Using the human as a sensor for better health

Amid a rise in the innovation of wearable technology, researchers are looking for ways to harness the adaptive sensing ability of the human body.

A recent University of Melbourne panel discussion covered the future of wearable sensors. Professor Graham Kerr, Bill Dimopoulos, Galen Gan and Professor Peter Lee considered the management of information generated from such technology and its interpretation for improving health.

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Personalised tech boosts care for the vulnerable

The recent influx of wearable technology innovation has encouraged researchers to capitalise on its adaptive sensing ability to improve health.

Bill Dimopoulos, CEO and Co-Founder of Vlepis Solutions, said there is “a lot of opportunity to care for the elderly and vulnerable” through the collection of physiological data to enhance care for individuals. Vlepis has trialled temperature monitoring patch technology. It resulted in a 26 per cent productivity saving in the nurse care front line.

Galen Gan, Infrastructure Coordinator at Pavilions Blackburn Lake, agreed that healthy living requires a holistic approach. Wearable devices can be personalised to monitor users’ emotional, physical and social health. Comparing the aggregate score to a desired state or population average allows areas that are lacking to be identified.

Managing the privacy and accessibility challenges of wearable technology

The advancement of technology also comes with a wide range of privacy and accessibility challenges. With the large amount of data measured on wearable technologies, there is a compelling need for meaningful interpretation and processing of this data.

Professor Graham Kerr, School of Exercise and Nutrition Science at the Queensland University of Technology, proposes the need for “pipelines and processes to make sure what we are sensing is good information – it’s what we call ‘ground truthing’ – to understand that these are really the parameters of what we have and it’s measuring exactly what we want to do.”

“Even with the best sensor in the world, you still need to have a context around why you are sensing that information,” says Professor Kerr.

Do wealth inequalities exacerbate issues of accessibility? Dimopoulos prompts health system digitisers to consider “how we build the sort of reimbursement models that can underpin and support that for the communities that need it.”

There are many aspects to managing privacy and data collection. While every country has its own legislation, there is a fine line between interoperability security, which is the protection of data during the exchange of information, and breach of privacy. So a contentious debate forms discussing the extent to which people are willing to give their information and trust to these services, however, concluding with the general consensus that people should own and control their data.

Smart environments and the future of wearable technology

Are smart medical clinics our future? Dimopoulos envisions a smart environment that coexists with our wearables.

“Before you even walk in and see the GP, when you’re in waiting room for five or 10 minutes, the GP will have that context [from your wearable] as well. And again, that will improve access to GPs. It will also improve the GP’s coverage time and they may be able to see patients more frequently and have a greater span of patient care.”

This potentially presents care for people in a smarter, much more proactive and preventative manner, says Dimopoulos.

Further developing wearable technology presents endless possibilities. But the integration and coexistence of different technologies is just as important. Dimopoulos suggests this could mean “having multiple sensors either in the room or having multiple sensors interoperating together.”

The longevity and reliability of devices are continually being refined, whilst taking into consideration power management, adhering to privacy acts and simplicity. This includes miniaturisation of wearables for ease of use and discreetness.

But the panel warned the expansion of wearable devices needs to be nuanced. Users should know what their device does and why.

Gan emphasises the need to find ways to “bridge the gap between the user and the technology in a seamless way, which doesn’t require a huge learning curve, and which is very intuitive and not imposing on the person.”