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Kinesiology professor Reed Ferber helped create We-TRAC, a University of Calgary program that uses data from volunteers’ wearable technology to research everything from sleep to exercise.Glenn Lowson

Before Reed Ferber helped create an entire university program to study wearable technology and biometric data, his journey to understanding the power of wearables began while working at the Running Injury Clinic in 2008.

Ferber, a professor at the University of Calgary’s faculty of kinesiology, was working with a casual runner and asked her what her distance goals were for the day. “She said, ‘Well, I wasn’t going to go for a run today. I left my Nike chip at home,’ ” explaining that she was competing in a running challenge with friends.

The course of Ferber’s research would change after being shown the empty chip insert lodged in the sole of her runners. “Right there – it just clicked that her behaviour was changing because of this technology,” Ferber says. “And as a health researcher, I’m trying to change people’s behaviour.”

Since then, Ferber helped create We-TRAC, a University of Calgary program that uses data from volunteers’ wearable tech for research on everything from sleep to exercise.

In recent years, the sophistication, specificity and types of wearable technology and smart watches have branched out. Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi and Huawei remain the dominant brands in wearable tech, accounting for around 30 per cent, 10 per cent, 9 per cent and 7 per cent of the market share, respectively, according to a 2022 IDC report. But there are many competing companies selling technology with specialized features and measurements.

Garmin, for example, offers smartwatches from $99 to over $2,000, from basic activity trackers to watches for golfers that map out courses and individual shots, waterproof watches for swimmers, and watches that display aviation information for pilots. Other wearables, like the WHOOP wristband, can use blood oxygen levels, heart rate and heart rate variability to track sleep, physical activity and recovery.

The Oura Ring can monitor sleep, potential stress, exercise, and was found to detect signals of COVID-19 in a study with the University of California, San Francisco. “The Oura Ring is not a medical device and is not intended to diagnose medical conditions. However, it provides a holistic picture of a person’s health,” an Oura spokesperson says, explaining that it can help users “spot meaningful changes in their metrics, like an elevated heart rate or temperature, that can be shared with medical providers to help diagnose and/or treat health conditions.”

Michael Snyder, professor and chair of Stanford University’s department of genetics, was able to notice early symptoms of Lyme disease in 2015 while participating in a study that had him attached to eight biosensors. When he saw that his blood oxygen was abnormally low and his heartbeat was elevated after a stint in rural Massachusetts, Snyder promptly got treated for the disease. Later tests would show that he did, in fact, have Lyme disease, and it prompted him to look further into the uses of wearable tech.

When the pandemic hit, Snyder and his group from wearable tech data. Using smartwatch data from 5,300 volunteers with various brands, they found 31 people with Fitbits who had recorded when their symptoms presented and when they were diagnosed. “It worked 80 per cent of the time, with 26 of 31 cases [detecting signs of COVID-19] in a median of four days prior to symptom onset,” he says.

While excited by the initial results, Snyder says any widespread use of such an app would require further testing and regulatory approvals. “It is a research study – we’re not FDA approved,” he says. But Snyder is a firm believer in the technology’s potential. “This is it. This is the future.”

While Ferber acknowledges that the sensors, software and apps have improved, he cautions that some wearable tech companies have not adequately validated their products, if at all. “I’m not going to name names, but there’s a lot of products out there – especially if you see a new one on the shelf or it pops up in your Instagram feed – chances are it has not been validated, and they’re simply looking to make money.”

He suggests prospective buyers check to see if the company has partnered with a university, and if the research has been peer reviewed.

The future includes wearable tech into clothing, says Simon Fraser University professor Max Donelan. “The idea would be to integrate it directly into what you wear, like your shoes, or your helmet,” says Donelan, who co-directs SFU’s WearTech Labs, “but eventually, people imagine it being woven directly into clothing.”

Reed says this kind of technology already exists, as companies like WHOOP have begun to roll out sensor-enhanced technical clothing. “We’re going to buy our wearable tech from Walmart, TJ Maxx – just an average clothing store pretty soon. It’s not going to have to be a $700 watch.”

How have consumers and insurers been adopting wearable technology up to now?

Tim: In day-to-day life, wearables tend to be used for fitness or fashion – a training aid or a shiny 
gadget that looks cool. Their use in the life insurance industry typically mirrors this. Insurers may track a policyholder’s fitness through steps or exercise and reward their activity. They might also use 
wearables to entice a sale or provide a mechanism for continued engagement.

While the use of wearables in life and health insurance has been a hot topic for several years, their penetration is still relatively low. They have more niche appeal among customers, with the focus on fitness attracting those who live active lives. This produces a positive selection effect for insurers, but does not have mass-market appeal.

To widen the appeal, the focus needs to shift away from fitness and towards health. Fitness contributes to health, but giving policyholders insight into other areas, along with actions they can take, should make the proposition attractive to a broader section of society.

What are some of the emerging health capabilities of wearables?

Etienne: There have been several interesting new wearable capabilities in the past few years, such as measurement of blood oxygen saturation, breathing rate, and electrical activity in the heart through electrocardiograms (ECGs). Many brands have pursued medical regulatory approval, such as FDA and CE clearances, which is exciting as it opens a whole range of possibilities for the early screening and management of health conditions.

The true value, however, won’t come from ECG measurements of individuals with known heart conditions – there are already plenty of clinical devices for this purpose. Value will be derived when we deploy wearables at scale in the general population. This will allow us to generate new insights into the aetiology of disease and screen the population to proactively prevent and manage causes of declining health, such as heart arrhythmias and sleep apnoea, as well as monitor for acute infections such as COVID-19.

A lengthy and complicated regulatory process needs to be followed to leverage these devices for clinical use. However, there is potential in an early detection and preventative approach. The accessible, affordable and non-invasive nature of wrist-based wearables makes them, at present, the most viable option for the type of continuous monitoring required for this approach.

“There is tremendous potential in an early detection and preventative approach”

What opportunities do the new capabilities of wearables open up for insurers?

Lisa: Wearables deliver ongoing insights into customers’ health, taking measurements as people go about their everyday lives. This contrasts with more static and intermittent health data sources, such as electronic medical records, which provide insights only at the point at which a patient engages with the health service. Insurers can use ongoing health data from wearables to support holistic risk assessment during a customer’s insurance policy lifetime. Insurers can use this to better understand the mortality and morbidity risk structure of their portfolio, and monitor changes in health risks over time.

The growing health detection capabilities of wearables could also allow insurers to use wearables to prevent claims. For example, a customer whose wearable indicates that they have below-average cardiovascular health could be provided with personalised nutrition and exercise advice to help them improve it. For those with more severe cardiovascular risks or a sudden worsening of heart health, onwards referral to clinical support could be signposted. Using wearables to help customers manage their long-term health could help insurers to reduce claim frequency and severity.

In addition, the screening capabilities of wearables for acute and chronic disease detection could be used to support the diagnosis and treatment of ill health. For example, a meta-analysis showed that those suffering from severe sleep apnoea symptoms experience more than twice the mortality risk of the general population; even mild sleep apnoea leads to a 20% increase in mortality. It is highly prevalent in populations such as the US, but many people go undiagnosed. Research suggests around 20% of the population are likely to be affected by the condition, but 90% have not had it confirmed by a diagnosis. There is therefore significant untapped potential in using wearables to detect health conditions such as sleep apnoea. Insurers could use wearables to reduce mortality claims by screening customers for diseases and directing them to clinical care for diagnosis and treatment.

“Integrating wearables into insurance would complement the more traditional financial protection provided to customers”

What are some of the challenges of integrating wearables into insurance?

Tim: We have already mentioned the niche appeal of wearables when the focus is on fitness, which has certainly contributed to their lack of adoption in life and health insurance products. Another issue is cost. High-end devices offering the latest technology often cost a few hundred pounds, and can effectively double an insurer’s acquisition cost if offered alongside an insurance product. Dealing with this either requires convincing the policyholder of the value they are getting (so convincing them to pay a bit more), or offsetting the cost elsewhere, perhaps by accounting for the reduction in claims that is expected as a result of policyholders using the device.

Insurers could allow policyholders to use their own devices, but this creates its own challenges. There is a lack of consistency between different wearable devices; even relatively simple measures such as step count can be out by around 20%. If insurers are to use the data from wearables to change outcomes for customers, these inconsistencies need to be addressed.

A further challenge is maintaining engagement levels. The average policyholder is unlikely to tolerate a process in which they must log into an app every day, or actively take other steps to ensure that their data is collected. Data collection needs to be as seamless and non-intrusive as possible.

What challenges have wearable tech companies started to tackle?  

Etienne: An existing response to the challenge of intermittent data quality in the case of signal disruption is to build additional intelligence into the wearable tech solution offered to insurers. A measure of reliability can be provided to the business user for the health information generated. 
For example, photoplethysmography, used in wrist-based wearables to measure blood flow, is sensitive to movement and vibration, so this approach is an important part of ensuring data integrity for key health metrics. It’s important for insurers to have solutions in place that identify which data is reliable to use for decision-making and which should be ignored.

The lack of standardisation across different device brands is something that wearables manufactures are not currently addressing; independent providers offering wearable tech solutions to insurers are better positioned to tackle this. For example, LifeQ provides a range of on-device software solutions to device partners to achieve consistency and standardisation across a range of supported brands.

Wearables are providing large volumes of continuous biometric data, so insurers also face a challenge in obtaining high-value health information from this wealth of data. Downstream analytics is important, and needs to be easy to understand and interpret for both the insurer and the end user.

How could wearable tech transform the insurance industry during the next few years?

Lisa: Customers take out insurance to protect against ill-health events. Integrating wearables into insurance in a way that reduces the risk of claim would directly complement the more traditional financial protection provided to insurance customers.

Insurers could use continuous biometric insights from wearables to better understand their customers’ health needs and support them in living healthier, longer lives. This is an area in which the interests of the insurer and the policyholder naturally align. Hopefully we will see wearable technology transforming the insurance industry to drive increased value for insurers and their customers through claims prevention.

Lisa Balboa is business development actuary at Hannover Re

Tim Smith is head of protection at Hannover Re UK Life Branch

Etienne van Wyk is commercial director at LifeQ

Image credit | Shutterstock

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By some estimates, the sports tech sector will reach over $30 billion by 2024 as athletes seek to gain whatever edge they can find over their competition. Athlete performance technologies, such as wearable devices and sensors, are being used to optimize training, game-day decision-making, and recovery. Fans, coaches, referees, and trainers all rely on data generated through sports technology to continue to push the boundaries of what athletes can achieve.

For both pros and amateurs, here’s how technology is changing the game. 

Technology in Training

Wearable tech has changed the way some athletes train — with sensors, athletes and their coaches can collect information on everything from heart rate to acceleration to sleep. This data can help athletes design smarter training programs, identify weaknesses, and track progress against fitness goals. 

Sensors are a key tool that can be used in a range of different ways. Heart rate monitors track pulse and breathing patterns and inertial sensors analyze human motion and can be used to help with recovery following injury. Accelerometers and gyroscopes monitor position, rotation, acceleration, and speed — key metrics for pitchers, quarterbacks, and other specialized positions. For runners and cyclists, GPS and LPS measure velocity metrics and distance. Sleep trackers also help aid in recovery, allowing athletes to optimize sleep patterns. 

In the age of COVID-19, remote coaching technology is also on the rise. Coaching apps allow athletes to receive instruction and training programs remotely. Virtual reality (VR) is also being used to create remote training sessions. 

“Manchester startup Rezzil allows players to participate in VR training sessions on their television. Users place sensors in their living room and on their feet to execute training drills. It’s a bit like the training games on the FIFA 20 video game, however, it requires actual skill — as witnessed by a demonstration I saw late last year,” reported Forbes.

Companies like Peloton, HomeCourt, and Train Effective are all focusing on developing training programs that amateur and pro athletes can use to improve performance in any environment.  

Changing the Game

It’s not just athletes who are using technology to make better decisions. Referees now use tech to improve the accuracy of their calls. Goal-line technology and VAR help referees maintain control over the game and improve decision-making. Goal-line technology uses sensors to verify whether a ball went past the goal line in instances where the naked eye can’t tell. 

During the game, too, sensors can provide critical data about an athlete’s performance. GPS trackers sewn into a uniform, or RFID chips added to a player’s cleats, can send real-time data about a player’s balance, speed, distance covered, and accelerated. Wearable tech also helps prevent injuries, especially in football. 

“Early signs of injury to soft-tissues are readily detected, letting coaches relieve players before serious problems arise. Impact monitor stickers attached to player’s bodies alert coaches and trainers to otherwise invisible signs of potential concussion, brain trauma, over-exertion, or injured muscles, tendons, and ligaments,” wrote experts at Ohio University. 

The NBA’s Toronto Raptors used wearables to monitor for signs of soft tissue injury during the 2014 season. These wearables enabled the team to drop from the highest rate of player injury in 2012 to the least player injuries in just two years. 

For coaches, real-time data transmitted from these wearable devices can help improve game strategy. Players who are fatiguing can be subbed out, for instance. Or, coaches can collect data to improve sports hydration and nutrition, providing the optimum fuel during a race or match. 

The Science of Recovery 

Tech also helps athletes bounce back from a tough training session, chronic injury, or challenging match. Coaches and trainers can measure a diverse set of variables using training management software, capturing data from wearables as well as tracking diet, mood, sleep, and fatigue. Some wearables even report on range of motion and mobility, key data points for recovering from injury. In combination, all of these variables help reduce self-created injuries and optimize physical therapy. 

Image Credit: sutadimages / Shutterstock.com

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Welcome to Thomas Insights — every day, we publish the latest news and analysis to keep our readers up to date on what’s happening in industry. Sign up here to get the day’s top stories delivered straight to your inbox.

By some estimates, the sports tech sector will reach over $30 billion by 2024 as athletes seek to gain whatever edge they can find over their competition. Athlete performance technologies, such as wearable devices and sensors, are being used to optimize training, game-day decision-making, and recovery. Fans, coaches, referees, and trainers all rely on data generated through sports technology to continue to push the boundaries of what athletes can achieve.

For both pros and amateurs, here’s how technology is changing the game. 

Technology in Training

Wearable tech has changed the way some athletes train — with sensors, athletes and their coaches can collect information on everything from heart rate to acceleration to sleep. This data can help athletes design smarter training programs, identify weaknesses, and track progress against fitness goals. 

Sensors are a key tool that can be used in a range of different ways. Heart rate monitors track pulse and breathing patterns and inertial sensors analyze human motion and can be used to help with recovery following injury. Accelerometers and gyroscopes monitor position, rotation, acceleration, and speed — key metrics for pitchers, quarterbacks, and other specialized positions. For runners and cyclists, GPS and LPS measure velocity metrics and distance. Sleep trackers also help aid in recovery, allowing athletes to optimize sleep patterns. 

In the age of COVID-19, remote coaching technology is also on the rise. Coaching apps allow athletes to receive instruction and training programs remotely. Virtual reality (VR) is also being used to create remote training sessions. 

“Manchester startup Rezzil allows players to participate in VR training sessions on their television. Users place sensors in their living room and on their feet to execute training drills. It’s a bit like the training games on the FIFA 20 video game, however, it requires actual skill — as witnessed by a demonstration I saw late last year,” reported Forbes.

Companies like Peloton, HomeCourt, and Train Effective are all focusing on developing training programs that amateur and pro athletes can use to improve performance in any environment.  

Changing the Game

It’s not just athletes who are using technology to make better decisions. Referees now use tech to improve the accuracy of their calls. Goal-line technology and VAR help referees maintain control over the game and improve decision-making. Goal-line technology uses sensors to verify whether a ball went past the goal line in instances where the naked eye can’t tell. 

During the game, too, sensors can provide critical data about an athlete’s performance. GPS trackers sewn into a uniform, or RFID chips added to a player’s cleats, can send real-time data about a player’s balance, speed, distance covered, and accelerated. Wearable tech also helps prevent injuries, especially in football. 

“Early signs of injury to soft-tissues are readily detected, letting coaches relieve players before serious problems arise. Impact monitor stickers attached to player’s bodies alert coaches and trainers to otherwise invisible signs of potential concussion, brain trauma, over-exertion, or injured muscles, tendons, and ligaments,” wrote experts at Ohio University. 

The NBA’s Toronto Raptors used wearables to monitor for signs of soft tissue injury during the 2014 season. These wearables enabled the team to drop from the highest rate of player injury in 2012 to the least player injuries in just two years. 

For coaches, real-time data transmitted from these wearable devices can help improve game strategy. Players who are fatiguing can be subbed out, for instance. Or, coaches can collect data to improve sports hydration and nutrition, providing the optimum fuel during a race or match. 

The Science of Recovery 

Tech also helps athletes bounce back from a tough training session, chronic injury, or challenging match. Coaches and trainers can measure a diverse set of variables using training management software, capturing data from wearables as well as tracking diet, mood, sleep, and fatigue. Some wearables even report on range of motion and mobility, key data points for recovering from injury. In combination, all of these variables help reduce self-created injuries and optimize physical therapy. 

Image Credit: sutadimages / Shutterstock.com

How to Minimize Project Delays and Cost Overruns Despite Supply Chain ChallengesNext Story »

More from Industry Trends

Research on using wearable health monitors for early detection of COVID-19 opens the door to using commercially available health monitors to detect other infectious diseases.

Wrist-worn health devices can be combined with machine learning to detect COVID-19 infections as early as two days before symptoms appear, McMaster researcher David Conen and a team of experts from across Europe have determined.

The COVI-GAPP study, born out of a larger research project based in Lichtenstein, was conducted by researchers from McMaster, the Dr. Risch Medical Laboratory, the University of Basel in Switzerland and Imperial College London.

Based on the team’s findings, which were published last month in BMJ Open, another group of researchers have begun a larger study, which could open the door to applying the use of wearable health tech for the early detection of other infectious diseases.

The aim of the COVI-GAPP study was to determine if existing wearable health devices could be paired with machine learning technology to detect presymptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 infections.

“When the pandemic started in March 2020,” Conen explains, “we quickly thought about how we could […] contribute to the knowledge gain and help to prevent and treat patients with COVID and help to avoid or better treat and better handle future pandemics.”

COVID-19 symptoms typically take a few days to appear, during which time the infected person can unknowingly spread the virus to others.

“If you can isolate those patients with COVID or whatever future infection there is, then this could have great implications for public health,” says Conen, an associate professor of medicine in the Faculty of Health Sciences and a scientist at the Population Health Research Institute. 

“This [study] is related to multiple different infections or other diseases where you can use those algorithms to identify people early and either try to prevent complications, isolate the patients when it’s a very contagious disease, and change treatments.”

The study collected data from 1,163 participants from March 2020 until April 2021. Participants wore an AVA fertility tracker, a commercially available, FDA- and European agency-approved health bracelet that monitors breathing rate, heart rate, heart rate variability, skin temperature and blood flow at night while sleeping.

The bracelet was synchronized to a modified mobile app that was used to record any activity that might affect the body’s central nervous system, such as alcohol use and prescription or recreational drug intake, as well as any potential COVID-19 symptoms.

127 participants tested positive for COVID-19 during the study. The bracelet picked up noticeable changes in all five physiological indicators during all stages of infection.

Based on the information that was provided by the patients, an algorithm was trained to detect COVID-19 symptoms in 70 per cent of the participants who tested positive for the virus. 73 per cent of confirmed positive cases were detected up to two days prior to symptoms appearing in the training stage.

The algorithm was then tested against the remaining 30 per cent of participants. Results were similar in the testing stage, as the algorithm was able to detect 68 per cent of the positive cases as early as two days before the onset of symptoms.

“That an existing medical device is able to be used in a different meaning [shows] that wearables have a promising future,” says Conen.

The original participatory study was conducted with a relatively small group of participants, and the group lacked diversity in ethnicity, age, and geographic location, the research team notes.

To address these challenges and further test the efficacy of wearable health devices and machine learning in COVID-19 detection, a much larger study of 20,000 participants is being conducted in the Netherlands. The researchers expect to publish its results later this year.

Conen looks forward to those results and the potential for this technology to have applications beyond COVID-19 detection.

“This is not related only to COVID,” he says. “In future diseases, it could also lead to preventative treatments and prevent significant complications.”

PARIS, May 4 (Reuters) – Meta Platforms Inc’s (FB.O) chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, on Wednesday teased a new smart glasses project with EssilorLuxottica (ESLX.PA), posting a photo of the eyewear company’s chairman sporting a prototype of a neural interface wristband – designed for directing other devices.

“Here Leonardo is using a prototype of our neural interface EMG [electromyography] wristband that will eventually let you control your glasses and other devices,” Zuckerberg said in a post on Facebook, referring to EssilorLuxottica’s chairman, Leonardo Del Vecchio. He closed his message with a smiley-face emoji wearing sunglasses.

Facebook – which changed its name to Meta Platforms in October – said in a blog post last year that it planned to develop a wristband that would control augmented reality glasses, allowing users to interact with a virtual world using finger movements.

Zuckerberg was in Milan to discuss plans for new smart glasses with the eyewear company, he said.

Tech companies Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O), Apple Inc (AAPL.O) and Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) Google have piled in to the wearable tech business, developing augmented reality glasses in a bet they could one day replace mobile phones. Google also embraced fitness tracking technology by acquiring Fitbit for $2.1 billion.

In 2020, EssilorLuxottica and Meta Platforms announced a multiyear collaboration to develop smart glasses. They currently sell frames like the classic Ray-Ban Wayfarer model that are embedded with technology, allowing the wearer to take photos and listen to music and calls, starting at $299.

Reporting by Mimosa Spencer in Paris
Editing by Matthew Lewis

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

These wearable devices are mainly for magnifying text and objects and enhancing remaining useful vision. They can all enhance both distance and near vision. These technologies change all the time and some may introduce speech options in future.

IrisVision Live headset magnifier

This consists of a Samsung VR Gear visor headset and a Samsung smartphone with IrisVision software. It magnifies whatever you look at through the visor, whether distant or near, and the image is shown in front of your eyes. IrisVision has a very wide field of view and for some people this can compensate for peripheral, or patchy, vision loss.

Watch the IrisVision in use on YouTube.

The IrisVision headset magnifier is supplied in the UK by VisionAid Technologies and you can find out more on it on their website.

Price £2,895 (VAT relief available).

VisionAid Technologies also supply eSight, Orcam MyEye and NuEyes (see below) and can demonstrate all its devices to customers at home and at exhibitions.

eSight 4

This is a visor style headset with a very modern design. It’s light, and comfortable to wear for long periods. eSight 4 has 24x zoom and can connect to a TV, computer or a games console.

Watch the eSight in use on YouTube or find out more about it from VisionAid Technologies.

Price: £6,995 (VAT relief available).

OXSIGHT glasses

OXSIGHT glasses can enhance remaining sight for individuals living with peripheral vision loss. The glasses are fitted with a camera that streams live video into two internal HD displays. By utilising the user’s remaining vision the glasses can potentially increase field of view to 68 degrees horizontally.

The OXSIGHT software, developed originally in Oxford University, features a range of modes that can help with edge, object, text and facial recognition.

The glasses help with conditions that result in a loss of visual field, such as Myopic Degeneration, Glaucoma, Retinitis Pigmentosa, Diabetic Retinopathy, Retinopathy of Prematurity and other degenerative eye diseases. The glasses have also helped people with a visual impairment as a result of a stroke, such as Homonymous Hemianopia.

The OXSIGHT smart glasses are designed for everyday wear.

Here’s a video of OXSight in use.

Price: £1,499 ex VAT.

OXSIGHT regularly have discounts and offers. It’s best to phone them to check what the current price is by calling 01865 580255.

SightPlus

SightPlus is a headset that has been designed to enhance the vision of people with severe sight impairments. It combines the capabilities of a near-distance magnifier and long-distance telescope. It will help with stationary daily living activities such as watching TV, reading, following a play and working on screen-displays.

If you have sight conditions such as macular degeneration (AMD), Stargardt’s, albinism or diabetic retinopathy and/or if you benefit from magnification tools in general, you could see an impact on your vision with the device.

The UK supplier is GiveVision. If you want to try SightPlus, contact 01216 30 30 63 or sign up here.

Free testing sessions are available in London, Birmingham and with their partners (opticians, charities and low vision aids retailers) in other locations.

Here are links to a couple of videos of SightPlus in use:

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The wearable device also allows people with irreversible vision loss to read in English, and other Indian regional languages, along with proximity sensor enhancing the safety future and also provides directions using global positioning system (GPS) technologies, the article further noted.  

2. Digital health, ehealth and mhealth – 459 mentions

VivoSense landing $25m and other digital health fundings, and Fitbit’s Irregular Heart Rhythm Notifications having amassed more than two million users, were some of the popular discussion trends in the second quarter.

João Bocas, a wearable expert, shared an article on VivoSense, a wearable data-analytics company having scored $25m in a Series A funding round that was co-led by investment companies Debiopharm Innovation Fund and Perceptive Xontogeny Ventures (PXV) Fund. The company supports stakeholders in merging wearable sensors into clinical trials to assist in the monitoring of digital biomarkers. VivoSense, the company’s software, helps infer sensor data for patient care and research, the article highlighted. The planned fund is expected to assist VivoSense in speeding up the growth of digital clinical procedures from remote-monitoring and wearable technologies, Dudley Tabakin, the CEO of VivoSense stated.

The term also trended in discussions around the consumer electronics company Fitbit, a subsidiary of the technology company Google, having already enrolled more than two million users into its atrial fibrillation (AFib) detection feature. Technology influencer Even Kirstel shared an article on the Irregular Heart Rhythm Notifications feature, which was first made public for Fitbit devices in April 2022. The feature uses sensor data to spot AFib in other irregular heart rhythms, the article noted. According to the non-profit John Hopkins Medicine, AFib is a heart condition characterised by irregular heartbeat rhythms and is considered to be serious as it leaves those affected five times at a higher risk of a stroke.

3. Apple Watch – 100 mentions

Apple’s smartwatch collection Apple Watch getting more smarter with new health features, and Apple Watch 8 incapable of detecting skin temperature unlike Fitbit Sense, were some of the popular discussions in Q2.

Ronald van Loon, CEO of the Intelligent World, a network connecting businesses and experts, shared an article on the Apple Watch soon to be equipped with even more health features. Five years since the debut of the smartwatch line by the company in 2015, the Apple Watch has evolved from helping people lose weight to detecting abnormal heart rhythms, the article detailed. Some new additions to its health features include its detection of loud noise via the Noise app to curb the risk of hearing loss.

The watch can also track menstrual cycle, detects falls and calls for emergency services via the fall detection feature, detects abnormal heart rhythms via a 30-second test, and also identifies low and high heart rates, the article noted.  

Kim Muro further tweeted on the Apple Watch 8 being two years behind Fitbit’s temperature technology. There were continuous reports around the possibility of skin temperature sensor not being able to make it to the Apple Watch 8 series in time for launch, the article highlighted. The company maintained that it was still working on the software element of the feature, which was actually set to debut in the Apple Watch 7.

Unveiled in September 2020, Fitbit Sense, on the contrary, uses a devoted sensor to calculate skin temperature changes every minute while asleep, and then displays the changes on a graph the next morning. Charge 4, Charge 5, Luxe, Inspire 2, and Versa series are some other Fitbit devices that offer a single average estimate of nightly skin temperature with sensor arrays, the article detailed.

4. Metaverse trends – 109 mentions

A virtual reality (VR) hardware making humans feel physicals sensations while in the metaverse, and the Mojo Lens projecting AR displays, were some of the trending discussions in the second quarter.

Helen Yu, CEO of the consulting firm Tigon Advisory Corp., shared an article on a VR hardware using chemicals to make the wearer feel sensations while in the metaverse through a concept called chemical haptics. Developed by the University of Chicago researchers, the wearable is built out of micropumps and silicone patches, which produces five different chemicals on the skin surface. Lidocaine numbs the skin area, while menthol cools the skin, and capsaicin makes the skin warm, the video illustrated. The other chemicals produced a tingling and stinging sensation, thereby taking virtual reality to new heights.

The metaverse was also discussed in an article shared by Glen Gilmore, a digital marketing consultant, on the technology start-up Mojo Vision unveiling the smart contact lenses prototype in March 2022. When worn, the lens projected AR displays on whatever the wearer looked at, the article detailed. Drew Perkins, the CEO of the company has been first to wear the Mojo Lens, which required wires to function earlier but are wireless now.

The article further highlighted that Mojo Vision has collaborated with sports manufacturer Adidas to create an application that will help runners to track their speed, route, and distances. The Mojo Lens also had the potential to be extended to the phone or smartwatch.

5. AR Glasses – 90 mentions

Qualcomm having launched a wireless and thinner version of its AR glasses, and Meta’s first AR glasses to be unveiled in 2024, were some of the popular discussions in Q2.

Tom Emrich, director of product management at the software development company Niantic, shared an article on the telecommunications company Qualcomm having introduces a wireless and thinner version of its AR Smart Viewer. The article noted that the design could be adapted into commercial headsets by manufacturers. The new version of the company’s AR glasses comes with a higher-powered chipset, along with a tethering system that uses Wi-Fi 6 / 6E and Bluetooth. The new smart glasses have been designed by the Chinese acoustic components company GoerTek, and is available to just a few manufacturers, the article further detailed.

Wireless headsets have been on the company’s roadmap for years, but the Smart Viewer still exposes a key challenge, that is the short battery life of these high-powered glasses. According to Hugo Swart, the company’s AR and VR head, the most powerful virtual experiences could drain the headset’s 650mAh battery in 30 minutes, even though a light virtual overlay could use less power.    

Discussions on AR glasses also revolved around Mark Zuckerberg’s, the CEO of the technology company Meta, formerly Facebook, vision of the metaverse and big plans for AR glasses. The article further highlighted that the company is racing to release its first AR glasses in 2024, but sources have stated that it will take much longer for them to become mainstream. The company has been tarnished with numerous privacy and content moderation discredits, and is looking to be cast in new light with its new vision of the metaverse and AR glasses, the article detailed.

The CEO is therefore looking at the AR glasses release, also called Project Nazare, as an iPhone moment, sources reveal. Additionally, the company is also focusing on getting out from under the dominance of Google and Apple who have been dictating the terms to apps for mobile phones.  

TEL AVIV

The largest and most comprehensive hospital in Israel, the Tel Avid-based Sheba Medical Center, is actively putting medical innovation at the heart of its mission to transform healthcare delivery and improve patient care.

In a workshop organized by the European Israel Press Association (EIPA), journalists from Europe and Türkiye witnessed the results of the center’s approach in offering many start-ups the opportunity to develop medical technologies through collaboration.

The Center launched ARC, (accelerate, redesign, and collaborate), a global ecosystem that aims to develop, pilot, and roll out game-changing solutions like wearable technology, along with software and portable imaging devices that prevent unnecessary drug administration.

The workshop showcased studies by two companies, Ultrasight and AİSAP that developed technology in the cardiology field. New ultrasound software technology integrated into a tablet, as opposed to conventional, bulky ultrasound machinery, will enable speedy and efficient patient examination.

Data and images recorded with the software will then be shared with the appropriate specialist in digital format to allow for rapid patient intervention and treatment.

The start-up Seamless Vision will expand the development of pharmaceutical transport robots to perform logistics services quickly in large-scale hospitals.

The robot, with an integrated map, camera system and device software, can easily navigate to the targeted area to dispense medicine and equipment, etc. with an integrated map.

The company wants to enlarge the number of robots to 100 and expand their deployment through international cooperation.

Small devices focus on immediate patient intervention

With data collection devices developed by medical imaging company, Biobeat, heart rates, body temperature, blood oxygen saturation levels, respiratory rates and blood pressure can be monitored for lengthy periods on wearable watch-like devices placed either on the wrist or chest area.

In case of emergencies, the nearest hospital, institution, or doctor to whom the device is accredited can be contacted for immediate intervention if necessary. The device offers physicians a wide range of data for diseases that require constant observation through the recorded patient data map.

The Scopio Laboratory has developed technology in the field of hematology to scan and examine blood samples that are difficult to scrutinize through a microscope. Thanks to this software, cancerous cells can be detected more rapidly than those through a microscope, speeding up analysis and the appropriate treatment. The high-resolution data transferred to digital media can be easily shared with physicians and institutions with patient consent.

Tel Aviv-based company, Pulsenmore, has developed the world’s first and only ultrasonography device integrated into mobile phones, allowing pregnant women to perform their own examinations in emergencies.

The firm aims to immediately share images with the doctor, and alleviate the workload of medical professionals and employees while preventing the use of unnecessary drugs and medical supplies.

GynTools company has designed a desktop test analyzer device to provide test results in five minutes as a solution to the common difficulty in diagnosing vaginal inflammation seen in one out of three women worldwide.

With this device, the detection of seven different states of inflammation can be made in just five minutes. The test device, which saves time and money compared to other methods, also provides ease of use for physicians. While there is no need for an expert to operate the device, the results can be analyzed with highly algorithmic device software.

Another company, Viz.ai, has developed a system to alleviate the difficulty in diagnosing pulmonary embolism. The system consists of a micro-scale tube injected into a vein and an artificial intelligence-supported mobile phone application that enables communication with it.

​​​​Telemedicine and telehealth applications to increase

The COVID-19 outbreak has necessitated the rise of telemedicine and telehealth applications such as remote viewing, test results access and remote patient access.

Through the telemedicine system, x-rays and radiological imaging and hematology results are now made available on the web.

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