A new report, commissioned by F5 Networks, provides insight into the future of healthcare and what the relationship between technology and our bodies could look like, highlighting major trends and projections set to significantly impact society in the next decade. Here, Keiron Shepherd, senior security specialist at F5 Networks, explores the implications of those findings
There is a huge amount of pressure on healthcare services today, with much written about the resulting impact on patient care.
You only need to reflect on the recent election campaign to see what an emotive issue it remains throughout the UK.
Advanced technology is taking a bigger role in healthcare than ever before, looking to alleviate some of the burdens on our health systems and provide greater support for our wellbeing
What’s also true is that advanced technology is taking a bigger role in healthcare than ever before, looking to alleviate some of the burdens on our health systems and provide greater support for our wellbeing.
One clear theme underpinning this shift is applications.
Whether being used by organisations to adapt and streamline processes to improve data access and patient care, or by patients themselves looking at ways to better understand and manage their health; the sector is set to be transformed by the evolution of apps.
F5 Networks recently commissioned a report entitled The Future of Apps, conducted by the Foresight Factory, which unveils some fascinating insights into major trends and projections that will significantly impact society over the next decade.
The findings include important trends that will affect the future of healthcare, including how embeddables (ie implants of RFID or NFC chips) are set to transform how we monitor and take care of our bodies.
The next frontier
While certainly not widespread; there is an emerging market for embeddables, which enable users to undertake various functions, such as unlocking their car or phone with a swipe of their hand - after all it wasn’t that long ago that keyless entry into vehicles looked like sci-fi. But technology has quickly developed, something which is likely to be reflected in health.
In medicine, current research is exploring the scope of implants to help create a memory.
Looking ahead, access to growing sets of personal data, combined with the ability to process and manage such information locally, will create new opportunities for consumers to become gatekeepers over their own data
Kernel, a new US-based human intelligence company, is developing a neuroprosthesis that could mimic, repair and improve cognition.
The company aims to create an implantable chip, which sits in the hippocampus region of the brain and can electrically stimulate certain neurons.
By trying to replicate the way the brain cells communicate with each other, it could help those with dementia or a brain injury to be able to create long-term memories again.
A pioneer in this field of human enhancement or ‘transhumanism’ is Neil Harbisson, artist and co-founder of the Cyborg Foundation.
When Harbisson was born, he was only able to see in shades of grey, leading to him having a connected antenna implanted in his skull.
The antenna allows him to perceive visible and invisible colours, such as infrareds and ultraviolets, via sound waves.
Via the antenna, he is also able to receive images, videos, music or phone calls directly into his head via external devices such as mobile phones or satellites.
He is now focused on designing a new ‘organ’ which will be controlled via an external app and bring a further dimension to his senses.
He said: “It [the organ] will be around my head, inside the skin, between the skin, and the bone. It will be circular and give me a point of heat, and the point of heat will go around the head and it will take 24 hours to orbit the whole head. It will give me the exact time so, depending on where I feel the point of heat, I will know what time it is.”
His attitude toward merging his body with technology may seem extreme to some, but with the rise of 3D-printed biological materials, there will be far more possibilities to augment our anatomy in future.
Over a 10-year horizon, a minority of consumers are likely to take such steps. However, it raises the possibility of a radically-different genre of apps that enable users to alter or augment their senses. These apps will be, effectively, a remote control for the human body.
Responding to market changes
Keiron Shepherd
Though these ideas are unlikely to become mainstream in the short term, what’s certain is that there is growing pressure on the healthcare sector to transform its services and capabilities.
Demands are changing at a lightning pace and security concerns are surging.
The Future of Apps report indicates how technology and our bodies are set to become increasingly intertwined.
In the short term, I expect to see applications span the gap between our bodies and technology, enabling organisations and individuals to have a better understanding of their healthcare and the impact this will have on treatments or lifestyle.
What’s also true is that this is set to create immense opportunities for those capable of delivering these apps with speed, adaptive functionality and security.
Based on discussions I’ve had with business leaders in the healthcare sector, many organisations are only just starting to reap the benefits of applications and are still concerned about the resulting security implications of moving too quickly and opening themselves up to threats, such as when Barnaby Jack successfully hacked into a pacemaker.
I believe the need for greater transparency, combined with emerging business models and processes, will drive more people to call for the healthcare industry to safeguard data and improve overall application security standards
Looking ahead, access to growing sets of personal data, combined with the ability to process and manage such information locally, will create new opportunities for consumers to become gatekeepers over their own data.
I believe the need for greater transparency, combined with emerging business models and processes, will drive more people to call for the healthcare industry to safeguard data and improve overall application security standards.
What’s essential is that healthcare organisations keep pace with innovation and make committed plans aligned with the Future of Apps.
