When it comes to health technology, we’re living in some rather exciting times. For years, the medical profession told us that personal health technology was out of our reach. Yet, thanks to smart tech, prices have come down so much everybody’s health can now benefit from gadgets. No, we’re not quite in a Star Trek universe where all you need is a tricorder. But it looks as if we’re headed in the right direction. Here are six gadgets that can help make you healthier.
Gym Watches
When you look back ten years, you realize just how far we’ve come with digital technology. If you wanted to track your workout back then, you had to duct tape the first iPhone to your arm. But now, thanks to companies like Fitbit, we’ve got solutions that actually work.
Gym watches have come a long way since their inception. They used to be glorified watches with pedometers built in. But now they’re so much more than that. Our watches are getting smart. And some are even able to tell whether you’ve been trying in the gym or not. Driving this is the smartphone revolution. Watches and smartphones talk to each other. And that means that our watches can draw on all that processing power contained in the smartphone. Pairing watches with apps produces an even better experience in the gym. Some apps can act as a personal trainer, telling you what you need to do next through your watch.
Image via Flickr
Healbe Go takes wristwatches to the next level. This $299 device can measure the number of calories you eat without you having to count them. It uses a sensor that tracks the amount of glucose in your cells. And then it uses this data to estimate the number of calories you have eaten. The watch also measures other bodily functions, like heart rate and whether you’re properly hydrated. And so it’s a great tool for anyone who wants to be able to quantify their health in real time. But keep your skeptic’s hat on for a while yet. The Healbe Go makes fabulous claims. We’re still waiting for the data to see whether it is as truly revolutionary as it sounds.
E-Cig Mods
Nobody doubts that vaping is a significant improvement over smoking for our health. For years we’ve seen more and more e-cigarettes come to the market. And, according to British scientists, they’re a lot safer. But now e-cigs themselves are getting smart. One of the problems with e-cigarettes is that they could potentially lead to burns. Hot vapor was not always friendly to sensitive cells in the mouth. But now we have gadgets, like the eVic mod, that regulate the temperature of the vapor. This helps to prevent damage to sensitive endothelial cells.
Image via PixabayStress-Busting Headsets
Entrepreneurs love a bit of weird science. And the company behind a new anti-stress headset, Melomind, are definitely among them. The purpose of their new headset is to get rid of stress. The headset itself looks like a pair of techno-white sideburns with a mandible attached. And when switched on, delivers relaxing music straight to your temporal lobes. The gadget itself is based on recent research that shows that music is one of the best ways of putting people at ease. The headset claims to use your brains own brainwaves to produce music in a way that is appropriate for your state of mind. It all sounds pretty advanced.
The headset itself connects to an app on your smartphone via Bluetooth. The app allows you to change settings and customize your experience. Whether the headset actually works, only time will tell. But there’s good reason to think that this $299 piece of equipment will have some effect. After all, music is pretty good at making us all feel good.
Temperature Tracker
Keeping track of your temperature has never been particularly pleasant. You either have to wander around with a thermometer under your tongue. Or with one somewhere even less palatable. It’s hardly practical and makes getting ongoing readings difficult; if not, impossible. It’s especially hard when you’re trying to monitor a kid with a fever.
Here’s where companies like TempTraq come in. These companies want to make it easier for your to measure your child’s temperature using the power of smart technology. It works something like this. You take a sticky patch with a temperature sensor and put it just behind your child’s armpit. Then you connect the patch, via Bluetooth to your phone. The patch continually measures temperature. And so you’re able to track whether their condition is getting better or worse in real time.
It’s a device that’s uniquely suited for babies. It’s non-intrusive. And it provides precise information about their state of health. It all sounds great. But TempTraq is still under review by the FDA.
Sunlight Patch
L’oreal have made a patch that tells you if you have had too much sun exposure. The patch sits on your skin and connects to your phone. An app makes an alarm sound once you’ve been out in the sun for too long.
Circadian Rhythm Clock
One of the biggest woes of modern life is our abnormal sleeping patterns. For millions of years, humans, and their ancestors rose when the sun came up and went to bed when it went down. But modern life has made that all but impossible. Now we get up as soon as the alarm starts beeping at us, regardless of the time of day.
Image via flickrSo the guys behind the Lumie Bodyclock thought to solve that problem. Their idea was to build a clock that produces light similar to that of the sun in the morning. Thus, a person gets a cue to wake up, even if the sun hasn’t risen. The idea is that this keeps their body in its natural rhythm and makes them able to face the day. The Lumie gradually brightens in the morning, starting 30 minutes before the alarm goes off. In doing this, it mimics the natural light from the sun in the morning as the sun comes up. You can pick one of these up today for $139.