Wearable Tech May Have Preventative Health Uses
Innovations in medical technology are interesting for a number of reasons. Not only can they be beneficial to our health, they can create many interesting conversations and a variety of investment opportunities. Research from a Canadian university recently revealed that wearable tech may evolve from something that monitors an individual’s health to something that actually predicts potential health issues before they occur. As investors and potential users of this technology, it’s worth some discussion.
What is wearable tech and how does it work?
Many Canadians are familiar with wearable tech in the form of fitness trackers such as the FitBit. Currently, approximately 1 in 6 people in the United States own a fitness tracker1 and over 3.5 million of them have been sold here in Canada2. These devices are fantastic for monitoring one’s daily physical activity, with basic models counting steps and more advanced products monitoring the user’s heart rate, cardiovascular level and sleep patterns. Some models even provide guided mediation and encourage the user to move if their daily fitness goal has not been reached3. It’s amazing what these popular devices can do, and may only be the beginning of how this technology plays a role in Canadian health.
Predicting illness through personal tech
Researchers in Ontario recently found a way to use artificial intelligence (AI) and data from wearable technology to detect potential health problems in users4. Students of the Applied Health Science and Engineering faculty at the University of Waterloo started with a controlled study of personal health data collected from wearable tech devices. A group of 20-30 year old male participants wore shirts covered in sensors for four days, tracking their breathing patterns, heart rate and more. An AI program then analyzed the data. The findings were fascinating.
By consistently tracking one’s activity, researchers could detect potential health risks by measuring changes to a person’s physical response to aerobic activity. For example, the AI could identify changes to how a person’s heart rate reacted to a specific activity, such as walking or running. In theory, the same process could be applied to data from your fitness tracker wristband or other personal health device.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and Type II Diabetes, are two examples are health issues that could potentially be detected by wearable tech. It’s also possible that they’ll predict how a person reacts to chemotherapy treatments5. As further research and practice takes place, the possibilities become almost endless.
What this means for Canadians
Further advances in wearable tech are on the horizon, and are creating opportunity to use these devices for both personally use and/or research based purposes. There’s a great guide to fitness trackers here, if you’re interested in reading up on current options. With a massive aging population in Canada and booming health and tech sectors, we will continue to learn about options in the wearable tech industry and how they can benefit our clients.
- http://montrealgazette.com/health/diet-fitness/do-fitness-trackers-result-in-healthier-fitter-canadians
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/539118/wearable-unit-sales-in-canada/
- https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/shopping/fitbit-comparison-best-fitbit-activity-tracker-for-you/
- http://www.labmanager.com/news/2018/05/wearable-technology-and-ai-combine-to-predict-the-onset-of-health-problems#
- https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jun/01/cancer-fitbit-treatment-chemotherapy