5. 5G-ENABLED DEVICES
If the biggest drivers of cutting-edge technology—AI, IoT, and Big Data—are to reach their full potential in healthcare, they need a reliable and lightning-fast internet connection.
Enter 5G. With a reliable real-time connection, the most immediate benefits will be seen in telemedicine, expanding access to care for millions. But that’s only the beginning. More connected devices, with more authentic data streams, open up the possibility of a revolutionized healthcare system.
With next-to-zero latency, 5G-connected sensors and medical devices can capture and transmit data nearly instantaneously. That will improve patient monitoring, which will in turn improve patient outcomes. Futurists are already considering the benefits of a marriage between 5G, healthcare, and robotics.
But patients won’t have to wait long to see a change: experts say 5G-enabled devices will rapidly bring on a new healthcare paradigm, nicknamed 4P, which is predictive, preventative, personalized, and participatory.
6. TRICORDERS
For decades, tricorders have been medical technology’s version of the flying car: its origins are in science fiction, and the concept is both elegant and eminently useful.
As far back as the 1960s, tricorders were imagined to be palm-sized devices that could quickly and accurately monitor a wide array of vital signs, while also performing simple diagnostics. Unlike flying cars, however, tricorders have finally made the leap from the screen and into users’ hands.
Basil Leaf Technologies has rolled out a very real tricorder, known as DxtER. It can be used by the patient, in their own home, without any medical training. With a sophisticated diagnostics engine, DxtER pulls patient data from multiple sources and runs them through algorithms that recognize 34 different health conditions, including stroke, tuberculosis, pneumonia, and diabetes. Live long, and prosper.
