{"id":57,"date":"2016-01-21T18:46:01","date_gmt":"2016-01-21T18:46:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/?page_id=57"},"modified":"2016-04-10T20:35:45","modified_gmt":"2016-04-10T20:35:45","slug":"on-the-market","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/chapter-two\/on-the-market\/","title":{"rendered":"Wearable Technology"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>The devices<\/h1>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">In a somewhat breathless press release published June 1, 2014,<\/span><span class=\"s1\">\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.idc.ca\/home.jsp\">International Data Corp, Canada<\/a> (IDC)\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"s1\">states that a \u201chockey stick\u201d of growth is expected for wearable technology as the market \u201cexplodes\u201d in coming years. The IDC is a market intelligence network that researched the wearables market and wrote projections for the period 2014 to 2018. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>Adrian Chan is a professor at Carleton University, he is also the Director of the Ottawa-Carleton Initiative for Biomedical Engineering. Watch below as he describes the current reality of wearable technology.<\/p>\n<div class=\"su-youtube su-u-responsive-media-no\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Jpo0rE6PjqA?autohide=1&amp;autoplay=0&amp;mute=0&amp;controls=0&amp;fs=0&amp;loop=0&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;theme=light&amp;wmode=&amp;playsinline=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture\" title=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The following are profiles of wearable technologies, their place in the market, or in development, and their creators. In addition to profiling technologies, this section looks at some of the struggles faced by their developers. All but one of the technologies profiled have been created and produced in Canada. There is one example of an American technology that is sold in Canada. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Wearable technology is not only available for seniors, it is also available for healthcare practitioners such as nurses and doctors. The following will highlight one technology that is used by healthcare professionals. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>On the market<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-226\" src=\"http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Screen-Shot-2016-03-15-at-3.25.58-PM.png\" alt=\"Hexoskin\" width=\"219\" height=\"71\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Pierre- Alexandre Fournier is the CEO of <\/span><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hexoskin.com\/\">Hexoskin<\/a>,\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"s1\">a company which designs biometric shirts that measure a person\u2019s heart rate, breathing rate, sleep, and activity. Right now, all of his users fit in the same clothes, sold in sizes small, medium and large. To ensure that his product can be used by seniors, Fournier has designed vests which are easy to put on and adapt to body shape changes. \u201cYou don\u2019t have the same posture, you don\u2019t have the same upper body dimension when you\u2019re 80 and when you\u2019re 25,\u201d explains Fournier, \u201cAs you get older, you may have joint problems, arthritis which makes it harder to get dressed. <\/span><span class=\"s2\">So we&#8217;ve designed a vest that&#8217;s really easy to put on even if you have arthritis and you cannot lift your arm above your shoulder.\u201d Fournier ran focus groups with seniors to design the product and to test what would be the best\u00a0design. <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><div id=\"su_slider_69de2cf0ed796\" class=\"su-slider su-slider-centered su-slider-pages-yes su-slider-responsive-no\" style=\"width:360px;height:300px\" data-autoplay=\"3000\" data-speed=\"600\" data-mousewheel=\"true\"><div class=\"su-slider-slides\"><div class=\"su-slider-slide\"><a><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/FullSizeRender-360x300.jpg\" alt=\"Hexoskin Vest\" \/><span class=\"su-slider-slide-title\">Hexoskin Vest<\/span><\/a><\/div><div class=\"su-slider-slide\"><a><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/IMG_0744-1-e1453405006692.jpg\" alt=\"Hexoskin Vest\" \/><span class=\"su-slider-slide-title\">Hexoskin Vest<\/span><\/a><\/div><div class=\"su-slider-slide\"><a><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/IMG_0747-e1453404952620.jpg\" alt=\"Hexoskin Vest\" \/><span class=\"su-slider-slide-title\">Hexoskin Vest<\/span><\/a><\/div><div class=\"su-slider-slide\"><a><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/IMG_0745-1-e1453405035923.jpg\" alt=\"Hexoskin Vest\" \/><span class=\"su-slider-slide-title\">Hexoskin Vest<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><div class=\"su-slider-nav\"><div class=\"su-slider-direction\"><span class=\"su-slider-prev\"><\/span><span class=\"su-slider-next\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"su-slider-pagination\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Hexoskin was founded in 2006. \u201cWe always had a mission to do something for health prevention and management,\u201d explains Fournier. \u201cPopulation aging was one of the main ideas or challenges that we wanted to face long term with our products.\u201d At first, Fournier and his partners started developing health sensor technologies. They worked for four years on many different technologies and applications for their sensors. Fournier had no success for four years. He was haunted by two, very big questions. \u201cHow do we measure health in people\u2019s normal lives without interfering with it? How can we do the job of writing your health journal everyday, without you having anything to do?\u201d In 2010 Fournier decided that the best way to put sensors on people was to hide them in objects they already know well. \u201cBecause we had all this technology for bioscience monitoring it made sense to design a smart shirt at the time.\u201d This is the shirt that they are selling today on the market. <\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_228\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-228\" style=\"width: 603px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-228 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Screen-Shot-2016-03-15-at-3.29.04-PM.png\" alt=\"Regular, for purchase Hexoskin shirts. \" width=\"603\" height=\"458\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Screen-Shot-2016-03-15-at-3.29.04-PM.png 603w, https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Screen-Shot-2016-03-15-at-3.29.04-PM-300x228.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 603px) 100vw, 603px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-228\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Regular, for purchase Hexoskin shirts. Photographs from<a href=\"http:\/\/www.hexoskin.com\/\"> Hexoskin<\/a> website.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Fournier says most people think wearable technology is a relatively new concept. \u201cEven after a few years on the market, a lot of people think, when we talk about the product, they think it&#8217;s a concept, they think it&#8217;s science fiction,\u201d says\u00a0Fournier. \u201cWe run regular surveys and about 90 per cent of the people we survey have never heard about smart clothing. So one of our main challenges is to communicate that the product is something that they can use today, that it&#8217;s a product that does something for you,\u201d says\u00a0Fournier. Fournier explains\u00a0that he isn\u2019t selling a \u201cgadget.\u201d \u201cWe see it as a learning tool, as a communication tool between a person and himself, or between a person and a training professional, or between a person and health professional.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<hr style=\"border: 0; color: #ccc; height: 1px; width: 600px;\" \/>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b><i><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-230 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Screen-Shot-2016-03-15-at-3.31.38-PM-300x79.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"79\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Screen-Shot-2016-03-15-at-3.31.38-PM-300x79.png 300w, https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Screen-Shot-2016-03-15-at-3.31.38-PM.png 302w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/i><\/b><i> <\/i><\/span><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www2.tractivityonline.com\/\">Tractivity<\/a> is a monitoring system with healthcare applications. The device is used for two reasons: chronic disease management and inpatient ambulation. \u00a0Ambulation is the medical term that describes how much a patient is moving around when they are in\u00a0the hospital.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The Tractivity device consists of a small sensor that is worn by the patient which transmits data to a computer system. Most of the intellectual property and complexity of the device comes from the server based software that manages the data coming from the sensors. It is the computer-based software that is most meaningful for the healthcare practitioner and the patient. <\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_295\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-295\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-295\" src=\"http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/DeviceLine-up-1024x451.png\" alt=\"Tractivity Devices and Software. \" width=\"640\" height=\"282\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/DeviceLine-up-1024x451.png 1024w, https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/DeviceLine-up-300x132.png 300w, https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/DeviceLine-up-768x339.png 768w, https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/DeviceLine-up.png 1141w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-295\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tractivity Devices and Software. Photo from the <a href=\"http:\/\/www2.tractivityonline.com\/\">Tractivity<\/a>\u00a0website.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The simple summary, explains Paul Shore, Vice President of Health Care of Tractivity, is that it is well accepted that walking is a life vital sign. \u201cThe more people move both in hospital, or if they are trying to manage a chronic disease, the better they do,\u201d says\u00a0Shore. The device keeps track of how often and how far patients are walking. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Tractivity is currently employed in hospitals under the direction of a physician.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"s1\">\u201cTheir length of stay is typically shorter if a patient ambulates while they are in hospital,\u201d explains Shore, \u201cAt the end of the day what we&#8217;re trying to do is reduce cost for the health care system, for healthcare providers, both in Canada and the United States.\u201d Even though it is a Canadian company, Tractivity does most of its work with hospital systems in the United States. To date it has only one deployment in a Canadian hospital, in Toronto. South of the border, the U.S. partnerships reach anywhere from a couple hundred to a few thousand patients.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cAs a Canadian company, it\u2019s actually a bit of a frustration that we spend most of our time with U.S. customers,\u201d Shore says. \u201cThere seems to be a simple reason for that.\u201d There is nothing homogenous about health care in the United States, it\u2019s very fractured and differs from state to state. There are many very large private health care systems such as the Cleveland Clinic and the Mayo Clinic. \u201cThey have an eye for a) the financial bottom line and b) quality of care because, on the first point, they&#8217;re private companies trying to get money, and on the second point, patients have a choice to move between healthcare providers,\u201d says Shore.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Shore describes the U.S. health care system as much more competitive than the Canadian one. He also says that the U.S. is more innovative, whereas in Canada, it takes increased\u00a0effort to work with Canadian hospitals. \u201cThey&#8217;re looking for innovation and improved care and reduced cost\u2026We don\u2019t seem to have the same motivations in Canada,\u201d explains\u00a0Shore. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">When it comes to physicians, Shore says that general physicians aren\u2019t generally that supportive of his technology. \u201cThey feel overwhelmed,\u201d states Shore. \u201cI can understand this, patients are showing up in their offices with more and more gadgets and asking them to use what the gadgets are showing as part of their decision criteria. This is very problematic for doctors.\u201d However, Shore says that physicians are more supportive when a system can be deployed from within because it is embedded and they have control. \u201cThat is a big reason why we try to go from the inside out in health care systems, rather than selling to an individual,\u201d says Shore.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">While physicians tend to be more hesitant, patients react quite positively, states\u00a0Shore. &#8220;Once they interact with the system or the clinicians do, they see the value.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<hr style=\"border: 0; color: #ccc; height: 1px; width: 600px;\" \/>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-231 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Screen-Shot-2016-03-15-at-3.33.24-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"223\" height=\"150\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Dan Levitt, of Tabor Village Retirement Homes, explains the need for technology to track residents who wander. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cGordon is one of our residents who likes to wander,\u201d Levitt says. Right now, Gordon wears a bracelet that he knows how to take off. It looks like a watch but it has a microchip inside. Once Gordon gets to the retirement home doors, an alarm goes off and the staff of Tabor Village Retirement Home are notified. Once that alarm goes off, the doors close and Gordon is trapped in the vestibule until someone comes to release him. \u201cHe gets agitated,\u201d explains Levitt. \u201cWe have a complicated system to keep track of residents who are going to wander. It\u2019s really an old way of doing it,\u201d says Levitt. Levitt is also an adjunct professor of Long Term Care Administration in the Gerontology Diploma Program at Simon Fraser University. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Levitt says that the next thing on his \u201cTo Do\u201d list at Tabor village is to introduce GPS shoes. \u201cA new way of doing it would be that Gordon\u2019s runners would have a GPS chip inside. So on one runner there\u2019s<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>a chip that says where he is. The other chip sends a signal to our computer system telling us where he is.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gpssmartsole.com\/\">Smart Sole<\/a> is a company, based in the United States, that sells GPS insoles to Canadians. The integrated wearable technology sends data to a smartphone, tablet or web browser. Customized alerts can be sent by text or email if the user wanders to an unknown part of the pre-determined map. <\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_296\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-296\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-296\" src=\"http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/gps-smartsole-intro.jpg\" alt=\"GSP Smart Sole photograph of technology, from their website. \" width=\"600\" height=\"560\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/gps-smartsole-intro.jpg 600w, https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/gps-smartsole-intro-300x280.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-296\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">GSP Smart Sole photograph of technology, from their <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gpssmartsole.com\/\">website<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Not only must a user purchase the GPS insole and the device\u2019s charger, but the user must also purchase a \u201cmonitoring plan\u201d, much like a cell phone plan. According to their website, a plan ranges from $29USD to $49USD a month to update maps and send alerts. <\/span><\/p>\n<hr style=\"border: 0; color: #ccc; height: 1px; width: 600px;\" \/>\n<p class=\"p1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-232 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Screen-Shot-2016-03-15-at-3.36.13-PM-300x68.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"68\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Screen-Shot-2016-03-15-at-3.36.13-PM-300x68.png 300w, https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Screen-Shot-2016-03-15-at-3.36.13-PM.png 394w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/handymetrics.com\/\">Handy Metrics<\/a>\u00a0<span class=\"s1\">is an electronic device that was developed at the Toronto Rehab Centre. Its objective is to provide \u201caccurate and consistent hand hygiene measurements\u201d in healthcare settings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">HandyMetrics provides nurses and doctors with a wearable bag that is clipped onto their uniform. Every time a healthcare professional sanitizes their hands, their sensor is notified by a device connected to the hand sanitizer. Each time the healthcare professional enters a patient\u2019s room, the patient is aware that the healthcare professional has sanitized their hands because a green light will (or alternatively a red light) will flash above their room. This light is activated by the sensor badge being worn by the healthcare professional. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The purpose? To prevent the spreading of in-hospital diseases. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Where is it now? More than 100 hospitals in Canada currently use HandyMetrics. <\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_240\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-240\" style=\"width: 3264px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-240 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/IMG_6791.jpg\" alt=\"The sensor that is attached to the hand sanitizer dispenser. \" width=\"3264\" height=\"2448\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/IMG_6791.jpg 3264w, https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/IMG_6791-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/IMG_6791-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/IMG_6791-1024x768.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 3264px) 100vw, 3264px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-240\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The sensor that is attached to the hand sanitizer dispenser.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_241\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-241\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-241 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/IMG_6794-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"The sensor that is stationed above the entrance to a patient's room.\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/IMG_6794-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/IMG_6794-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/IMG_6794-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-241\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The sensor that is stationed above the entrance to a patient&#8217;s room.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<hr style=\"border: 0; color: #ccc; height: 1px; width: 600px;\" \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>In development<\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-235 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Screen-Shot-2016-03-15-at-3.48.55-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"286\" height=\"104\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"http:\/\/bresotec.com\/\">BresoTech<\/a> is a sleep management company.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Their product, the ApneaDX, is a \u201chome-based, simple, and highly accurate home sleep test.\u201d The device is ready to wear and lightweight. One piece fits around the patient\u2019s mouth and nose and is secured by blue straps. <\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_242\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-242\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-242 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/IMG_6785-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"The white part of the device fits around the nose. The blue straps secure the device onto the head. \" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/IMG_6785-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/IMG_6785-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/IMG_6785-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-242\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The white part of the device fits around the nose. The blue straps secure the device onto the head.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">ApneaDX monitors obstructive sleep apnea and related breathing disorders. According to the<a href=\"http:\/\/www.phac-aspc.gc.ca\/cd-mc\/sleepapnea-apneesommeil\/ff-rr-2009-eng.php\"> Public Health Agency of Canada<\/a>, sleep apnea is a serious disorder that causes breathing to stop while you sleep. This can happen for 10 to 30 seconds and can occur numerous times throughout the night. There are many signs and symptoms of sleep apnea, this device will embed data captured while sleeping. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The point? It leads to proper diagnosis and treatment for patients with sleep apnea.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Where is it now? It is owned by the Toronto Rehab-University Health Network and MaRS Innovation Centre. It\u2019s currently being tested in homes. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-243 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/IMG_6784-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"ApneaDX\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/IMG_6784-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/IMG_6784-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/IMG_6784-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<hr style=\"border: 0; color: #ccc; height: 1px; width: 600px;\" \/>\n<p class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"http:\/\/iv.csit.carleton.ca\/~awhitehe\/\">Anthony Whitehead<\/a>\u00a0is developing wearable sensors. Whitehead is an associate professor at Carleton University and the Director of the School of Information and Technology. <\/span><span class=\"s1\">\u00a0The sensors capture motion and verify movements. Whitehead envisions his sensors being used by physiotherapists. The sensors can remotely capture actions and send data to a computer software program to be examined by a\u00a0physiotherapist. An individual in rehabilitation can work remotely while their progress is monitored by their physiotherapist from another location. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Whitehead\u2019s sensors target all of the major joints. Up to ten sensors can be worn on the body at a time. Even a person\u2019s gait can be measured when wearing more than one sensor. It is more difficult to monitor finer motion details, says Whitehead. At this stage the sensors, although small, do not have the capacity to capture small bone movement. <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><div id=\"su_slider_69de2cf0f066d\" class=\"su-slider su-slider-centered su-slider-pages-yes su-slider-responsive-no\" style=\"width:600px;height:300px\" data-autoplay=\"3000\" data-speed=\"600\" data-mousewheel=\"true\"><div class=\"su-slider-slides\"><div class=\"su-slider-slide\"><a><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Screen-Shot-2016-02-08-at-12.52.01-PM-600x300.png\" alt=\"Screen Shot 2016-02-08 at 12.52.01 PM\" \/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"su-slider-slide\"><a><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Screen-Shot-2016-02-08-at-12.52.25-PM-e1460128364761.png\" alt=\"Screen Shot 2016-02-08 at 12.52.25 PM\" \/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"su-slider-slide\"><a><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Screen-Shot-2016-02-08-at-12.52.48-PM-600x300.png\" alt=\"Screen Shot 2016-02-08 at 12.52.48 PM\" \/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"su-slider-slide\"><a><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Screen-Shot-2016-02-08-at-12.52.36-PM-600x300.png\" alt=\"Screen Shot 2016-02-08 at 12.52.36 PM\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><div class=\"su-slider-nav\"><div class=\"su-slider-direction\"><span class=\"su-slider-prev\"><\/span><span class=\"su-slider-next\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"su-slider-pagination\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cWhat it\u2019s doing is making physiotherapists more efficient,\u201d states\u00a0Whitehead. \u201cFor someone who is adhering to their therapy requirements, engaging in exercises properly, you can look at the data and see that they can continue on; whereas someone else may need to go see the therapist again.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><div class=\"su-pullquote su-pullquote-align-right\">\u201cWe would like to think that what we\u2019re doing is cutting edge.\u201d &#8211; Anthony Whitehead<\/div>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Whitehead thinks his sensors will be on the market in the next 5 to 10 years. But Whitehead is adamant that his device, and ones like it, will never replace the role of a healthcare\u00a0professional. \u201cMuch like an MRI machine didn\u2019t replace the role of a medical professional, these things won\u2019t replace the need of a medical professional.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><a href=\"http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/chapter-two\/the-relationship-wearables-and-health\/\"><em>PREVIOUS:\u00a0The relationship between wearables and health.\u00a0<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><a href=\"http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/chapter-two\/characteristics-the-benefits-of-wearable-tech\/\"><span class=\"s1\"><b><i>Next: <\/i><\/b><i>What are the benefits and the shortcomings of these technologies? <\/i><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The devices In a somewhat breathless press release published June 1, 2014,\u00a0International Data Corp, Canada (IDC)\u00a0states that a \u201chockey stick\u201d of growth is expected for wearable technology as the market \u201cexplodes\u201d in coming years. The IDC is a market intelligence network that researched the wearables market and wrote projections for the period 2014 to 2018. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":242,"parent":7,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-full-width.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-57","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","post-thumb"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/57","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57"}],"version-history":[{"count":40,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/57\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":482,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/57\/revisions\/482"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/agingtech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}