Although it’s only been a few days since I discussed some of the ways in which digital health will be transformed by the nexus of wearables and data analytics, it is already time for an update.
A company called BitBite is currently seeking $60,000 dollars to kick of production of a device that tracks eating patterns, including what foods are consumed, how well a person is chewing and how frequently he or she snacks. This is done through a wearable device that clips into the user’s ear much like a hearing aid, and uses a combination of machine learning and predictive algorithms to determine what is being consumed. The small size of the device means that the battery will only last for three hours, presumably needing it to be put on and manually activated with each meal or snack, thereby being a lot more invasive than other wearable categories. It is also questionable whether people with dietary concerns will want to be seen wearing something that can be so clearly associated with healthy eating.
On a more promising note, another Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign was launched by a company called Empatica, focusing also focusing on human analytics. The product being promoted, called the Embrace wearable is effectively a fitness band with ‘medical quality sensors’ that measure stress and can be used to predict the onset of seizures in users who have epilepsy. Empatica aim to open up an API to allow the device to be used to assess and manage other conditions, including helping people on the autism spectrum better manage anxiety and emotional regulation, as well as potentially depression, post-traumatic stress and anxiety. It will be particularly interesting to see whether devices like this, when opened up to third parties and big data type machine learning analysis can be used to diagnose and measure conditions beyond what was initially envisaged by their designers.