Real Time Medical Wearables, Huge Market

[Arthur Hanson]

Real time medical testing wearables are going to become a market of staggering size utilizing not only semis, but mems of all types and configurations. Advanced packaging will be a key part of increasing functionality and lowering cost of such devices. In the not to distant future these devices when paired with the smart phone and the power and data base of the cloud will create a whole new world and mind set of how we not only manage our health and diseases, but increase our performance both physically and mentally. This is going to provide new uses for the infrastructure we already have increasing utilization and further lowering overall costs. The variety and scope of these devices that are real time will significantly speed medical research by quickly building data bases of staggering size in real time to mine. Hopefully with the proper mind set this can lower medical costs, but also may actually raise life time costs by significantly increasing life span.

This is going to require wisdom to handle social changes where inequality could become extreme in health, performance and lifespan. This will present opportunities in fields well beyond the semi/nanotech area for helping us adapt and use the full potential of these coming devices. This will become as large a market as the smart phone which will provide the data link, memory and on screen interface. The more sophisticated devices may replace many doctor's office and hospital visits and give seniors more security and vision of their true health condition. This will change the medical/health/nutrition fields in ways we have hardly imagined. It isn't hard to imagine active devices for bodily control and micro robots inside us that can repair us on the fly. The semi/nanotech sector has just started to crack the surface of an entirely new technological world. Proactive medical devices not only for health, but performance increases and potentially replacing drugs for body control of immunity, healing, performance and pain control.

Medical in the US is fast approaching 20% of our entire GDP and literally threatens us with bankruptcy and this is but one area that has the best cost/benefit numbers if properly handled. If not, it could increase costs dramatically with horrible social repercussions as we create severe class divisions with horrible repercussions.
Technology cannot be viewed in a vacuum and it can be very dangerous in many ways to do so.

Smart wristband concept to usher in new generation of wearable health trackers

 

[smeyer0028]

I do not think medical wearables is a good idea. Sometimes
it is needed. See this article: A New Pacemaker Hack Puts Malware Directly On the Device | WIRED
My cardiologist wanted to inject an arythmia monitor into my chest
(like a tiny Holter) with a home readout box. I do not want a hackable
GPS circuit inside me. Fortunately I do not really need it.

 

[Arthur Hanson]

There are numerous ways security could be implemented and when you get down to it nothing is safe for long, it's just how much time and effort it takes and to try and make the cost high. It's an economics battle, defense or offense, the side that requires the least time and effort to implement effectively wins. This will always be a cat and mouse game. We cannot let bad actors hold back progress or we will have none. All life including life on this planet is a gamble and that will never change.