We had read about Scanadu long ago when they were only a prototype and a good idea to develop and mature. Apparently, Scanadu progresses properly and is already very advanced in its development. The initial objective was to be able to measure tension, lung activity and body temperature and it was designed as a priority for children.
Although the evolution of the device from the initial prototype has now allowed it to record information from six vital signs: body temperature, respiratory rate, blood oxygen, heart rate, blood pressure and stress level and all this is done in ten seconds by pressing on the temple and then transmitting the data to the mobile phone. Again we are facing a crowdfunding project, this time on the Indiegogo platform where it has already exceeded 1.5 million dollars. And yes, it will also be valid for everyone, not only for children although the initial focus was them for the need to prevent and rule out common diseases.
The price of the device is expected to be $ 149, less than 120 euros, and can probably be quickly amortized for the cost savings that it includes.
As we commented the other day with the handling of large amounts of information, it is the great possibility that opens with this type of devices not because of the device, because in the market there are cheaper and practical tools, but because allow information to be enriched with applications developed specifically for them. For example, having a history of the data recorded by the scanadu would allow identifying patterns due to food, weather, mood, travel, pressure changes, etc. and that has an impact on cost savings and especially on making life easier for families.
Although some will begin to say that if the security and that if the personal data the truth is that there are already cameras everywhere able to draw patterns of who we are, where we are going, who we are going with and even what we are going for. So I care very little what can be registered with this device and surely many families will find it useful to know how the constants of the children evolve over time.
We will be very attentive to Scanadu and especially to see how these devices probably will modify the way in which we currently interact with healthcare professionals.
