You’re Getting Under My (e)-Skin

Imagine if the temporary tattoos that come in a box of Cracker Jack (if you’re lucky) had an electronic display logo that lights up when you put it on. Or a fitness tracker that you tape to yourself rather than wearing it around your wrist. Or a watch so thin that it lights the time while blending into your skin. Or even, a sensor that can be applied directly to an organ to determine health.

This is the future for electronic skin. Yup, I said it: E-Skin.

Researchers in Japan have developed an ultra-thin and ultra-stretchy material that can mimic the flexibility of human skin. Ultraflexible organic photonic skin is an organic polymer with light-emitting diodes (PLEDs) or small sheets of energy-efficient lights that are laminated right on the skin. These are intended to equip the human body with electronic components for health-monitoring and information technologies. These are transparent but when powered with electrical pulses, it’ll emit a colored light, number or letter depending on the implementation. The arrangement of PLEDs can also display more complex information. They also report that this PLED film produced less heat and consumed less power than previous e-skin samples.

The interesting thing here is that they used organic materials, added an extra layer of film to protect it from oxygen and water, so it lasted several days. Past organic efforts lasted less than a day due to air exposure. Today, non-organic materials used to make super-thin tattoo-like monitoring devices can last weeks or longer.
These advancements will only fuel the health care wearable market which is growing exponentially.

Research firm Tractica released findings from its report ‘Wearable Devices for Healthcare Markets’ that show worldwide shipments of healthcare wearables will increase from 2.5 million in 2016 to 97.6 million in 2021…or $17.8 Billion in yearly revenue. The general wearable device market will increase from 85 million units in 2015 to 559.6 million units by 2021 - a compound annual growth rate of about 37%.

If you thought the influx of data center and cloud traffic from mobile was big, just wait until all our body vitals start hitting the wire. Add that to all the other IoT initiates, like home/automotive, big data suddenly turns into ginormous data.

While we may instantly think about the fitness trackers and smartwatches that garner our bodies, the health care industry is also looking at the treatment of chronic diseases, wellness programs, remote patient monitoring and physician use. And there are other devices like posture monitors, connected wearable patches and pain management wearables that are gaining ground.

I can already hear the posture sensor barking, 'Stop Slouching!' and a pain patch that actually works instead of those menthol smelling globs – great idea!

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Related

• Super-thin electronic skin lights up a digital display on your hand
• Ultraflexible organic photonic skin
• Healthcare wearables will bring $17.8B in yearly revenue by 2021, says Tractica
• Wearable Devices for Healthcare Markets

Connecting the Threads

What was first used to protect humans from the outside elements is now monitoring our body's inside environment.

According to eMarketer.com, wearable usage will grow almost 60% in 2015 verses 2014. This year, almost 40 million U.S. adults will use wearables, including smartwatches and fitness trackers. And that's only 16% of the penetrable market. They expect that number double in two years with close to 82 million adults wearing something connected by 2018. Almost two in five internet users by 2019. You probably think that it'll be all those youngsters growing up with connected objects but over the next four years, older Americans will see the biggest growth with the flood of wearable health monitor devices. Don't fret, I'm sure that new outfit for special occasions will monitor something. These connected wearables will soon be able to cover our body.

Even with that growth, adults are still exploring the value of wearables, above the wow-cool factor, for the real benefit of the investment. With prices still high for many of these gadgets, the adoption will be slightly lower than the recent mad rush for smartphones and tablets. Yet like many new technologies, as sticker-shock drops, the adoption grows. In addition, as more apps are developed to work with this new wardrobe, more people are likely to use it...just like the mobile device market. After all, that's what these things are - mobile devices. And once that happens, the advertisers will be all over that segment, which is currently very sparse.

And what typically follows mass adoption of technology? Vulnerabilities and security risks.

More connected personal devices in the office means more enterprise security risks. Whether it be from smartwatches having access to sensitive corporate data or the lost bandwidth from all the updates and alerts sent to these devices. Corporate BYOD security policies could soon include smartwatch use or any other wearable that poses a risk to the organization. As Steven Wright says, 'Right now I'm having amnesia and déjà vu at the same time.' BYO2.0

And we haven't even touched on the lack of security being built into some of these devices.

From insulin pumps, to glucose meters to pacemakers, anything that is wireless enabled is vulnerable to attack. While the bad guys are always looking for an easy score, it could also be the disgruntled employee looking to fix someone's wagon. And when I say fix, I really mean break. There are also privacy concerns for those who might be wearing smart eyewear. That casual, always awkward conversation at the urinal now takes on new meaning. For highly sensitive meetings, there could be a clothes rack and changing station so someone doesn't need to strip down just to participate. Forget about spy pens with wireless mics, my shirt's logo has a camera weaved into the seam.

All is not lost though, as there will be plenty of top 10 lists guiding you so you do not become a social (real world) outcast. WT VOX has put together it's Top 10 Worst Wearable Tech Devices So Far list. From a tie that has a QR code built into its back, to smartwigs, selfie-hats and drum pants, they explore the wild gadgets that are clamoring to cover our body. And on the flip side, they also look at the 10 Wearables and IoT Companies To Watch In 2015. Here, you get a glimpse of the future of smart lighting, dealing with big data, new IoT chipsets, IoT cloud platforms and other entities focused on our networked society.

Hashtag: Amazing.

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Related:

• Wearable Usage Will Grow by Nearly 60% This Year
• The Dark Side of Wearable Tech Use
• Top 10 Worst Wearable Tech Devices So Far
• 10 Wearables and IoT Companies To Watch In 2015
• Wearables Head to Tail
• Oh, Is That The Internet You're Wearing?
• The Digital Dress Code
• IoT Influence on Society

Technorati Tags: wearables,iot,things,connected devices,security,privacy,silva

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Wearables Head to Tail

Have you sent Santa your list of all the wearables you'll want under the tree this year? Maybe you've asked for a fitness tracker, a health monitor or that fancy new smart watch. But don't stop there!

As we continue to integrate technology with our desire for self-improvement and lifestyle control, a slew of wearables - from arm bands to socks to bras to a dog tail-wagging monitor - will be clipped, adhered, buttoned, inserted, ingested or worn to gather our vitals, movement and lives as we toast 2015 goodbye.

Naughty or nice, if you're still unsure which wearables you want watching you, Fjord (part of Accenture Interactive) has a nifty infographic showing the multitude of gadgets for various body parts. From the head to upper body to wrists to feet to anywhere, our body has become both the controller and interface according to Fjord. Their research indicates that about 70% of wearables are intended to monitor our body in some way, with the remaining 23 percent designed for communication. 59% of these health-oriented devices monitor your health and 48 percent track fitness. Around 7% can help a person sleep better. Fjord predicts that wearable technology will become a growing trend for health care providers and digital applications for health care organizations have become a growing area of focus for Fjord.

On your head you can wear a smart cycling helmet which takes your pulse and reports it to a smartphone app or a brain activity measurement tool to help understand and improve focus.

On your upper body you can have a sensor and app tell you when you are slumping to improve posture or a t-shirt designed to capture biometrics or even the Microsoft Smart Bra designed to measure perspiration and heart rate in order to detect emotional triggers.

Of course for the wrist we got the smart watches and fitness trackers but there is also devices that can tell you about sun exposure, how much food you've eaten and calories burned during the feeding frenzy.

For your feet and pretty much anywhere on or in your body, there are smart socks that track your running technique with sensors around the ankle, sensors in the sole of shoes to measure motion parameters, gadget sensors that fit in your pocket for movement measurements and even second skin type materials that stick anywhere on the body and provides personalized health data on a variety of measurements. And if that's not enough, there are ingestible sensors that can monitor how much medicine is absorbed by the body and the PillCam that gives you a colonoscopy by having a light and two color video cameras within the pill.

Not to be left out, your pet is also pawing up their list and DogStar Life is working on building TailTalk, a tail-mounted sensor intended to track your dog's emotions based on tail movements. Built into this tail clip-on is an accelerometer and gyroscope so it knows the difference between happy tail-wagging when you walk in the door verses when the tail is tucked or standing at attention. The sensor then sends the information to an app that translates the movement data into emotions, telling you if your dog is stressed, happy or crazy thrilled.

And soon, I'm sure, there will be one that measures your significant other's reaction to the lame gift you got them. Like the evil eye death stare data isn't enough.

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Related

• INFOGRAPHIC: All The Wearables You Could Be Wearing Right Now
• Tail-monitoring gadget tries to sense your dog's emotions
• Are Ingestible Tracking Devices The Wearables Of The Future?
• Oh, Is That The Internet You're Wearing?
• The Digital Dress Code
• I Think, Therefore I am Connected
• IoT Influence on Society

Technorati Tags: iot,wearables,sensors,body,clothes,fitness,healthcare,silva

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Healthcare in the Crosshairs

Is Healthcare the new Target?

Recently I've received a number of 'I am writing to inform you that we were the target of a sophisticated cyber attack and some of your personal information may have been accessed by the attackers..' letters for myself and my family. I especially hate the ones that start, 'To the parents of...' because my daughter has a rare genetic condition. You probably got one of these letters too since the Anthem breach could have disclosed medical records for as many as 80 million people.

Medical identity theft is big business and has become a huge target over the last few years. The attackers are not really interested in that sprained ankle or those 25 stitches from last summer. They want the personally identifiable information. Names, addresses, birthdays, and social security numbers. Stuff you can actually use to open accounts, commit insurance fraud and create fake identities - using real information. Healthcare info also goes for a premium on black market sites. One expert noted that recently that at one underground auction, a patient medical record sold for $251 while credit cards are selling at .33 cents. With all the recent retail breaches, credit cards have flooded the underground, plus they can get cancelled quickly. I also know that fraudsters are already trying to entice people with fake emails and calls regarding the breaches - I've gotten a bunch of them recently. More than ever, do not click the email link unless you're expecting something.

The interesting phenomenon for me is all the identity theft protection offerings from various credit bureaus. One breach, sign up here...another breach, sign up there. It is important to take advantage of the services to stay alert on your identity but you also have to include the very same sensitive info that was just compromised to yet another entity. I'm waiting on the breach of one of these identity protection sites. I mean the thieves must be thinking, 'well, we missed them in the medical grab but maybe we can get them through the protection app.'

According to Ponemon Institute, about 90% of healthcare organizations have reported at least one data breach over the last two years with most due to employee negligence or system flaws but more, as we've seen recently, are due to criminal behavior. Certainly, there will be more of these healthcare hiccups in the coming years especially with the push to digitize medical records. Great for patient access but a huge risk for unauthorized peeks. With the Premera breach hot on Anthem's heels, I hope providers are getting the message that the bad guys are coming for ya.

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Related

• Massive breach at health care company Anthem Inc
• Anthem Data Breach: Potential Game Changer for Healthcare
• Health care data breaches have hit 30M patients and counting
• Data Breach at Anthem May Forecast a Trend
• Premera breach: Are hackers targeting more health records as credit card companies improve security?
• The Hacker Will See You Now
• Lost Records a Day Shows Doctors are Blasé
• The Top 10, Top 10 Predictions for 2015

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Technorati Tags: healthcare,records,pii,breach,patient,silva,security,privacy,f5

 

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The Internet of...(Drum Roll Please)...Band-Aids?!?

Last week I told you about my family's experience with an under the skin glucose sensor that tracks blood sugar levels. While this Internet of Things trend often takes the form of a thermostat, light bulb or coffee machine, the medical field has been using sensors for a while and it is about to get even more connected with your skin.

We're talking skin tags of a different kind.

First up is a sensor filled smart bandage. Ed Goluch, an assistant professor of chemical engineering at Northeastern University is working on a smart band-aid that will monitor infections and alert the person. He was investigating how individual bacteria cells behave by using a sensor. The sensor measured the produced toxins and how cells reacted to antibiotics when the idea hit. Next they build an electrochemical sensor with computer chips to detect Pseudomonas aerug­i­nosa, a bacteria that commonly takes advantage of people with compromised immune systems. For this particular bacteria, it can detect of an infection is starting before symptoms show and the patient can put an antibiotic on the wound to heal it. So far the testing has only occurred in the lab and the next step is humans and animals. Pretty Cool.

In Japan, University of Tokyo, in cooperation with JST, has introduced the world’s very first flexible wireless organic sensor. This paper-thin, water proof sensor can also be used for band-aids but also a few other health situations. Like urine. OMG! Did he just write the word for pee in a blog post?!? Yup, we all do it but back to the story. The idea is to be able to detect the chemical compound for health related matters. The circuit was actually tested on a wet diaper where it was successfully able to transmit the needed data and receive power from a nearby source. The cool thing about this sensor is that they wanted to develop something that is easy to make, use, dispose and replace. Instead of expensive components, they went for simple detectors for thing like humidity and air pressure. Being small and low cost, they could be used for such disposable things like diapers or bandages.

Next up is a microchip that can now be printed directly on the skin. Originally designed for sports physicians, MC10 has created a health sensor that is formed with spray-on bandage material. Since it is essentially a second skin, it can detect hydration levels and temperature of the wearer. It lasts about two weeks on the body even while bathing or swimming and it is 1/30 the size of previous sticker sensors.

Lastly, the iPhone 6 and it's NFC (near field communications) chip has been one upped by a human. Robert J. Nelson has had a NFC chip implanted in his hand! We've seen stories the past couple years about body modification with chips so he isn't the first but for $99 he picked up a chipset and got someone to implant it. In his story he states,

'I should make it clear that I am not trying to become a cyborg or anything like that. For me, getting this implant came down to having a strong interest in technology and the connected space, and more to the point is that I am someone who likes seeing technology integrated into life. Or in this case, my body'

Seriously, wouldn't be cool if you twisted your ankle and your sock would tell you how bad the sprain was? And then sent the data to your doctor for an appointment if it was serious? Or just quickly cooled down so you have ice around the sprain? Dizzying, all the applications for this.

Forget about the internet being this thing we use to look up stuff and email...soon we all will be part of the internet with our connected bodies. The Internet of You!

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Related:

• A Smart Bandage To Let You Know When Your Wounds Are Infected
• My Sensored Family
• Cheap wireless organic circuits may soon make band-aids smart
• MC10's New Biometric Health Sensor Is Like a 'Second Skin'
• High-Tech 'Band-Aids' Call Doctors
• Wearable Technology That Feels Like Skin
• NFC chip implants: First Apple, now this guy
• Here's why I implanted an NFC chip in my hand

 

Technorati Tags: iot,sensors,things,healthcare,medical devices,skin,silva,smart bandaids,f5,wearables

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My Sensored Family

The Important Things

Lately I've been writing a bunch about the Internet of Things or IoT. You know, where everyday objects have software, chips, and sensors to capture data and report back. Household items like refrigerators, toilets and thermostats along with clothing, cars and soon, the entire home will be connected. Many of these devices provide actionable data - or just fun entertainment - so people can make decisions about whatever is being monitored. It can also help save lives.

Recently my daughter became a robot, at least according to her.

My daughter has a rare genetic disorder called HI/HA GDH - Hyperinsulinism/Hyperammonemia Syndrome in the Glutamate Dehydrogenase gene. Say that 3 times fast. Basically, she produces too much insulin (extreme hypoglycemic) and too much ammonia. She gets blood work done every couple months and recently we've had some concerning numbers on those reports. While we certainly check her blood multiple times a day, the doctor wanted to get a more precise reading over the course of a few days to determine a plan of action. Enter the sensor.

The doctor installed a Medtronic Sof-Sensor Glucose meter which measured her blood sugars every 5 minutes and stored it on a chip. They also have models which transmit the BSL to a base for instant readings. Out of the package, the device has a needle almost tented over the sensor. You put it in an apparatus which punches the needle and sensor into the skin. You remove the needle and the sensor stays. You then connect it to a clam shell looking thing which houses the microprocessor. Tape over it, go on with your daily routine and the sensor does the rest. While she had hers in for 3 days, there are some that can be inserted for longer term measurements. After our three days, we pulled it out and retuned it to the doctor. Pulling the tape off her skin hurt more than yanking the sensor out.

They connected the storage to a computer and retrieved the data. We could match the charted times and readings (along with a daily food diary) with the regular meter readings to get a great overall picture of what might be causing some of the recent abnormalities. From that, we got our medical marching orders and so far it seems like things are moving in the right direction. The parental worries have also dwindled now that we know what's going on. That anxiety is part of the challenge whether you're a global business or a parent...the data and context to make informed, knowledgeable decisions about a path forward. Sometimes sensors can provide that.

This Internet of Nouns trend is still in the early stages and many of our already connected gadgets do provide human benefits over the typical infotainment. While IoT is certainly interesting and the wave is building, I'm not particularly rushing to get everything or everyone connected like that...except for our micro chipped dog. But in this instance, installing a sensor in my daughter's side for a few days made all the difference in the world.

And gave us some uncensored peace of mind.

ps

Related

• Is IoT Hype For Real?
• Oh, Is That The Internet You're Wearing?
• Internet of Food
• I Think, Therefore I am Connected
• Play Ball!The Breach of Things
• The Icebox Cometh
• The Internet of Sports
• Welcome to the The Phygital World
• The DNS of Things

Technorati Tags: iot,things,sensors,medical,heath,silva,f5,family,big data

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The Hacker Will See You Now

More than 1.8 million medical ID theft victims in 2013

That's a 19% increase over last year according to the 2013 Survey on Medical Identity Theft.  More than 300,000 new medical identity theft cases were reported during the one-year period, the study found.  The 4th annual survey, conducted by the Ponemon Institute, defined medical identity theft as a person using an individual's name or personal identity “to fraudulently receive medical service, prescription drugs and goods, including attempts to commit fraudulent billing.”

One of the biggest contributors to the increase was fake or spoofed medical websites and spam emails.  Medical identity theft victims who reported that a cyber schemes caused their troubles doubled from 4% in 2012 to 8% in 2013.  It is clear that the amount and frequency of spear phishing specifically targeting medical ID theft has gone up.  This is not the simple 'Buy this personal enhancement drug here' emails but authentic looking emails from a provider.  You click the malicious link and either malware is installed to your computer or you are directed to a website that looks exactly like your medical provider's and you enter (give away) your credentials there.  You might even be able to log into something that will request you update your personal information.  Perfect, I get your credentials along with some additional Rx information or mailing address or SSN or date of birth anything that I can use to impersonate you.

As far as data breaches as a cause, only 7% (up 1 tick from last year) felt a data breach by their insurer, health care provider or related was linked to the fraud.

A separate but related survey, a new Deloitte report says healthcare organizations are in various stages of mitigating the security risks of medical devices.  These include patient monitors, infusion pumps, ventilators, pacemakers and imaging devices.  Deloitte interviewed the medical device security leaders at nine large hospital systems and they indicated that their organizations have a long way to go and that they need more cooperation from device manufacturers. 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently released a guidance on the "content of premarket submissions for management of cyber security in medical devices."  The guidance suggested that device makers incorporate security features into their products to limit access to only trusted users, trusted content, and use fail-safe and recovery devices. They want manufacturers to consider threats like hacking, malware and other vulnerabilities of the device's software and to work with providers on addressable scenarios.  This is certainly an area of importance for both providers and the device manufactures.  Remember all the wrangling with PCI and those payment devices?  Granted, the FDA guidance is a recommendation and not a regulation like PCI so there is reluctance to include security measures in purchasing contracts.

The other issue healthcare organizations face is trying to secure older proprietary devices.  These closed systems make it almost impossible to scan for vulnerabilities but they are still in widespread use.  For other devices that run on well know commercial operating systems, they are vulnerable to the same threats that any device with that software has.

Deloitte also asked the medical device security heads where their organizations stood in several areas of cyber security.  These included: organizational leadership, risk framework, identification and evaluation, data flow, vulnerability management, vendor agreements and manufacturer engagement.   Ken Terry over at Information Week goes into detail of each.

So far there have been no documented instances of "intentional threats" to medical devices, according to the report but healthcare providers are not required to report security incidents to the FDA or the device manufacturer unless a death or serious injury has occurred.

ps

 

Related:

• 2013 Survey on Medical Identity Theft
• Medical Device Security: A Work In Progress
• Malware Threatens Medical Device Security
• Networked Medical Device Cybersecurity and Patient Safety: Perspectives of Health Care Information Security Executives
• Lost Records a Day Shows Doctors are Blasé
• Web 2.0 and your Health
• Identity Theft Roundup
• Useful IT. Bringing Health Record Transfer into the 21st Century.

 

Technorati Tags: healthcare,medical,identity theft,vulnerabilities,devices,medical devices,risk,security,fda,silva,malware,phishing

 

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