Wearable devices are becoming more than just entertainment tools
When it comes to wearable technology, many people immediately associate this concept with entertainment or social networking in some way. Many wearable devices that are slated for release in the coming months and years are, indeed, designed with entertainment in mind, but not all technology is meant to be fun. A recent breakthrough in wireless technology could actually make wearable devices very important tools for those that are interested in managing their health and wellbeing.
A team of researchers from Stanford University have developed a new wireless charging technology called “mid-field wireless transfer.” This technique is capable of delivering electrical power to small devices, such as biometric sensors, pacemakers, nerve stimulators, and wearable devices that monitor health. Moreover, the technique can actually be used to power devices that are imbedded deep within the human body, making implanted sensors and other such devices viable for health care.
The research team notes that its wireless energy transfer technique is so safe that it can be used to power devices embedded in livers, kidneys, hearts, and even brains. These devices can be used to simply monitor health information, such as the performance of kidney functions, or they can be used to treat serious illnesses or alleviate pain. These devices could also be less of a burden on their owners, as they would not require surgery to replace the batteries that are commonly used for current implanted devices.
Wearable technology is most often construed with entertainment because that is how many modern devices are developed. These devices may be serving as a stepping stone to a future where technology is a more fundamental part of human life than it already is, however. Wearable technology could lead the way to a new generation of integrated technology that could actually change the way people see and interact with the world around them in a way that is more profound than what can be achieved through a simple pair of augmented reality glasses.
This mobile health tool helps people to be able to confront their anxieties and their fears.
A new self-help tool has now been developed by a team of psychologists, physicists, and developers, which uses augmented reality over a mobile health platform, with the goal of helping users to be able to treat their phobias and overcome their anxieties.
The Phobious mobile app is a part of the overall DreamIt Health Baltimore’s inaugural class.
The team came up with tools that can be used over a smartphone, and the consumer product – which includes both a mobile app that will work on Android or iPhone, and a pair of augmented reality goggles – will be launched in September. Baltimore came upon the Phobious mhealth technology via Barcelona.
This augmented reality technology will include both a consumer facing tool and tracking for doctors.
This allows the program to be used both as a self-help tool as well as a way for clinicians to be able to track the progress of their patients. That second element is still under development. That said, the consumer facing platform is well under way. The primary focus of that element will be specifically on phobias, ranging from spiders and insects to needles and even public speaking.
The intention of the company is to market it as a self help tool, but without any promises or guarantees that it can be used as a cure in treating these extreme fears. That said, it does have every intention to pursue FDA clearance in the United States, as well as a CE Mark from regulators in the E.U. This will allow it to be sold as a device that can help to treat issues related to anxiety disorders and post traumatic stress disorders (PTSDs).
Previous research form the military has shown that virtual reality has been able to generate some success when treating these types of conditions.
Dani Roig, the co-founder of Phobious, is one of the company’s two physicists who has been struggling with a fear of flying. He explained that companies attempting to come up with tools based on virtual reality has typically proven to be too expensive and challenging for broadscale adoption. However, in the form of an mhealth tool using augmented reality, the product becomes much more affordable and achievable.
