Your health is in your smartphone

Scales with Wi-Fi, a plug with Bluetooth and three more progressive methods to monitor health

Andrey Pisny, Computerra

World Health Day was held on April 7. This day is considered suitable for thinking about how healthy a lifestyle we lead and how we can improve the situation. But what about the other 364 days of the year? To keep yourself in good shape and avoid health problems, you need to keep an eye on the body all the time, and this is a much more difficult task, and not everyone can cope with it on their own.

Usually we go to the doctor only if we suddenly felt serious symptoms of the disease: something suddenly started to hurt or, God forbid, swollen. Often by this time nothing can be achieved by soft methods: "It's too late to drink borjomi when the kidneys have failed," says folk wisdom. But what if we could track our health indicators continuously? This will help us to receive timely signals of impending trouble and, in some cases, save lives. Moreover, seeing these indicators, we will more often make the right decisions in everyday situations.

Here are five gadgets that will allow you to lead a healthier lifestyle and monitor different indicators of your body.

1. Electronic Bracelets Up and Fuleband, Fitbit clipGadgets that track the user's every movement and calorie consumption are slowly becoming a familiar accessory.

The first was Fitbit, which has been producing a number of "smart" clips since 2008, and in 2011, Jawbone showed the Up bracelet for the first time. Nike picked up the fashion by creating a FuelBand bracelet. All three devices are great for tracking your activity. Up has the most detailed statistics and the ability to monitor sleep, the Nike bracelet has a pleasant appearance, and Fitbit is suitable for those who prefer to wear the device on their clothes rather than on their hand.

2. Withings ScalesBody weight is one of the most useful and familiar metrics to us, and floor scales are an extremely common gadget.

But not everyone is ready to take measurements seriously – get up on the scales every day and record their readings. It doesn't matter: with the Withings scales, electronics will do the whole routine. The main thing is to overcome your fear of the scales and do not forget to get up on them every day. You can monitor weight changes through a smartphone app or website. There is also a modification of Withings for infants.

3. Hapifork ForkNutritionists strongly recommend not to rush when eating: you should eat slowly, chew thoroughly.

So you can get enough of less food and improve digestion. The Hapifork electronic plug will help you to accustom yourself to this: it will remind you about the timely intake of food and will vibrate signals during meals, helping not to accelerate. Then, through the manufacturer's website or a smartphone app, you can get accurate information about the time and duration of each meal.

4. Lumo Back belt, correcting postureAs a child , we were repeatedly told:

"Sit up straight!" But, unfortunately, it did not help everyone to find a good posture, and problems with the spine are incredibly common. Even if you have straightened up now, reading these lines, how soon will your back bend back to its usual position? The LUMOback belt will not allow this: when you sit or stand incorrectly, a vibration will trigger, reminding you to straighten up. The accompanying smartphone app will help you see the shape of your back from the outside, as well as monitor your progress.

5. Thermometer and pressure meter Scanadu ScoutIn science fiction series, it is often possible to see "magic" devices that instantly diagnose, one has only to wave them next to the patient.

Of course, Scanadu Scout is not capable of this, but its creators have taken the first step: by applying this compact-sized box to your forehead, you can measure your temperature, blood pressure, pulse and even blood oxygen saturation. This, I must say, is much more useful than putting your hand to your forehead and saying "I am the sickest person in the world!" For a more serious diagnosis, Scanadu has a number of other devices: ScanaFlo, for example, will help to independently perform a urine test, and ScanaFlu is an electronic test for respiratory diseases. The readings, of course, are stored in the "cloud" and are available for viewing on the phone screen.

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The market of personal devices that allow you to monitor your health is gaining momentum every year. The prevalence of smartphones has made it easier to interact with a variety of "smart" devices, and the further away, the more convenient and miniature they will become. Researchers call biofeedback one of the most promising technologies, and developments in this area are being carried out both in large corporations and in many small startups.

If now the purchase of a device from the above list requires ordering it from abroad, waiting and generally treating the purchase as something special, then in the future such things will be available in every pharmacy, and clinics will slowly learn to work with the data received by the user at home.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru09.04.2013