With the rise in life expectancy, questions regarding the long term viability of health care systems around the world become more pressing. But while these discussions tend to focus on infrastructure and policy, most of the innovations we are seeing at Springwise are very much geared towards finding “bottom up” solutions.
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Billboard coughs when it detects cigarette smoke

Pharmacies appear to be taking their role of providing a positive public service seriously, with one in New York charging a man tax to highlight the persistent gender wage gap.

One of our favourite ideas in early 2017 came from Sweden’s Apotek Hjartat pharmacy is running a quit smoking campaign to help smokers make good on New Year resolutions.
Read more about the ‘Coughing billboard’

Embedded nano-sensors create smart bandages

Nanotechnology is being used in many industries on a range of projects, from wearable cooling units to art restoration.

This year research in the field has been extended to what could be the health industry’s first intelligent dressing, thanks to the work carried out by Swansea University’s Institute of Life Science department.
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Paris hospitals use big data to predict admissions

Healthcare is embracing technology, looking for new ways to be more efficient with limited resources. A new AI-powered medical information system provides more accurate information for people at home, and an app is being used in the UK to provide clinicians with real-time, customizable visualizations of data.

Four of the Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) are trialling a new predictive system aimed at reducing hospital waiting times.
Read more about ‘Hospital machine learning analytics’

Phone credit exchanged for health insurance in low-income communities

Innovative solutions to the issues those in low-income areas face are aplenty in the technology industry, including a solar-powered MP3 player that educates women in third world countries.

Aiming to extend access to healthcare in low-income rural areas around the world is Microinsurance provider BIMA whose solution enables consumers to pay with mobile phone credit.
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Scarf protects wearers from getting the flu

We have written about a number of hi-tech wearables designed to protect the users health and comfort. Amongst them, a shirt that uses vibrations to encourage good posture in the person wearing it, and a robotic jacket that mimics plant behaviour, adapting to environmental changes that regulate body temperature.

Now, Swedish manufacturer Ultramare, has created a scarf that protects wearers from airborne flu germs.
Read more about the ‘Air filtering scarf’

Smart Ring that tracks your vitamin D

Over a billion people worldwide are currently vitamin D deficient, due to a variety of reasons. People spending too much time indoors, or putting on too much sunscreen, or simply living in grim sunless climates. Regardless of reason, the result is always the same – serious health damage.

At Springwise we have seeing an increasing number of portable devices that let consumers take charge of their vitamin and mineral intake. One of our favourite ideas is the Helios Smart Ring developed by Dutch health technology company e-Senses.
Read more about the ‘Vitamin D tracker’

Smart t-shirt developed with respiratory monitor

Over the past 6 months we have seen an increase in the number of health-monitoring wearables, like a smart vest which could predict an impending epileptic attack.

Recently a team of researcher at Quebec City’s Université Laval has come up with a wearable sensor that could track a patient’s respiratory rate without any intrusive wires.
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Swiss hospitals use drones to deliver lab samples

Drones are currently being tested out in a variety of situations, from delivery of anti-venom medication for remote Amazonian communities to helping pollinate flowers in order to relieve some of the burden on the world’s increasingly fragile bee population.

Among other applications we have seen at Springwise is urban healthcare delivery, which has been pioneered by Swiss Post between two hospitals in Lugano, Switzerland.
Read more about ‘Drone delivery of medical samples’

Virtual reality shows children what to expect before MRI

Technological innovation is hard at work in healthcare, helping make care more accessible as well as affordable and easy to manage. Virtual reality is helping teach emergency birth care, and an artificial intelligence robotic arm is helping physiotherapists provide routine treatments.

Earlier this year, two of London’s King’s College Hospital’s staff members created the My MRI at King’s virtual reality (VR) app to help children and their parents prepare for the examination.
Read more about ‘My MRI app’

Yoga apparel vibrates to aid form and ability

Wearable fitness technology has seen a hike in popularity in recent years, with smart trainers that help runners avoid injuries and the wrist wearable that automatically counts calories being just two innovations covered by Springwise.

Extending technology to yoga training is Sydney-born and US-based fashion tech company Wearable X, which has created a line of activated yoga apparel that reacts to a user’s body movement.
Read more about ‘Smart yoga leggings’