Medical technology innovation is actually using games to solve mental health

Wired Health 2017, held at the Royal College of General Practitioners in March, is the fifth year of the conference, bringing together many innovators, leading technologists and entrepreneurs in the field of health technology. The two main lines of the conference are wearables and health games, and the emergence of many innovative products will give clinicians and patients the tools they need.

Wearable technology and health monitoring

Ten years ago, it was hard to imagine that you could carry a device that monitors our every move and physiological parameters, and if it does, it must be invasive. However, time to jump to 2017, millions of people can carry a computer like this, they can be used to track the many parameters of our body.

Not surprisingly, the health sector is also keen to use such new equipment to monitor the health of patients 24 hours a day.

Control diabetes

OurPath has designed a six-week behavioral change program to help individuals treat diabetes or delay progression. They offer a comprehensive range of programs, including customized diet plans, personal tutors, peer support, and some convenient technologies that provide real-time data.

The technical equipment in the solution consists of an intelligent weight scale and a FitBit (a watch-type wearable detection device). The scale has a built-in SIM card that feeds back data to OurPath, while FitBit continuously monitors the patient's steps, sleep time and heart rate. By tracking these parameters and accessing information at any time, patients with insulin resistance, pre-diabetes, or diabetes can manage their health and prevent deterioration more easily.

Gyro and tremor

GyroGear is also doing wearable technology, but they are working on a completely different topic: their products are designed to reduce tremors.

According to the official definition of tremor is "unintentional, rhythmic muscle movement of one or more parts of the body involving one or more movements (oscillation)", one of the most common types of involuntary movements. Tremor may be a side effect of certain drugs, or it may be part of the symptoms of the disease, such as Parkinson's disease. It hinders people's normal work and has a serious impact on the quality of life.

This is where GyroGear delved into. Their tremor intervention device, GyroGlove, uses a rotating gyro that we often play in childhood, using its ability to preserve angular momentum to control tremors.

Scientists at GyroGear say that gyroscopes are simple, but the balance of responsiveness, simplicity and reliability is perfect. Although GyroGlove is still under development, when it is ready to go on the market, it will be a ready-made product, as the system will automatically adjust to the individual's special tremor without calibration. In the near future, patients with tremors will most likely once again wear gloves to type, weave and comb their hair.