A Doctor in your Pocket

Star Trek popularized the notion of mobile medical diagnostics with its tricorder. (pictured right) Now, almost five decades later, consumer-friendly health diagnostics delivered via mobile devices are becoming a reality...and this is happening sooner than envisioned by Star Trek's calculations. (We're about two centuries ahead of schedule for those of you who are counting.)

Several companies are vying for the $10 million Qualcomm Tricorder X PRIZE, which seeks a device "capable of capturing key health metrics and diagnosing a set of 15 diseases."

One company working toward the X Prize is Scanadu, a health electronics company. Last week it unveiled details about its new suite of products that it says will provide low cost health diagnostics to consumers using their smartphones--all with a price tag of around $150. As explained in this post on Engadget, Scanadu's version of the tricorder is "two inches square and a half an inch thick and packs a rechargeable battery, IR , EEG and EKG scanners, plus an accelerometer, Bluetooth radio and a micro-USB port. That hardware, when combined with Scout's companion smartphone app can track a person's heart rate, breathing rate, body temperature, pulse transit (essentially systolic blood pressure) and blood oxygenation."

It's also rolling out disposable diagnostic tools that will work with the Scanadu app. One, called ScanaFlo, is for urine analysis, and claims it will "test for pregnancy complications, preeclampisa, gestational diabetes, kidney failure, and urinary tract infections." Another, called ScanaFlu, will test saliva to "provide early detection for Strep A, Influenza A, Influenza B, Adenovirus, and RSV."

We're seeing many other fine examples of mobile wellness and sensing capabilities reaching consumers, a trend we've reported on regularly over the years in our Technology Foresight and Global Lifestyles projects.

- Example of Innovaro forecasts about Health & Wellness over the next decade

The trajectory of mobile health devices and apps clearly suggests that consumers will continue to gain more access to affordable, DIY health monitoring devices on their smartphones. What we'll need to keep trying to discern is how this will change the role of doctors and other health professionals, how it will influence healthcare costs, and whether ever-more empowered patients will live healthier lives.

~Mike Vidikan

@ForesightINV

originally posted at The Trends & Foresight Blog