The Health Chip: A Concept That Could Change the World
Currently we have the capability to track many things, location, motion, temperature, traffic, and many others. We have devices, like smart watches, that can read heart rate in real time and there are even smart watches coming out that read our body’s blood oxygen levels. But what if we could get a reading of our bodies at any time, knowing what it needs and what it has too much of. Well that is where the Health Chip comes in. It is a microchip that is placed in a customer’s arm that contains a sensor that can read a myriad of things within the human body. The chip also contains a Bluetooth transmitter that can connect to the user’s phone and relay the data through the Health Chip companion app.
The physical size of the chip would be very small, smaller than a fingernail but would have to be placed near an artery to allow the blood analysis sensor to have access to the bloodstream. Insertion would be a very simple process that would involve a minor surgery. Typical surgery would involve a small incision in the arm to precisely place the chip next to the brachial artery. The chip would have a battery that lasts around five years that can be replaced easily through a very simple surgery that involves removing the dead battery and placing in the replacement. This device would be “on” at all times, connected to a phone via Bluetooth whenever the user’s phone is in range for Bluetooth connection.
When it comes to cost this is an item that could be covered by medical insurance as it could be used to manage a variety of illnesses. When being paid for out of pocket the goal would be to keep price around $1500-$2000 as the technology that would go into this would be complicated to go along with the minimal size. Manufacturing would be a difficult process due to the very small size of the chip, leading to challenges in mass production of it. Packaging of the product would save money due to the small size, which is a positive. Overall, the goal would be to make the product something that any average person could get and anyone with an illness that would make use of the system eligible for it through medical insurance. Surgery for installation would be around $500 for an average person. Battery replacement surgery would be around $250.
The key with this product is its real-time analysis that can show users what their body needs or has too much of. It would be an unprecedented advancement that could save many lives, allowing users to be notified if their white blood cell count is dangerously low or they are extremely dehydrated. Being able to see things that are wrong before you feel it or know could be the difference between life and death. There have already been many stories about smart watches showing users they had heart arrythmia which led to those users getting medical help before they had a heart attack. The next step is allowing for real time analysis of more human functions, increasing the depth of analysis that can be done.
Not only would it save lives, but it will also become a huge difference maker in athletics. Making sure athletes have the correct nutrition is key to peak performance and being able to see hydration levels and others in real time may be the difference between a win and a loss. It could show users how many calories they have burned, their blood oxygen levels, what vitamins they are lacking in, etc. Adding this device into athletics can increase safety, as heat stroke, dehydration, cardiac arrest, and other sudden onset health incidents that may happen can be avoided. It can also be used to tell if a player has had a concussion, making determining whether an athlete has had a concussion, a sometimes-difficult issue, a problem of the past. The possibilities in athletics will usher in a new era of safety and peak athlete performance that will change it forever, records being broken and athlete longevity becoming more common.
The customizability of the app is something else that can increase the functionality and effectiveness of the device. For example, it could be customized for the needs of diabetes users, giving a notification to their phone for their blood glucose levels or insulin levels. It will make managing incurable illnesses less stressful, giving users confidence to do more, knowing they can check on their body at any time. Athletes could set notifications for managing hydration levels, carbohydrate needs and more. The chip would also be able to sense when users are having a stroke or going into cardiac arrest and through, they app, notify emergency services so they user can help medical help as quickly as possible.
The interface of the app (Figure 1) would be a very simple and minimalistic design that would encourage findability and discoverability. Making sure all users can read and understand what they are looking at on the app is of the utmost importance. The product would be marketed to users of all ages so anyone from a child to an elderly person would need to easily use the application. The colors would be simple black and white with some gray mixed in so that use for colorblind users would be much easier without having to adjust settings. Large font to making reading text easier would also be an important part of the interface. The app would be compatible with all operating systems like iOS and Android.
It would also change the way doctors and hospital visits go as they would be able to have instant access to user vitals with permission of the user. It would save time and money on tests and make diagnosing disease quicker when time is of the upmost importance. Using the chip to help diagnose disease at hospitals and doctors’ offices will help weed out misdiagnosis and missed illnesses once again saving more lives. It would also help users avoid unnecessary doctors’ visits, with a quick reading telling them whether something really is wrong or not. The chip will change the efficiency of the health care system for the better.
In conclusion this is a product that could change the way we conduct and view healthcare. It could increase efficiency and can increase effectiveness of treatment with less misdiagnosis. It can revolutionize fitness and athletics for the better, increasing athlete peak performance and increasing safety for athletes, making injuries less common. It will also help people with incurable illnesses manage them in a much easier way. There are so many ways this device can help people, its something I can see on the horizon with the way technology is advancing right now.
