2014 SXSW Interactive Recap
South by South West (SXSW) Interactive took place from March 7th-March 11th in Austin, Texas. This year there were 1,322 sessions, 2,800 speakers, and over 30,000 participants. Not only was this the biggest year for SXSW attendees, but health topics were unavoidable and a prominent focus at the conference. We posted real-time highlights on Instragram, Twitter, and the CDMi Blog, and have summarized key themes from the conference below:
Evolving Tech
While we’ve all heard about Robots, 3D printing, and Augmented, this year they were bigger and better than ever. While most of us don’t use any of these on a daily basis, all are going to be part of our daily lives. One robot that is sure to come to an office near you is the Beam, proving if you have to be remote you can still feel like you are there in person.
The Quantified Self
Wearables may be new, but they are EVERYWHERE! There are currently 181 wearable devices across multiple areas of focus. One that everyone is familiar with is Google Glass, which recently teamed up with Ray-Ban to bring style to technology. A new device, the Nymi allows you to communicate to your favorite devices, with a simple motion based on your heart beat. But we can’t forget about health and wearables, the June tracks your sun exposure, Insupad helps diabetics manage their insulin intake, and Sproutling allows you to monitor your baby’s heart rate and breathing. Expect to see wearables continue to grow and become a fixture of everyday life.
When Tech Meets Health
There are many aspects to health and technology, one focus is gamification. Apps like Mango gets prescribed at point of care, helps patients stay compliant through tracking and rewards. Kolibree tooth brush collects data on your brushing habits and lets you compare scores with family and friends.
There is also the aspect of personal health. The Scanadu and the Wello iPhone case allow you to measure heart-rate, blood pressure, temperature, ECG. With all this information you can analyze, track, and trend your vitals overtime to help better manage your life.
Privacy
From Julian Assange to Edward Snowden, personal privacy was a hot topic. How long should your information be stored? What type of information is being collected? Just a few questions that were asked at SXSW. While those questions remain, there are companies like Ghostery and Secret that are tackling privacy head on. Ghostery allows you to see what companies are tracking you, and how to block them. And in the anti-social, social world Secret allows you to openly share what you’re thinking and feeling with your friends without names or profiles!
Connected Experiences
In the Internet of Things (IOT) makes the physical world digital and the digital world more physical. Imagine a time where you can ask your refrigerator if you have any eggs, and it giving you an answer. While that may seem far off, the technology is here. One company bringing the idea of the physical world to life is Toymail. Toymail allows you to connect with your kid by sending them a message through your smart phone, and having it delivered through their toymail box.
Overall, SXSW 2014 proved to be a big year for Technology and Health and is expected to continue to grow!
If you are interested in hearing more and seeing the full SXSW presentation, reach out to us here.
