medium. And I’ve seen how powerful that medium can be.

—

A couple of summers ago I spent time working with schoolchildren in a township in the suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa. This township is known as Vrygrond, which translates from Afrikaans as “Free Land.” The children were quite poor; none of them had more than one pair of shoes, and as the name of their township suggests, none of their families had any legal claim of ownership over their patchwork homes.

Incredibly, roughly a third of these children carried with them a Nokia feature phone that provided them wide-ranging access to the Internet. They used these phones to show me videos of the South African standup comedian Trevor Noah and clips of Jon Stewart on The Daily Show (where Noah would later replace Stewart as host). They even pulled up websites on their devices to provide evidence for their claims that Beyoncé and Jay-Z are members of a secret international satanist organization.

I was struck by how connected the children in Vrygrond were with the media and entertainment of the United States while their parents were simultaneously so disconnected from the global economy.

These children, like their peers all over the world, are growing up in a digitally connected world.

By 2020 fully 70% of the world will have smartphones. What this means is that practically everyone will have access to the same pool of human communication. And as companies like IBM, Microsoft, and Google use neural networks to push the envelope of computerized language translation, even the existing divisions of human knowledge by language will recede.

But what does this mean for education? Specifically, is universal access to knowledge enough to democratize learning?

Judging by the experiences of students in developed countries like the United States, in which the achievement gap largely mirrors the wealth gap, the answer is no.

The Future of Education

The classic structure for a classroom mirrors a proscenium theater, with the teacher out front serving up knowledge and the students as audience members soaking it all in.

This model works for some learners but leaves others, like students who struggle to focus or fear speaking up in class, far behind.

I believe education is on the cusp of a revolution. With modern technology it is no longer necessary for everyone to study the same thing at the same time and progress at the same pace. Learners will soon forge their own paths and use technology to complete modules that interest them at their own speed. Organizations like AltSchool are already piloting such programs in their private schools. Their teachers create environments that foster curiosity and exploration. Ultimately, they want to use their learnings from these small-scale experiments to create curricula that can be used in public school systems.

To reach full scale, however, this sort of learning will have to be accessible remotely by students who don’t have access to high-quality teachers and school systems. In other words, mobile devices will have to become powerful tools for education that will enable even the most remote learners to explore complex subjects in engaging and interactive ways.

Virtual reality is an incredibly well-suited medium for this task.

Curiosity is Essential for Learning

According to Sandhya Hedge, an investor at Khosla Impact, when people in developing countries first get their hands on mobile devices, they spend a great majority of their time in three ways: social networking, entertainment, and news. That sounds a lot like my own smartphone usage, and probably yours as well. Access to information is not enough to foster education.

People have to be motivated to learn.

The difference between people who learn and those who don’t has much to do with curiosity, and not just because being curious about something motivates us to figure out how it works. According to neuroscience research from the University of California, Davis, when we learn about something that catches our curiosity, our brain releases the neurotransmitter dopamine, which makes us more attentive, and which improves our ability to remember.

Crucially, curiosity leads us to remember everything better, not just the specific things about which we are curious. As Matthias Gruber, a postdoc on the project says, “curiosity seems to put the brain in a state that is very conducive to learning…like a vortex that draws in things you are motivated to learn and also everything around it.”

Perhaps this research does not come as much of a surprise. We have all had boring teachers, and we have all had teachers who made learning easy. The great teachers found ways to get us excited and engaged in class, and as a result, their lessons are the ones that endure in our minds.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to scale phenomenal teaching to reach a large audience. In a traditional classroom, each teacher can only touch around 25 students at most before the quality of lessons start to suffer.

Resources like online textbooks and video lectures can be powerful and scalable tools to help motivated people learn a complex subject, but they are difficult to make exciting and interactive; they often fail to stimulate the imagination, and thus they tend to be ineffective for any but the most dedicated learners.

The Role of VR Certain subjects are especially hard to present in an exciting and engaging way. Chemistry is one of these difficult subjects. There are a seemingly endless array of atoms and molecules to learn, and lab work can feel like a complicated and difficult form of baking with none of the delicious upside.

Despite its difficulty, chemistry is a subject that has the potential to be extremely interesting. It is the study of the building blocks of matter, and understanding how atoms and molecules can recombine to make up the very matter that surrounds and composes us can give us an exciting new perspective from which to view the world.

In the classroom, subjects in the hard sciences are often presented without context. Chemistry, biology, and physics are all separated into distinct disciplines, and subject matter is abstracted away to two dimensions. This type of learning usually has a lot to do with memorizing molecular, cellular, or elemental properties and mathematical constants, and very little to do with anything we care about or have an ability to visualize.

Imagine this alternative: using virtual reality, Mzukisi, a boy from Vrygrond who loves nature, will be able to follow the life of a molecule of water as it is heated by the Sun’s rays, evaporates far from land and rises through the air as water vapor. He’ll watch the molecule join a cloud and ride the wind over to the forest, and see the molecule gather together with others to become of a droplet of water that falls to the ground and streams over the earth before finally being absorbed. In the soil, the water will combine with minerals and get drawn up the vascular tissue of a tree to supply those minerals to a leaf at the top. Finally, the molecule will evaporate from the leaf and get borne away again in another cloud.

At any point in this experience, Mzuki might get curious about the mechanics of a certain process in the cycle. For example, maybe he wonders how it is that the Sun’s rays can turn a liquid into a gas. He could zoom in on this phase shift and see how light from the Sun heats up water molecules until they jiggle around with such force as to break the bonds that link them to their fellow water molecules, becoming steam. Even better, Mzuki could play a mini-game where he has to act as the energetic force of the sun and excite the water molecules manually until they are hot enough to transition into gas.

Or maybe Mzuki is less interested in the physics of the evaporation process but is curious about the biology of the tree. If so, he could explore how it is that the tree is able to draw water up from its roots, thereby learning about the cohesive and adhesive properties of water, which enable the water molecules to ascend the narrow tube, defying gravity and moving up one position at a time as molecules in the leaves turn into gas and vacate their position in the chain. He could again play the role of the sun, perhaps by tapping on leaves to facilitate the evaporation, thereby driving the entire system of transpiration in the tree.

And on and on.

The Imagination

If I did my job with the example about Mzukisi, then my words stimulated your imagination and you visualized some of the objects and processes I described. That’s what the process of learning by reading looks like; we take a set of symbols and ideas from a text and convert it into understanding by imaginatively visualizing and conceptualizing the information in our minds. We then cement the learning by following our curiosity: manipulating the concept, pushing and pulling at its edges, and seeing where things shake out.

A well-crafted educational experience in virtual reality would mirror and lead into this crucial process of imagining, and ideally the bounds of a learner’s exploration would be defined only by the limits of his curiosity.

Admittedly, we are a few years off from smartphones and headsets being cheap enough to be universal, but when the price does inevitably drop, the impact of this technology will almost certainly be global.

To be clear, I am not arguing that virtual reality will replace reading’s role in education. For a curious reader, processing intricate ideas and converting them into mental models can be an incredibly effective and efficient form of learning. I also don’t want to discount the importance of human discourse in learning; we’re a long way off from computer programs being able to compete with human interlocutors in terms of adaptability and interactivity.

Still, I have no doubt that virtual reality education is coming, and I believe its arrival will coincide with a phase shift in how we conceive of formal education.

The post How Virtual Reality Will Democratize Learning appeared first on ReadWrite.

Six Flags Entertainment Corporation and Samsung Electronics America recently announced a partnership which names Samsung as the “Official Technology Partner” of the world’s largest regional theme park company. The partnership includes the debut of ground-breaking experiences coming to nine Six Flags theme parks— North America’s first Virtual Reality (VR) roller coasters, using Samsung Gear VR powered by Oculus.

The launch comes less than a month after I recently experienced a Samsung VR roller coaster at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Consistent with theme park reality, you line up patiently until it’s your turn – over an hour in my case. You then are seated in a special seat with a hidden motor beneath it, and you strap on your seat belt and don a Samsung Gear VR headset. My experience is still slightly blurry, due to my glasses-wearing, but without them I couldn’t see anything at all. 

Loud music starts and an image appears of a Six Flags amusement park in California. All of a sudden, your seat is moving and you are in the first car of a roller coaster train. You are above the trees and you can look all around you – you can see the sky and get a birds’ eye view of the amusement park. The train starts to go up a hill and you are climbing the tracks.

The adrenaline kicks in as all of a sudden, whoosh! Your train drops down the roller coaster track with you in it. It’s not as visceral as in real life – your stomach drops only a little – but the 4D experience does make you feel like you’re on a real roller coaster ride. Your chair moves and you are mildly tossed and turned. I left the experience a little dizzy but in good spirits. 

How will it play out at Six Flags?

Some of Six Flags’ most popular coasters will be equipped to allow riders who are wearing Samsung Gear VR headsets. Visitors still physically go on a moving roller coaster, but the VR headset provides hyperreality — for example, riders may be transported to the future to save the world from aliens. And they can even fire virtual weapons in what Samsung is touting as the “first-ever interactive gameplay technology on a roller coaster.”

“This remarkable technology is a definite game-changer for theme park rides and represents everything our brand stands for—delivering the most thrilling and innovative rides and attractions in the world,” said John Duffey, Six Flags President and CEO. 

“What makes this partnership so compelling for consumers and the broader tech industry alike is that both companies are committed to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible – and bringing a VR coaster to life is certainly a new and thrilling proposition,” said Marc Mathieu, chief marketing officer at Samsung Electronics America.

My verdict? If you’re already lining up to experience a roller coaster, then definitely give the VR experience a try, especially if you are already a keen gamer. VR and AR are the future of entertainment, so get ready to strap in and ride.

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Does your love of tech extend to the pets in your life? When you look into the pettech world, there’s a bewildering plethora of mobile apps to aid our furry friends from adopting a dog, deciding on a pet name, administering first aid and choosing a pet-friendly holiday location – and we haven’t even gotten into the entire range of interactive gadgets and accessories. 

Pets are big business—the American Pet Products Association estimates that consumers spent nearly $61 billion on their pets in 2015.  According to IDTechEx,  ten years from now the wearable tech market for pets is expected to reach $2.6 billion. 

If you have the cash, here’s a critical look at some of the more innovative tools to entertain and support your four-legged family members.

CleverPet 

With inspiration straight from the work of Ivan Pavlov, the CleverPet uses cutting-edge algorithms based on behavioural science to reward your dog when she learns something new. A busy dog is a happy dog. Your dog is less likely to be distraught or destructive while you’re out if they have something productive to do, and playing games is a great way to keep them occupied.

The device has three sensitive touch pads designed for dog noses and paws, which light up interactively. Your pet will win food for touching the pads on the device with the difficulty escalating over time. You can also see how they are doing in real time via the corresponding app. You can even pre-record verbal commands for training work.

CleverPet is connectable to other smart device and Arduino-compatible. A tech savvy owner can also write their own custom code via the available RESTful API.

PetBot

The PetBot also takes a page from Pavlov’s book, a focused towards the welfare of the owner than the pet, although it may be more focused on the owner’s well-being. Think of it as a reward-dispensing baby monitor. It allows the owner to see, speak and listen to their pet through their smartphone. When the pet cuddles up to the camera, PetBot automatically starts recording a ten-second video or selfie image and dispenses a treat or plays a pre-recorded sound as a reward. The danger here? Finding out your pet thinks you’re more boring than you realize.

Whistle, FitBark and Wonderwoof wearables 

 Of all wearables for dogs, three similar devices are getting the bulk of the attention: Whistle, FitBark and Wonderwoof. They all feature a small device that clips onto your dog’s collar and monitors your dog’s resting and activity levels. These are then compared to a pre-calculated range based on their breed, age and weight. Where these devices differ is in their corresponding apps. Whistle, for example, enables owners to keep track of medications as well as a food log. The app can also be shared by multiple family members. Whistle also retails a GPS tracker, although it would be nice to see this integrated into the wearable rather than as separate product in the future. Whistle is also the first consumer device to tap into Sigfox’s low-power IoT network. By comparison, FitBark can be linked to an owner’s Fitbit and has the option of a separate wifi base accessory – at a cost of $80 – for monitoring multiple dogs. The Wonderwoof app also enables the owner to track the location of “doggy friends” while you’re out walking. Don’t worry, cats – a Wondermeow is in the works this year. 

Voyce

Voyce is a health-focused wearable collar for dogs that does everything some of th above activity wearables do, but also measures sunlight exposure as well as heart and respiratory rates. Designed by a team of veterinarians, Voyce’s strength is that the health information can be made available to your dog’s veterinarian. Voyce is more than double the cost of other health monitoring devices and a membership plan – around $100 per year – is required to have access to the corresponding online portal. 

An owner can activate the “caregiver” option, giving their pet’s vet access to all of the Voyce monitor’s data. A separate Voyce Pro program enables veterinarians to actively monitor their patients.

The collar comes in different sizes, but it may prove too uncomfortable for many dogs. Some reviews complained that the collar’s bulky looks got them some evil looks – owners were accused of having their pet wear a shock collar. But this kind of detailed monitoring wearable will likely become a precedent for future developers, albeit hopefully in a more ergonomic collar. 

Ipad Games ….for Cats? (And Lonely Penguins….)

Have you ever found your cat watching television? Their entertainment needn’t be usurped by your own, thanks to Ipad Games for Cats. I had a chat with game designer TJ Fuller, part of the duo that created Game for Cats app. The idea came from seeing videos of cats playing with iPads on YouTube, but the impetus was a lengthy failed attempt at making children’s games. They decided to see what they could make in two weeks and the resulting game – where cats can play with mice, lasers and butterflies – was a hit. Since then, two other games have featured in the kitty reportoire, Paint for Cats and Catzilla.

The experiences in creating games for cats highlight some of the challenges for developers in working with animals. With the first beta version, the developers knew they were at a loss for market research – neither had a cat or even an Ipad. Buying an iPad was easy, and they took it to the local pet shelter to test the game.

“The women at the shelter didn’t know what the iPad was but the cats loved it immediately,” says Fuller. “It became really popular right away.”  

The game also proved popular at the aquarium in Long Beach, California – particularly with the penguins that experienced increased sex drives after playing the game. 

There was also some unintended consequences in the first game, which began with free levels and extended to paid levels. Users complained that money was being taken from their accounts without their consent. It turned out that the cats were pressing their paw on the “buy now” button. After that, they introduced a failsafe where a buyer needed a credit card and a human hand to make a payment.

Fuller says the biggest challenge in making games for cats is that their capacity for engagement differs significantly to humans. Cat owners wanted a more advanced game for their cats. But after going all-out with their third game, Catzilla, they found that the game appealed to owners more than cats. As one reviewer wrote:

“Whereas our kitties will sit, purring loudly in anticipation, staring at a blank iPad WAITING for me to turn on the Painting game, they completely ignored this game visually and got very scared of the siren sounds”.

This led to lower-than-expected sales despite the first two apps selling consistently for several years. Fuller notes that testing is the key in creating product for pets. He explained a recent frustrating situation where they were working on another game for months, only to find out during beta testing that cats just would not play it. 

Sure, it’s easy for the petless out there to smirk at both the tech sector’s and pet owners’ desires for pettech. But most owners consider their pets a member of the family and valu their well-being. However, there are concerns that the market could easily become overly saturated with products which are targeted at behavioural modification through “static correction” and other forms of control, which can seem cruel and archaic – and at odds with the benefits of the majority of pet wearables and apps. But hopefully, tails will keep wagging.

The post My Dog is More Connected Than Your Dog appeared first on ReadWrite.

The announcement this morning from augmented reality company Meta was as follows: “Meta has begun taking orders for the Meta 2 Development Kit, the first augmented reality (AR) product that delivers a totally immersive experience unlike any other AR product to date.”

It’s the typically breathless prose you expect from a press release, but as someone who has already experienced this product, I can guarantee you they are underselling the experience. But what is even more interesting than the ridiculously powerful hardware they have created are the ideas about where this product, and, in fact, AR in general, is going. So we sat down with Meta’s Chief Product Officer, Soren Harner, to really find out what is going on behind the (virtual) scene at this company.

So tell us about the mission of Meta?

We are hardware company and software company, but ultimately we are rethinking the user experience and in a way that brings it closer to humanity. And it may sound like fluff when we talk about neuroscience, but I think you started seeing a couple years ago that screens are a problem. And you can’t see a lot on them and they are not very portable so people started playing around with head-worn displays and that’s what augmented reality and virtual reality have grown out of. And we have taken it to the next step and really tried to integrate it into our senses and our nervous system.

So when we talk about building user interfaces, we are looking at what our founder calls the “neuro path of least resistance.” So what I look forward to is finally having a computer where I don’t have to be my parent’s customer support channel because the way they intuitively interact with it is the correct way it works, and is is discoverable, and they don’t have to learn. And the way that we see this happening is we bring the digital content, the hologram if you will, into the physical world.

What was it about your first Meta demo that made you want to join the company?

Well, there were wires coming out of it, and then when I put it on it hurt my nose and I had to move my glasses around but I was able to see a 3D object in front of me and a person standing behind it, and you could really get the feeling that this was going to be something that was going to be the next form factor shift.

So how does that help move the experience forward?

People talk about augmented reality and layering digital content on top of the world, but that doesn’t really give it justice. Doing it justice means you are thinking about anchoring it to the world, and it behaves like a physical object. So when you see it, and you are the person creating that experience, you understand the twelve or thirteen depth cues that all need to happen and align in order for that to feel real. And they understand that if you reach out and touch something and you couple that with being very realistic in term of how you are representing in addition to getting all the 3D cues right, you get that real sense of space.

Now the audio lines up with that as well and then you have all your senses telling you that that exists. And even though you don’t have haptics, you may still “feel” it. We see this as a collaboration device from the ground up, and when I can anchor digital content on a table, between us, we can have an incredible conversation about it because we can make eye contact because with the Meta 2 everything below the eyes is clear and transparent. And to give a very immersive wide field of view, we have ben able to create a see-through design that approaches the field of view of a VR device yet with more resolution. So you can, for instance, read text on it.

Who is the audience for this? What is the killer app?

So this is our second generation. Our first generation was kind of the “build it and they will come” sort of thing, and they did, which was great because we made fourteen hundred of them! So we sold out, which was good. And people were building all sorts of stuff. So we had everyone from a major aerospace company to hobbyists buying this, and we had people creating games and more than games people trying to solve real problems with it.

What was the most surprising thing you saw someone develop?

We saw a group in the Netherlands do surgery with it. They built a proof of concept to do jaw surgeries. That was surprising…and slightly worrisome! Not endorsed by us, but we did see lots of interesting use case scenarios, and we also realized what we needed to crack in the next version was a wider field of view. We had one that was about the same as a Microsoft HoloLens. And people struggled to get that sense of being real because things were being cut off. But if you could expand that like 90 degrees diagonal then suddenly you have a completely different ballgame because you have all this area to display content.

So we solved that problem, but the second problem was direct manipulation with the hands. And so we were talking before about the neuroscience, and we thought about how people reach out and grab something and how that integrates so you almost feel it; integrating all your senses so you get that when you reach out and directly grab it and manipulate it. You don’t get that through gestures so other folks with air taps and gestures like a thumbs up sign; you have to learn that and we wanted something you could use and interact with that just made sense.

And so that is this second generation of hands interaction we have built, so those are the two flagship features. And this all comes together in a collaborative environment. And being able to use the space between the two of you to interact and have a shared workspace.

So your examples have predicates in the real world. Are you seeing use cases that could only happen in this environment?

Well certainly if you get into being in two places at the same time. So being a remote collaborator and sharing documents and it is like something you could only do in augmented reality where you can put a virtual person in a chair like a virtual Skype. Being in two places at once is something you can’t normally do.

We call it the “Kingsman Effect” (after the movie) where you can all be in separate rooms but you have a table in front of you and the systems are communicating and you are putting he same digital content in front of everyone and then putting them in the room.

So, for IoT, this creates an incredible visual interface

Well, sensors give you superpowers. And IoT sensors, things like cameras that are reading the world and are connected together, and thermostats, why should they each have to have their own separate screen? So, unless you are a screen manufacturer that is not an optimal experience. But if you could just be wearing the screen, and you are in proximity and you can pick something up and tying it into your display device, that has huge potential.

With IoT we talk about having the OS built around them. This is our fundamental vision of augmented reality, to anchor you in the world, and this person is at the center of that feedback loop driving that. We talk about having access to rich types of information and that is about integrating you with information retrieval and that fundamentally is a machine learning type of process. It’s all about filtering, it’s all about anticipating information relevant to that moment.

Having to have twenty apps on your phone, that is because the app model is broken. As soon as you leave that screen real estate you have an expansive world where user interface elements could be anywhere in the environment. Then they have to be able to draw your attention to them when they are relevant, and that is fundamentally not the app model. It’s more if the sensor is over there, augmented reality makes it blink so it gets your attention when you look at it, and that’s the natural way to interact with it, not with an app. And that is the path everyone it taking. With the Meta 2 and the SDK, this is about creating the applications to try out exactly these types of things.

The post Behind The (Virtual) Scene with Meta appeared first on ReadWrite.

It’s interesting how many people recoil at the idea of implanted wearables. Cochlear implants have been around since the 1980’s, contraceptive implants since the late 1990’s and a plethora of implanted devices have either kept people alive or improved their quality of life from knee replacements to pacemakers. Meanwhile, wearable devices are getting smaller and smarter. It’s only a small stretch of the imagination to envisage a time of wearables worn subcutaneously (below the skin) and monitored outside of the body. The relationship of technology and science is a fascinating and are a few of the most innovative ways implants are transforming the lives of many:

Brain implants to treat major health conditions

The manipulation of the brain through the use of technological devices is accepted practice in serious conditions where medication and other forms of treatment have been unsuccessful. Research into brain-based disorders has lead to treatment like Vagus nerve stimulation to treat severe epilepsy. Psychiatric neuro-technology researchers are focused on Transcranial direct current stimulation and Transcranial Magnet Stimulation to treat conditions like chronic pain, pharmaceutical resistant depression, fibromyalgia, OCD, Parkinson’s, and schizophrenia.

Deep brain stimulation

Taking this a step further, deep electrical stimulation of the brain (otherwise known as deep brain stimulation) can treat severe OCD, depression and a range of other disorders, enabling health professionals to target the specific parts of the brain which cause particular disorders. Electrodes are implanted into the brain and a device incorporating a battery and pulse generator is implanted into the chest or abdomen with wires to the skull connecting the electrodes. When turned on, the device emits an electrical current that stimulates the neural fibers carrying information from primitive brain areas associated with motivation to the frontal lobe.

It’s foreseeable to envision a time when other parts of the brain are better understood and implants are at the forefront curing a range of brain disorders. Some speculate that implants to improve memory and intelligence could be closer than we think and offer opportunities for developers looking for a new challenge.

Brain implants to treat paralysis

A group of Melbourne scientists has made the notion of wirelessly controlled limbs closer to reality through the development of a tiny, matchstick-sized device called a stentrode. Once implanted into a blood vessel next to the motor cortex, the brain’s control centre, it will pick up brain signals and allow patients to move a robotic exoskeleton attached to their limbs simply by thinking about it. It picks up strong electrical frequencies emitted by the brain that are coded into a computer. The computer then sends a signal to an exoskeleton attached to the arms or legs, enabling movement. The success of the stentrobe is heightened due to its location – a blood vessel – which eschews the need for complex brain surgery.

In late 2017, a select group of paralysed patients from the Royal Melbourne and Austin Hospitals in Australia will be chosen for the trial, where they will be implanted with the stentrode. If the trial succeeds, the technology could become commercially available in as little as six years.

The Bionic eye is here

Technology restoring sight and making super sight is here. In January Rhian Lewis, legally blind had a tiny electronic chip implanted at the back of the retina in her right eye.  

A wafer-thin retinal implant chip was inserted into the back of the eye to replace damaged photoreceptors. The chip captures the light entering the eye to stimulate the nerve cells of the inner retina to deliver signals to the brain through the optic nerve. The device is connected to a tiny computer that sits underneath the skin behind the ear. This is powered by a magnetic coil which is applied to the skin – from the outside, this looks similar to a hearing aid. The device is switched on once everything has healed up after the surgery. Using dials on a small wireless power supply held in the hand, Rhian can adjust the sensitivity, contrast and frequency to obtain the best possible signal for different conditions.

Another option for those tired of wearing glasses is the Bionic Lens, the brainchild of the Ocumetics Technology Corp, a company who want to eliminate glasses and contact lenses forever. The Ocumetics Bionic Lens is the result of eight years of research and $3 million in funding and lets you see “three times better than 20/20 vision” without wearing any contacts or glasses at all — for an entire lifetime. Amazingly the surgery is estimated to cost around $3,200 per eye with approval predicted to be between 2-5 years. 

Contraceptive Microchip

MIT spinout Microchips Biotech has been working on a birth-control microchip, backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, that releases contraceptives and can be turned on and off wirelessly. The tiny chip has an antenna and battery and is designed to be implanted under the skin, where it stores hormones and releases a precise dose at scheduled intervals. Unlike other contraceptive devices, it does not have to be removed when the woman wants to have children. It can be turned on and off with a remote control.

Wearable Implants Could Make Life Easier – Or More Complex

Exploration into implanted RFID chips has been around for a while. A chip implanted in the hand could unlock doors, start a car or be an alternative to a swipe card. It’s easy to imagine the contactless jacket embedded with a bPay chip being replaced by an implant. But it could also verify a person’s identity in case of an emergency or during war time. It could be used to store a person’s medical records. A number of people have told me that the ease of removing an RFID chip (with a scalpel presumably) could result in identity or financial theft. Others raise the issues of hacking and long-term medical complications caused by implants. But regardless of resistance, this technology is here, it is being used successfully for a range of purposes and it will be an integral part of wearables of the future.

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