A look at som3e of the technologies which are likely to herald a new era in personalised healthcare

1. Immersive Technologies and Personal Healthcare
Are you what you wear ?
Sensor technologies and mobile apps destined to influence our health and well-being
Yesterday I took delivery of a device that I hope will change my life for the better. A few days before,
I had woken early and, as is my custom when I can’t sleep, I turned to the iPad lying on top of the
duvet beside me and randomly surfed the BBC news channel. I came across a device called the
Jawbone UP that seems to herald a revolution which I have long thought would happen. In the age
of the “Internet of Things”, wireless sensor devices embedded into our daily lives and linked to
applications which can analyse and visualise large amounts of collected data will, I am certain,
become a part of the everyday lives of the majority of people.
The Jawbone UP, combined with other applications that run on portable and mobile devices, are
able to collect, analyse and display our daily activities in ways which could have a major impact on
the health and wellbeing of the nation.
23andme DNA Analysis

2. Almost 2 months ago now, triggered by a chance conversation in Covent Garden with an Australian
friend visiting on business, I was persuaded to register with a website which offers DNA analysis for a
reasonable price. 23andme.com organises the collection and analysis of a sample of your sputum
and the provides secure web access to a very wide range of personal information about your genetic
origins and health parameters. My reason for trying the service originally was based on my friend’s
observation that I looked like a Russian so I was curious whether my DNA might confirm some
ancient traces of Cossack genetics. Now that I have the results, I am both impressed and astounded
at the volume of data and analysis. I find that I have a higher than average risk of type 2 diabetes
which coupled with the fact that I am well-built (euphemism for technical obesity), the Jawbone UP
offers me an opportunity to make changes to my eating and exercise patterns in ways I can
genuinely monitor.
Healthy Eating on Offer from Diabetes UK and my first day’s activities
Once I had connected by UP bracelet to my iPad and personalised my settings with the UP
application, I also installed a sister application called “MarkMyFitness” which uses GPS tracking on
either an iPhone or iPad to track your “workouts” and I now find myself carrying my iPad
everywhere and starting a workout every time I walk anywhere. The application tracks my route and
my speed and, based on my age, weight and height, works out how many calories I have used.
At night, I press a button on the UP bracelet and it tracks my sleep patterns, with a facility to wake
me up with a gentle vibration if I want. It analyses sleep into deep sleep and light sleep and shows
this on a graph once you sync it with your iPad
This morning, I was excited to see how I fared on my first day and proud to find I had exceeded my
target activity of 10,000 steps with a total of almost 12,000 steps or the equivalent of walking about
6 miles. I also logged everything I ate to track calorie consumption and rather spoilt my first day’s
efforts with glasses of red wine.

3. My recommended diet and one of my “Workouts”
When I wrote my first book “Gadgets to God” (www.gadgetstogodbook.com), I predicted that a
combination of technologies which include the cloud, sensors, wireless networks, social media,
virtual worlds, augmented reality, artificial intelligence and serious games would lead to a massive
demand for personalised solutions designed to empower citizens to shape and control their future.
Now this is a reality and I feel blessed that my generation is lucky enough to have lived through such
a wonderful, exciting and disruptive period in the history of mankind.