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It wasn't so long ago that to measure things like body temperature, respiration rate, and heart rate, users would have to be connected via electrodes and the like to an array of different devices. Fast forward to the future and, as so often happens, big things get small and things that only did a few things can now do several more. The Wello iPhone case is a perfect example of that, allowing several different health measures to be taken just from a user's contact with an iPhone case.
The Wello case offers a series of sensors built directly into its superstructure that in turn can track a variety of points related to a user's health and well-being. It can measure blood pressure and heart rate, as well as temperature and blood oxygen content all from contact with the hands. An attachment included with the device allows users to test overall lung function, and reports indicate that other attachments are in the making that will allow for things like blood glucose testing and similar matters.
More immediately, however, users will get the option of coupling the Wello case with Wi-Fi driven scales or fitness tracker systems, allowing for a better overall picture of current health from home-based hardware. Measures can be tracked on a variety of time bases—daily, weekly and monthly were all noted—so users can get a better look at how an overall health picture is trending.
The technology behind Wello—according to Hamish Patel, founder and CEO of the company behind Wello—has been in the making for two years, and Patel sees it not only as a useful tool in the United States, where people have a distinct interest in keeping track of personal health numbers, but also in developing countries where medical services are somewhat more difficult to come by. Perhaps noting that iPhones are likewise hard to come by in such regions, there are reports that the technology that powers Wello can be reduced to a platform about the size of a business card, so getting it into Android cases wouldn't exactly be a stretch.
The Wello case is set to ship this fall—pre-orders are already being taken in the United States as well as in Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and a large swath of Europe—and will sell for $199, assuming the FDA doesn't block the device in the United States if nowhere else.
There's certainly value to having such devices in wide use. Consider the value to first responders if it were suddenly possible for those calling 911 to inform dispatchers of a person's current heart rate and blood oxygen levels. First responders would then have a much better perception of what to do before the ambulance even arrived at a certain scene. Indeed, expand this out to rural medicine or where doctors are in short supply or in long distances; even try adding it to telepresence concepts, where a doctor appears via computer, using Skype or WebRTC, and simply has a patient clutch a device to instantly pick up a variety of vital sign measurements.
It's a device that has plenty of applications already and could have several more by the time it's all said and done. The Wello already provides a lot of value for healthcare, and it's entirely possible we could be seeing this make an appearance in hospitals and the like in the not too distant future.
Edited by Cassandra Tucker
via Technology - Google News http://ift.tt/1fey6EH
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