Connected watch, connected scale … Our health has never been in such good hands or rather such good algorithms! The market quantified self, or “self-measurement”, continues to grow and innovate as evidenced by this circular ring, a French innovation unveiled at CES. Some people wonder if these powerful tools at the service of self-monitoring of health meet real needs or if it is in the process of creating new ones?
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[EN VIDÉO] Digital avatars ready to revolutionize medicine. Worthy of a science fiction scenario, the virtual modeling of the human body aims to provide better care in the real world and foreshadows the medicine of the future!
The connected Circular Ring shines beneath its cupola glass, but under this appearance of precious jewel, hide micro-sensors capable of measuring more than 140 parameters physical, from respiratory rate to body temperature. Many start-up present this week at Consumer Electronics Show (CES) of Las Vegas, the annual consumer electronics show, promises biometric analyzes ever finer, measured by devices ever more discreet and easy to use.
« We want to democratize personal health », Assures Amaury Kosman, founder of the French start-up Circular. An objective shared by many exhibitors, at a time when the pandemic popularized the telemedecine and sport in his living room. But some experts worry about the flip side: the potential risks of stress oraddiction.
« During the day, the ring detects the intensity of your activity. We have a score ofenergy based on your cardiac frequency, your level of oxygenation in the blood, changes in temperature and other data, explains Kosman. At night, it goes on: we stalk phases of sleep, how long do you take to fall asleep, if you are aligned with your circadian rhythm, etc. And in the morning, it vibrates to wake you up at the right time “, He explains, two months before the pre-sales of the ring, which will cost less than 300 euros.
The boss assures him, it is not a question of flooding the user with incomprehensible raw data. Algorithm of the’application mobile takes care of translating them into personalized recommendations.
The booming “self-measurement” market
The demand is undeniable: tens of millions of people have already placed their bodies under partial or continuous surveillance. In 2022, the sector of connected objects for health and sport will represent more than $ 14 billion in spending, forecasts the CTA, which organizes the CES. This is more than double that of 2018. Growth is driven by watches like those ofApple or from Samsung (over $ 7 billion expected for this year), sports equipments connected devices that exploded during the pandemic, but also tracking devices.
On the health side, companies want to make instruments long reserved for medical practices accessible to as many people as possible and also facilitate remote consultations. The Swiss Biospectal and the French Quantiq, for example, use the camera of smartphones. The first proposes to measure the blood pressure putting his finger on the lens, to fight againsthypertension in large scale. The second is developing algorithms that calculate, in a selfie, the heart rate, the respiratory rate and the pression arterial.
The Circular ring, a ring for monitoring health, activity, sleep and well-being 24/7 with personalized recommendations. © Circular
The Japanese start-up Quantum Operation has designed a prototype bracelet that continuously measures the rate of glucose in the blood. The patients diabetics would then no longer need needles.
Medical innovations can meet real needs, but the line is blurred with the practices falling under the quantified self, which involves measuring all kinds of physical indicators for health or well-being goals.
Dependence on the body under continuous surveillance
The South Korean Olive Healthcare presented its latest portable scanners with infrared : Bello analyzes abdominal fat (and makes recommendations for losing it) while Fitto looks at mass muscle (and ways to increase it).
« As a society, we have to ask ourselves if these tools solve problems or create new dependencies. “, Remarks Nils-Eyk Zimmermann, a German political scientist specializing in” self digital ». « We create a digital representation of ourselves that does not necessarily correspond to reality He adds.
As a society, we have to ask ourselves if these tools solve problems or create new dependencies.
An image that can be positive, but also negative, even stressful, if the user regularly hears that he is not moving enough. ” I don’t think that’s too much info. We are able to manage Says Paul Buckley, sales director for Withings in the United States. He refers to Body Scan, the connected scale unveiled by this French company at CES. She counts “ turn the morning weigh-in into a real proactive health routine “, According to the press release.
Its retractable handle fitted withelectrodes realize a electrocardiogram and analyzes the body composition of each part of the body in detail. The pedestal takes care of nervous activity, in order to detect possible warning signs of diabetes.
« When people go to the doctor, he doesn’t necessarily tell them everything, emphasizes Buckley. Now you will be able to make daily changes because you will be better informed about what is going on in your body. ».
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