Читать книгу The Future of Health - Roberto Ascione - Страница 8

Perhaps the most striking case of a radical health-care transformation, from a media point of view, was the launch of the Apple Watch on September 9, 2014. In reality, the market for wearables and network-connected devices had already been established for some time, especially in the sport sector: smart bracelets that calculated the number of steps taken in a day, the calories consumed, the amount and quality of sleep, and a whole host of other data were already on the market well before Apple launched itself into the enterprise.

According to Forbes, the wearables market was worth $27.9 billion in 2019 and is estimated to reach $74.03 billion in 2025. The sector includes smartwatches, fitness trackers, wristbands, and all those wearables that control physical activity or other vital parameters. And this value, according to estimates, is bound to grow even more. Technological developments have been leading to a progressive miniaturization of the components, to such an extent that nanotechnology-based devices are already available in the health-care field. (Nanotechnology refers to technological structures smaller than one nanometer, one billionth of a meter.) This advance allows for more precise and less invasive diagnostic analysis, or tools that can even carry out intervention therapies at the molecular level. As is often the case in the field of technology, while the instruments become more powerful and complex, their cost of production is constantly decreasing, making the various devices accessible to an ever-widening range of consumers. The great ductility of the materials produced makes it possible to integrate processors and sensors into nearly every object of everyday use: shoes, T-shirts, appliances, toys, balls, racquets—everything can be made smart and connected at the cost of just a few dollars. And in the health field? The adoption of digital devices is a natural and inevitable process. The possibility of remotely monitoring the various devices connected to the network, the miniaturization of the components, and the evolution of the various sensors to become increasingly precise and reliable, allow the creation of wearables that can track diverse vital parameters without being uncomfortable for the wearer. This reduces (or even excludes) the need for a patient to go to the hospital or to visit a health-care professional for ongoing tests for conditions that need constant monitoring. For example, a health-care professional can monitor a patient's health remotely by accessing, in real time, data transmitted by a pacemaker connected to his or her mobile phone. The possible variations are endless.

Among the first pioneering therapies based on wearable technology, we remember the solution developed by Proteus Digital Health: a pill with a built-in micro-sensor. Once the pill is swallowed, the microcircuit sends signals to a patch on the patient's skin, which in turn communicates with the dedicated app on the patient's smartphone.