I am not putting cameras* behind the mirrors in the bathrooms, sorry.
Maybe behind the ones in the long hall.
From CB Insights, Jan. 5:
The biggest players in tech are increasingly going after the healthcare space.
Patent activity, in particular, gives a window into where tech giants are investing in health tracking R&D. Amazon has patented heart-rate detection by smartphone and Apple has patented smartphone-based health tracking. Now Google is moving deeper into medical data as well.
A patent application published January 4 details how Google could use “optical sensors” placed in patients’ devices or belongings to capture data on individual’s cardiovascular function – all with the aim of motivating behavioral changes and reducing instances of heart disease.
The sensors might even be positioned (per the patent’s illustrations) in a “sensing milieu” in a patient’s bathroom.
Google’s new invention for at-home health tracking would
In addition, it would integrate with other Google hardware and software – such as Android phones and Google Glass – to capture, process, and analyze as much user cardio data as possible.
- monitor certain aspects of a patient’s physical appearance; and
- track changes in appearance that relate to cardiovascular health problems.
The data would be monitored for trends and shared with patients or their medical professionals.
*The only difference between a camera and an 'optical sensor' is the wavelength in the electromagnetic spectrum we're dealing with.Google ups the healthcare ante against Apple
This latest patent aligns with other signals pointing to Google’s long-term strategy in healthcare: Patent filings in recent years have indicated Google’s interest in using noninvasive sensors to collect real-time medical information and apply the data for predictive purposes....MUCH MORE
And sometimes there is no difference at all.
Tangentially related:
Some Thoughts on Google Offering An Online Depression Test
From AFNS:*
To encourage more sufferers to seek treatment, Google is now offering a quiz for users to check their own depression symptoms when searching for information about the disease. What do you think?
“This should help remedy the current problem of Google not having nearly enough info about me.”
Hannah Leibold
Lithium Wholesaler
....MORE
