Smart lenses, health's eyeopener?

That google is more than only a search service may be clear. Google X, is their lab where they are busy with technological innovations. Together with Novartis they came up with "smart contact lenses", which can do more than only help you see. The lenses are ment for people who have diabetes and in the later future hopefully also for people with presbyopia. The last one means being long sighted. The lenses will help them to focus on objects near by.

Credits: Google

Where is it produced and when is it launched? An official timescale for the product's development and commercialization has not been made public yet.
How does it work? The lenses measure blood sugar levels just by some tear fluid on the surface of the eyeball. After measuring the lenses send information to mobile phone apps. The engineers are also developing functions for long sighted people, so they don't need to wear glasses any more when they read. This will be possible by a "focus function" in the lenses through the camera.
Why does it work like that? The lenses work like this because they measure directly and constantly. The "focus function" in development will work with a camera, because this way it can take over the eye's disability.
Why is it cool? The lenses are an "eyeopener" (disclosure). That it will be possible to measure your blood level by your eyes is fascinating!   
What makes it new and innovative? The smart contact lenses are pioneering. Nowadays when you want to measure your blood level you have to use a needle and a measuring device. When you are long sighted you just have to use reading glasses. With these lenses that will be history. The technological combination with lenses is ahead of its time. We know the mobile phones, computers and watches who can transmist information, but lenses? That's new and innovative.
What is its future growth potential? It has a lot of potential for the future. Not only because of the enormous companies behind it (Google and Novartis), but  also because of the well designed, portable and high tech of these lenses. For diabetes patiënts and long sighted people this can be very helpful.
How does it improve quality of life? It will make lives of diabetes patiënts a lot easier. There will be no more needles and portable devices needed to measure there glucose. For people who are long sighted there will be no more reading glasses. Headaches will decrease, because the lenses will take over the eyes disability to focus on subjects near by.

For more information visit the used sources:

http://www.dutchcowboys.nl/google/32176
http://www.forbes.com/sites/leoking/2014/07/15/google-smart-contact-lens-focuses-on-healthcare-billions/
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2014-07/15/google-smart-lens-novartis
Visited 26-9-2014

Woosh, and you're not thirsty anymore!

Woosh is developed by the team of woosh, ODIS Filtering and leading universities in Isreal. Those smart urban waterstations are for people who live in (big) urban cities. You can find them on streets, college campuses, transportation hubs and recreational areas.



Where is it launched? The stations are launched for the first time in Tel Aviv in Israel.
When was it introduced? In july 2014 woosh launched its first pilot program with five stations in Tel Aviv.
What does it do? The computerized stations give free filtered water.
How does it work? By pressing an option on the station's screen you can tap fresh cold water from the station.
Why  does it work like that? It works with a digital screen because the visuals make it a lot easier and faster to choose the right shape of your bottle.
Why is it cool? Woosh is really welcome because it supports drinking enough water through the day. That's possible because the water is free and you can find them in many public places. Besides that it's also ecological because of the fact you can refill your empty bottle and don't have to buy a new one.
What makes it new? It's the combination of computerized waterstations placed in public spots and supplying free water that makes it new.
What makes it innovative? Woosh is a clever innovation because until now you had to go to places with taps or buy a new bottle of water. Now you can tap filtered water in public places for free!
What is its future growth potential? The future potential of woosh is very large. We all need water to live, so there will allways be a market for those stations.
Look on the next sites if you're interesed in those smart water stations!

Sources, visited at 26-7-9-2014
http://www.geektime.com/2014/05/27/bringing-filtered-water-to-the-streets/                    https://www.wooshwater.com/en.aspx                                                               
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW5JXblBDb8

"New-Fashioned" heart monitors

monitors are developed by a team of environmental engineers, from the Northwestern University and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. They described in the journal Nature communications,  "a medical device that combines colour-changing temperature indicators (the crystals) with "wireless stretchable electronics". The patches are for people with heart problems and they are recently developed but not introduced nor launched.

The crystal-infused patch picks up subtle changes in temperature to indicate blood flow rate. Credit: Shutterstock

What does it do and how does it work? The crystals of the patches measure the blood flow and change of colour when they are impacted by temperature. Beside that, the tiny crystals are liquid and placeable on a stretchy and soft surface. So it's possible to wear them, like clothes. The crystals have a warning function and the wireless electronics transmit data. For now you need a combination of the electronic information with data from a digital camera to make this info understandable.
Why  does it work like that? What makes it new? The combination of the crystals with the wireless electronics is really genius, because the crystals have a warning function and the electronics an informational. Both will make it possible to warn and monitor heart patiënts full time. This is really modern, because usually doctors have to use heavy devices with big screens and lasers to monitor a patiënt. These patches are wireless and react directly. You don't even have to visit a hospital to know the state of your heart.
What makes it innovative? It's a pleasure to me I can call these patches "new-fashioned". Not only because the way they work - warning and informational- but also by the fact they will be wearable.
What is its future growth potential? For now I only have positive thoughts of the future potential of those patches. At first we need them because they can safe your life in time. Two, as a heart patiënt you not have only checks in a hospital but also in your daily life and three the patches are challenging "fabrics" for the fashion industry.
How does it improve quality of life? May be the question is, "how does it not improve quality of life?". It can be a life saver, because you can check the state of your heart any where, any time. This will bring less stress for heart patiënts, because a heartattack or disease will be noticed much earlier when this is not only possible at places with heavy devices.
Why is it cool? After all this devolopment is mind blowing, because it's not only wearable but it also transmits (very important) information! Who ever thought clothes will may be the biggest live safer of heart patiënts? Well I don't.

For more information, visit the used source:
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2014-09/25/skin-patch-diagnoses-health/viewgallery/338799
visited 26-9-2014