SensNews Mar 2017

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7 Sensor100 March 2017
Future for Health Gives
1. Questionable data gathering: When used for prevention, it has become clear by
now, that a person gets tired of using a wearable or a health app in only a few months.
2. We are measuring what we can, not what we should: Prof. Anthony Turner, Head of
The Biosensors and Bioelectronics Centre at Linköping University Sweden:“we haven’t
yet made the sensors we really need, we are using the sensors that we happen to
have.” That is why in recent years investors have been more interested in other sen-
sors: ingestibles, implantables, etc.
3. Questionable measurements: as Prof. Turner says,“from a laboratory perspec-
tive and for research purposes you always look for the best. However, Point of Care
devices for patients just need to be good enough for managing conditions and early
warnings. Personal devices for diabetes are not as accurate as clinical laboratory, but it
doesn’t matter – they are good enough for management decision.”
Big Data Could Be Medicine’s Next Big Move
argues the case for the “Connected Self”. For years, businesses in
the digital health market have been focused on applying technologies that can help
individuals collect more data about themselves. But the problem with this approach is
that it has led to a situation in which there is mountains of data, but it’s all siloed away
in people’s devices. The next wave of innovation, and something smart businesses are
already looking into, is the “connected self.” The idea here is that it isn’t sufficient to
simply collect data on an individual and store it, but that those data also need to be
shared with the medical profession and even other companies.
4 Market Sectors ?
It is possibly premature to suggest that wearables are dead, although the relative merits
of wearables vs smart phones will continue to occupy technology companies’ planners
for many years. Sensor100 suggests four distinct wearable market segments:
Fitness buffs Professional or amateur athletes who use fitness data effec-
tively
Worried well Otherwise healthy people who are obsessive about collecting
data on themselves
Chronic sick Those with diagnosed chronic illness, who have a real need
to monitor their disease
Military From aircrew to soldiers in battle, physiological and biochem-
ical measurements provide safety for military personnel