Category: Apps

The use of smartphones and tablets may help in the process of contact tracing in West Africa.

The Ebola crisis in West Africa has now officially grabbed the attention of the world, and some now believe that mobile technology could be the key to being able to keep this virus contained.

The reason is that many believe that mobile devices can help to improve contact tracing in this West African crisis.

The concept of contact tracing has become one that is recognized worldwide as people in countries around the world keep on top of the latest in the Ebola crisis and the methods that are being employed in order to contain it. Experts in the area are trying to press the fact that communication is the vital component to any strategy to keep this virus controlled, and mobile technology can be central to making sure that a crisis situation such as this one in Africa can stay contained.

Mobile technology was a vital element of the strategy that informed those who had been in contact with a Liberian patient.

When Thomas Eric Duncan was found to have the Ebola virus, massive information campaigns were launched to help to notify those who may have been exposed to the virus through contact with him. Sadly, Mr. Duncan died on October 8 in a Dallas, Texas hospital.

According to Dr. Joel Selanikio, an expert in infectious diseases, time is a critical factor when communicating with individuals in this type of a situation. Dr. Selanikio’s company, Magpi, uses mobile data collection in combination with a messaging software tool that helps to speed up the process of providing people in crisis situations – such as the Ebola outbreak in West Africa – with the information that they need.

Selanikio explained that “What Magpi does is it recognizes that within global health, for example during this Ebola outbreak, there’s a lot of information that needs to be collected.” He added that this type of tool using mobile technology can be one of the most effective ways to track down anyone who could have had contact with someone who has received a diagnosis.

A new company aims to transform video games into real-world experiences.

Semblance Augmented Reality is a company created by Mark Skwarek and the goal of the company is to free video games from a mere television experience and turn them into one that is physical, where a person can interact with an entire world of virtual characters, structures and objects in a real environment.

So far, Skwarek has managed to raise more than $30,000 in crowdfunding to launch Semblance.

Having raised over $30 thousand on Kickstarter, the group fundraising site, Skwarek is gearing up to release the first Semblance AR app for Android and iOS mobile phones. He recently demonstrated how the app works in New York City wearing Epson Moverio B200 glasses.

Although augmented reality (AR) is not a new concept, nor is the idea of combining AR with gaming, it is starting to become more mainstream due to an increase in popularity of wearable devices, such as smart glasses, smartwatches and fitness trackers. Furthermore, today, there is a wide range of mobile devices that are finally equipped with GPS tracking, camera technology and sensors that are strong enough to handle AR tech.

While AR tech can certainly improve upon a video gamer’s experience, use for this technology is also being explored in other areas where combining augmented reality with wearables could help solve practical problems hands-free. It is even showing promising results in the health sector.

According to Brian Ballard, CEO and founder of APX Labs, an AR software company, wearables will help empower deskless employees in the same way that mobile devices and computers have done for office workers. Wearable gadgets, like smart glasses, can provide workers with immediate access to information in real-time no matter where they are.

Augmented reality technology is not without its challenges.

According to Benjamin Arnold, a consumer tech analyst at the NPD Group, “The technology is here right now. It’s just implementing them in a product, showing consumers that it has a value and can do things better than they were doing before.”

However, one of the problems this tech faces is that internet connectivity and battery life of devices needs to be improved in order to make it efficient. However, Ballard believes that it will not be long before it becomes fully integrated into people’s lives. This may be particularly true for video gamers due to the success of augmented reality gaming apps like Skwarek’s.