Well Being (122)

17-year-old Brittany Wenger from Florida has won the Google Science Fair Grand Prize for developing an app that helps doctors diagnose breast cancer. She developed a program that learns from patterns and mistakes in data sets taken from “fine needle aspirates” samples, a minimally invasive procedure that - on its own - is rather inaccurate at detecting breast cancer. Wenger’s program, however, has 99.11% accuracy.
 

Why it matters

There’s a growing trend in ‘biofeedback’ apps allowing people to monitor their overall health. By combining biology and computer science, this teenager has created a groundbreaking diagnosis program that could help doctors around the world easily detect a disease that affects 1 in 8 women.  Could technology and crowd-sourced data help us understand, detect and prevent diseases before it’s too late?
 

The New York College of Health Professions has created a wirelessly-controlled wearable skin patch that is able to deliver acupuncture-like treatment on demand.

People can already buy adhesive patches that relieve aches by putting pressure on acupuncture points. However this new patch uses electrical currents to provide stimulation triggered whether by touching it, through a wireless remote control or by scheduling pre-determined electrical pulses. The new device is meant to alleviate pain between acupuncture visits with a therapist.

Why it matters

People are constantly looking into ways to make themselves feel better through a number of different ways – and not necessarily with the help of a health professional. While self-treatment can sometimes be cost and time effective, should health treatments also become more convenient for a time-poor society?
 

The Japanese restaurant Nihondo Kampo School, serves up a unique menu to their patrons. Guests are asked to bring traditional Chinese remedies to the restaurant for cooks to prepare a delicious and healthy meal.
 

Why it matters

A restaurant that prepares meals with an authentic  health benefit caters directly to consumer’s increasing need for truly healthy food. The concept also caters to each individual needs. Could the restaurant of the future be one where you simply choose ingredients and leave it up to the cook to make whatever inspires them?