Wearable Devices that matter to people we care about

[#1]

As I was discussing my Fourth of July plans with a co-worker, she told me that she was going to attend the funeral of her uncle who had been an Alzheimer's patient. The conversation reminded me of Vinnie Mirchandani’s recent post on Wearable Devices in which one of the devices he highlights is specifically meant for Alzheimer's patients.

Having blogged about wearable devices and flexible displays both from my perspective and my future grandson's perspective, I read Vinnie's post with great interest. He has carefully assimilated a healthy -- yes, literally, healthy -- mix of wearables for monitoring everything from medical issues to child safety. The parties benefiting from these devices cover the spectrum from infants through senior citizens.

It includes devices that Alzheimer's patients can wear around their neck so that their whereabouts can be monitored by the caregivers. By the way, this co-worker of mine also has another acquaintance who tends to walk out with the intent of going to the local drugstore but then forgets the purpose of her visit on her way there -- and is therefore, lost. Vinnie highlights devices that can be clipped to a backpack where the loved one gets a text if the subject leaves a preset zone. Come to think of it, this could be handy for pets too.

The bio-harness sensors that Vinnie talks about where the devices send the information about their health condition to cloud servers bring home the real life the synergies resulting from cloud computing and big data for industries just like we have already witnessed in the Airline and Financial industries.

Reading Vinnie's mention of the infant health sensors that communicate the baby's emotional state to parents' mobile devices gives new meaning to child care.

In the world we live in, it is very easy to get embroiled in technical jargon like cloud, big data, analytics, etc. For obvious reasons, we also have a tendency to attach a business and financial value to what we do from an IT perspective, whether it is to provision the right cloud infrastructure or transform the enterprise. However, after taking a brief pause and giving it some thought, I realize that it is all about delivering on outcomes that matter to the people we care about.

If the late uncle of my co-worker had access to the devices that Vinnie Mirchandani outlines in his post, the synergies that cloud, big data and analytics can realize could possibly have helped him and his family more easily navigate the Alzheimer’s disease.

Can you think of scenarios where such devices can be applied to improve the lifestyle of people you care about?

Please let me know.

[#2]

Extract from my 2010 book, The New Polymath

A vest allows maintenance engineers on aircraft to have hands - free access (via a head - mounted display) to data from onboard systems, repair manuals, spare parts availability, and communication with other colleagues.
Another application is aimed at firefi ghters. The wearable computer is rugged enough to cope with the harsh environments they work in and helps them navigate under reduced visibility. It improves communication
with colleagues, and helps them better assess danger levels. The application aimed at medical staff makes electronic patient data available on ward rounds and provides easy - to - use devices for staff to enter
observations. Wearable computing is designed to provide workers with critical information with a minimum amount of human - machine interaction so they can stay focused on the work environment.

[#3]

Thank you, Vinnie, for sharing this extract from your book.  Enlightening as usual -- especially the last sentence in this extract: "Wearable computing is designed to provide workers with critical information with a minimum amount of human - machine interaction so they can stay focused on the work environment"

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