TECH SPECIAL ...Wearables for well-being is the next big thing in tech

Wearables for well-being is the next big thing in tech

From a stress-detecting patch to AI that mimics the human brain, the technology of the future is geared towards health solutions

INTELLIGENCE IN WEARABLE ELECTRONICS

A team of US researchers has developed an ‘artificial synapse’ that does not process information like a digital computer but rather mimics the way the human brain completes tasks. The discovery can lead to energy-efficient AI devices. The graphene-based neural networks can be employed in flexible and wearable electronics to enable computation at the ‘edge of the internet’ — places where computing devices such as sensors contact the physical world.

“By empowering even a rudimentary level of intelligence in wearable electronics and sensors, we can track our health with smart sensors, provide timely diagnostics, regulate and optimise the manufacturing process,” say the researchers.

DETECT STRESS LEVEL FROM SWEAT

Scientists have developed a waterproof wearable patch, which when applied directly to the skin, absorbs sweat and within seconds assesses how much cortisol — stress hormone — a person is producing. “This offers a novel approach for the early detection of various diseases and evaluation of sports performance,” says lead author, Onur Parlak from Stanford University, US.

WEARABLE AR FOR AUTISTIC PEOPLE

Google Glass can rekindle the hopes of people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) globally, including in India. According to Ned Sahin, founder and CEO of Brain Power, a US-based science-driven company, Augmented Reality (AR)-powered wearable computers can help those with ASD gain confidence, clarity, understanding, social integration and self-sufficiency.

QUIT SMOKING WITH WEARABLE TECH

Using wearable sensor technology, researchers have developed an automatic alert system that may help people to quit smoking by sending video messages. A smartphone app automatically texts 20 to 120-second video messages to smokers when the sensors detect specific arm and body motions associated with smoking. According to the researchers, the mobile alert system that they are testing may be the first that combines an existing online platform with mindfulness training and a personalised plan to quit smoking.

SOLAR SUPERCAPACITOR FOR WEARABLE SENSORS

A team of scientists led by an Indian-origin professor has developed a new solar-powered supercapacitor that could help make future wearable technologies lighter and more energy-efficient. The research could take the wearable systems for health monitoring to remote parts of the world where solar power is often the most reliable source of energy.

PREVENTING FALLS IN OLDER ADULTS

Falls are a common cause of injury in older adults and can create health problems. A recent study under NIH’s Women’s Health Initiative to predict an individual’s risk of falling made 67 participants, all over the age of 60, wear a small device with motion sensors that measured their walking patterns for one week. They found that data extracted from the devices could accurately predict the participants’ risk of falling, as measured by physical examinations of unsteadiness in standing and walking.

ETP  9AUG18