The Sensor Revolution: How Real-Time Data Can Save Lives

February 25, 2014 

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The medical field calls for a low margin of error that is incomparable to any other field — a daunting task, as humans by nature are vulnerable to error. However, recent developments in sensor technology are on the verge of eliminating that margin, using data to pare risk for error down to a minimum. When controllable risks are accounted for, medical practitioners can operate at peak effectiveness.

 

This is the year that sensor technology will cause extensive disruption in the healthcare field. Spurred by innovation in wearable fashion, sensors have become more affordable and functional than ever before, allowing this technology to tackle old challenges in new ways and set the stage for a full-scale revolution in the years to come.

 

Below are four ways that sensors will disrupt healthcare in 2014:

 

1. Tracking and Monitoring Medication

 

This first disruption will solve a problem that has been around since the beginning of prescription medications. Proteus has developed an ingestible sensor the size of a grain of sand that can measure the presence of chemicals in a patient’s body. Once the patient swallows the sensor, it will compare that chemical data against the patient’s medication schedule and alert the patient (and caregivers, if necessary) if she has missed a dose.

 

The impact of this technology is tremendous. Whether it’s at home or in the hospital, an ingestible sensor can eliminate the ever-present risk of missed medication or adverse drug reactions.

 

2. Revolutionizing Physical Examinations

 

A healthcare provider uses touch to determine many things — pulse, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation, for example. To better capture the data while eliminating the risk of error, AugMI Labs has developed a glove with sensors in the fingertips. During an exam, the data the glove collects is automatically synced with the patient’s digital profile, giving real-time insight into the patient’s medical history as the exam is happening and allowing a provider to manage outpatient health remotely.

 

The technology of this glove paves the way for even deeper innovation. Advanced tactile sensors could revolutionize self-breast exams, giving a woman the ability to “feel” a tumor that would be otherwise imperceptible.

 

3. Measuring Vital Signs

 

Under Armour recently released Armour39, a wearable strap that measures an athlete’s heart rate and syncs the data with a smartphone. Not only does this give an athlete insight into how to improve her workout, but the heart rate monitor also ensures she won’t drop dead from cardiac arrest.

 

The health monitor company Angel is also working on a smart wristband, called Angel, which can be customized to measure different vital signs and activities. Angel’s creators say that many life-threatening situations, such as heart attacks and heatstroke, can be avoided with the right information, and its goal is to provide the technology that could predict when these health complications are coming through accessible and actionable health metrics.

 

4. Reducing the Transmission of Disease

 

Picture this: A nurse puts an IV in your arm. Using voice commands, she brings up your medical profile and tells the computer system what kind of IV solution you need. Automatically, a drawer opens that contains the solution; the nurse takes the bag and attaches it to the IV. Once it has dispensed your dosage, the IV turns itself off.

 

What makes this scenario remarkable is that during the administration of the IV, the nurse touches very few surfaces — and fewer surfaces mean fewer chances to transmit disease. The large-scale implications are significant. Sensors (especially when coupled with voice technology) can drive down hospital-borne infections, which could save thousands of lives every year.

 

Mainstream Adoption

 

As sensor technology develops, so too does our ability to embed them where they can be most effective — in clothing, under the skin, or even in the brain. We’re moving toward a hyper-connected world where data saves lives.

 

Sensors will soon be as ubiquitous as smartphones. And just like smartphones, they will change everything. Sensors will allow regular people to make correlations between their behavior and their health. If you’re feeling sick, a quick look at the data will show that you’re dehydrated. Real-time insight into your health will empower you to make the right choices for your body.

 

2014 will create the foundation for mainstream adoption, and after that, it won’t be long before we’re asking how we ever lived without sensor technology.

 

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