Exercise 4 Medical Gadgets

Read the article about new medical gadgets. Then write a summary explaining the aims behind the development of the technology and the issues that need to be addressed if the gadgets are to be suitable for the home.

Brushing your teeth twice a day should keep the dentist away. But if a group of scientific researchers have their wish, it will make the rest of your body healthy too. A toothbrush that checks blood sugar and bacteria while you brush is currently in development in the USA. It is one of many gadgets proposed by engineers and doctors at the Center for Future Health in New York –others include a pair of spectacles that help to jog your memory, and a home camera designed to check for cancer.

The devices seem fanciful, but the basic principles are simple. The gadgets should make it easy for people to detect illness long before it strikes and so seeks treatment far earlier than normal. Instead of relying on hi-tech hospitals, the emphasis is shifted to the home and easy-to-use gadgets. In the long run, the technology may even prevent illness by encouraging us to lead healthier lives.

Intelligent bandages are a good example. Powerful sensors within the bandage could quickly identify tiny amounts of bacteria in a wound and determine which antibiotics would work best. The cut could then be treated instantly, so avoiding possible complications.

Socks are long overdue for a makeover. In the future, they will be able to automatically detect the amount of pressure in your foot and alert you when an ulcer is imminent.

All the projects should have far-reaching implications, but the biggest single development is a melanoma monitor designed to give early warnings of cancer. The device could be used to take a picture of your body each week, then compare it to previous images. If a problem is found, the system would advise you to get a check-up at your doctor’s surgery.

If all this sounds nerve-wracking, then help is at hand. Experts are also working on a ‘digital doctor’, complete with a comforting bedside manner. A standard computer would be able to understand your voice and answer questions about your symptoms in plain English and in a way which would calm your nerves.

Stress is no sweat either. A portable communication aid could recognise certain phrases and tones and let you know when you are about to lose your temper. The software would also suggest ways of keeping your cool.

Computer therapists are a little way off yet, but the projects are ready to be prototyped and trialled. Researchers are still struggling, however, with making the technology cheap and simple enough for the domestic user. Thatis going to be the difficult part.