In our latest installment about wearable technology, we’ll go over a few devices that may be able to improve your health in regards to both back pain and living with diabetes.
Valedo
One of the biggest health complaints that Americans deal with on a daily basis is back pain. This especially plagues office workers that sit for eight hours a day. Designated back stretches and ergonomic desks can help, but the FDA has just approved a wearable device that may work even better. Valedo is a wearable for anyone who has issues with back pain, or is looking to simply strengthen their back muscles without having to hit the gym. Valedo’s claim is that it can stabilize your spine, which in turn may help reduce back pain in the long term. Valedo comes with two sensors that attach to your lower back and chest using provided medical tape. When used in conjunction with Valedo’s app can walk you through a series of exercises that you can do while you are sitting or standing.
The app that works with Valedo has a video game style interface, to make tracking the device fun while still being user-friendly. Valedo is compatible with Android and iOS, as long as it is an iPhone 5 or 6 model, and at least a 3rd generation iPad or iPad Mini.
Google’s Smart Contact Lens Project
Diabetes has been on the rise in the U.S over the last ten years, so naturally there have been endless innovations to help manage the condition and to make life easier for diabetics. In terms of innovation, no one comes close to Google. So it makes sense that they have come out with a potential fix to one of the most painful and annoying aspects of having diabetes – checking blood sugar levels. To date, the most popular method of checking blood sugar (otherwise known as glucose) levels has been by pricking a finger with a needle and analyzing the blood. It’s recommended that a diabetic’s glucose be checked regularly, depending on the severity of a person’s condition. Some diabetics check their glucose levels weekly, others must check hourly. Although it’s a small amount of blood that is needed to check glucose levels, anyone who has had their finger pricked knows that it stings. This is where Google steps in.
Google introduced the concept of its smart contact lens project last year, which may change the lives of diabetics everywhere. This smart contact lens has a wireless chip that can detect and measure the glucose levels in your body by the tears in your eyes, via a tiny antenna that can detect blood sugar levels. Although the contact lenses are still in development and are not in production as of yet, diabetics around the world are eagerly awaiting a release date.
