November 7, 2017

Texas A&M, Center for Research into Implantable and Wearable Health Technology

Posted on November 7, 2017November 8, 2024 by Staff Writer

The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently gave a $35 million grant to Texas A&M University (TAMU). The bold action will be used in research and development towards technology for rural and urban health. The initial funding will be for $19.75 million which can be renewed for another five years with an additional $15.55 million. The project will be for a total term of ten years and aims to be self-sustaining after that.

If the PATHS-UP team can develop an implantable with a wearable component, it might be necessary for the rest of the hardware and app manufacturers to follow this model. This is a bold idea that may be the most cost-effective as the sensor does not need to be inside the wearable, like a smartphone. Another reason is that the implantable can read more information than what a smartphone is capable of doing

Other participating schools in the project include researchers from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), Rice University, Florida International University (FIU), as well as several private companies and federal agencies. The team will be working at the TAMU campus in College Station, Texas.

The project aims to study and develop new technology which can help monitor and detect medical conditions like heart attacks and diabetes. The research teams will most likely be developing implantable sensors that can send a person’s health condition and other vital signs information to health professionals. These will be inexpensive wearable technology or implantable devices for patients with disproportionately affected diseases.

Implants and Wearables Come of Age

A potential implantable is a device called “lab on a wrist,” which is about the size of a grain of rice. In conjunction with the implantable is a wearable device worn on the wrist, which will help to interpret the data from the implant.

Called the Precise Advanced Technologies and Health Systems for Undeserved Populations (PATHS-UP), it will be headed by Gerard Cote, a professor at Texas A&M. PATHS-UP will be housed at the Texas A&M Health Technologies Building.

The development of implantable and wearable medical technology devices is an emerging trend not only in the academe, but also with startups and established companies. Android and iOS developers are already on a race in developing health monitoring systems. Current wearables are already capable of reading heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature, and can send information to health providers.

In the same manner, Apple is trying to develop a wearable capable of reading a person’s glucose level and send it to health providers and relatives in real time. In the same vein, Fujitsu has also been trying to develop tools for developers to work on. These include standardized Android (application program interfaces) APIs which can read a person’s vital signs. This suite of Fujitsu APIs can help developers to create apps faster, with tested modules, instead of having to test each module created from scrap.

Fitness and Health Monitoring

Current Android and iOS app developers all want to get ahead in bringing more health apps to the users, and is expected to be the next big thing in the world of apps. Health apps would allow Android and iOS software and hardware manufacturers to get ahead of dedicated health and fitness apps. With the ability to read a person’s blood glucose levels, there is also no need to use a needle prick every time a glucose reading is required.

If the PATHS-UP team can develop an implantable with a wearable component, it might be necessary for the rest of the hardware and app manufacturers to follow this model. This is a bold idea that may be the most cost-effective as the sensor does not need to be inside the wearable, like a smartphone. Another reason is that the implantable can read more information than what a smartphone is capable of doing. Additionally, it is also more accurate.

With today’s rapid pace of living, monitoring a person’s vitals has become more technologically-advanced as well. There is a need to deliver the most accurate readings within minutes, or seconds if possible. This allows people to believe that they aren’t neglecting their health no matter how busy they’ve become.

Technology Needs Survey For Teachers; Students Reject Smartwatches

Posted on November 7, 2017March 21, 2024 by Staff Writer

In the recent technology needs survey for teachers conducted by Campus Technology, computing devices drew the spotlight in terms of usability and fitness of for teaching. Unsurprisingly, smartwatches were considered the least valuable tech device for the classroom.

Although laptops topped the list of “value of computing devices for teaching and learning,” it came in second in the list of “hardware used in learning environments.” The top item on that list was “traditional desktop computers/workstation.”

The survey asked teachers and faculty how they use technology, how long do they use it and what type of tech device they use. Even though smartwatches make up almost one-third of all wearable sales, this bold idea and innovation does not seem to have a place in the classroom.

There were 232 faculty members from across the country who participated in the survey. They were asked about their use of technology in the classroom, particularly their likes and dislikes. The majority of the respondents taught in public colleges and universities, with 28% teaching at private nonprofits, and 4% at for-profit schools; 72% of the teachers were from 4-year institutions, 26% taught at community colleges, and the remaining 2% were from “other” institutional levels.

Respondents came from different age groups, with around 47% teaching for more than 20 years; an aggregate 81% have been teaching for more than 11 years. The most common school types are education (22%), business (17%), and liberal arts (12%).

Most Valuable Device for Learning, Laptop

When asked what devices were most valuable for teaching, the various devices were graded according to being “essential,” “valuable,” “so-so,” “not very valuable,” and “detrimental.” The most popular were laptops, which were considered “essential” by 54% of the teachers. This was followed by workstations, which were defined as higher-end and more powerful computers. These were followed by all-in-one computers, traditional desktops and detachable tablets. Of lesser importance were mobile phones, virtual desktops and thin clients, Chromebooks (laptops running Google’s Chrome OS used mainly for internet-connected or cloud-stored activities), and e-readers. Bringing up the rear were smartwatches.

There were no “essential” answers for smartwatches – 9% considered it as “valuable,” 21% said it was “so-so,” 61% responded it was “not very valuable”, and only 9% scored it as “detrimental.”

It is worth asking whether the smartwatch would ever be of any use in a classroom setting. Teachers were also asked what were the “hardware used in learning environments.” The smartwatch was not included in the list. Although laptops topped the list of “value of computing devices for teaching and learning,” it came in second in the list of “hardware used in learning environments.” The top item on that list was “traditional desktop computers/workstation.”

The different questions asked in the survey, as well as the answers, give an idea of how technology is being used in teaching and learning, as well as how these are evolving. It is expected that as new technology is introduced to the market, and new topics are discussed in the classroom, the listing will change accordingly.

The first Teaching with Technology Survey was conducted last year, and there were subtle differences between which happened in the span of a year. The lineup for most valuable for teaching and learning was practically the same as last year. What was different was the significant change to 54% of respondents who considered laptops as “essential,” this was an increase from 49% last year.

Taizo Son, Masayoshi’s Brother, Revamps the Food Industry

Posted on November 7, 2017January 9, 2024 by Staff Writer

The Japanese incubator company Mistletoe launched a new agri-food technology accelerator in Bengaluru, India. Gastrotope, their new bold idea unveiled on September 14^th, made the commitment to invest in start-ups in the food and agri-tech industries.

“I have always believed that innovation comes from the connecting of diverse dots, this time, with the bridge between India and Japan, new and unique solutions to the fundamental questions of food and agriculture will arise,” Taizo mentioned in an interview.

However promising this company may be, people are sitting up and taking notice because of one person: Taizo Son, brother of tech mogul Masayoshi Son whose Softbank successfully infused the largest tech fund in history to the tune of $94 billion.

Taizo is Mistletoe’s CEO but he left Japan to venture into other countries in Asia. The 44-year-old previously worked with Yahoo! Japan and founded the multibillion-dollar gaming company GungHo in early 2002, another bold idea at that time. Taizo also invested in food delivery companies InnerChef and Ninjacart.

While Masayoshi Son believes in infusing funds in the biggest players of a particular industry and keeping a 20 to 40 percent share of these companies, Taizo is a firm believer in riding the next big wave. He invested in gaming while the industry was in its infancy, and proved to be extremely adept at it. He is motivated by the “shock value” of an idea, unlike his brother who invests in companies that have already proven their profitability.

Son Brothers Share a Love for Technology

The two seemingly diverse approaches of the Son brothers converge in technology. Masayoshi’s investments include Arm Holdings, a UK-based processor manufacturer for mobile phones; Nvidia, an American graphics chip manufacturer also into autonomous vehicles; and Didi Chuxing of China and Grab of Southeast Asia, two car sharing companies that are leaders in their respective regions. The Softbank Vision Fund is being used to create more opportunities for a diverse portfolio.

Taizo’s Gastrotope, however, is expected to be up and running by early 2018. It was set up in partnership with InfoBridge, an Indo-Japanese consulting company, and GSF, a tech accelerator. The company is looking at investing in start-ups that deal with food and agricultural technologies, especially those that embody the “farm to fork” ideals.

“I have always believed that innovation comes from the connecting of diverse dots, this time, with the bridge between India and Japan, new and unique solutions to the fundamental questions of food and agriculture will arise,” Taizo mentioned in an interview.

Despite their differences in business approach, the 44-year-old acknowledges his elder brother’s role in introducing technology as an agent of change. Taizo notes that Masa is helping companies that are already growing nicely grow even faster so they can compete at a global scale.

In 2009, Taizo, already a billionaire from the success of Gungho, formed Movida Japan, a seed-stage startup accelerator. Gungho rose to fame with the gaming app Puzzle & Dragons. It still holds the record as the world’s top-grossing application for iOS and Android. The company’s market value in 2013 was $10.4 billion. After that, he formed Mistletoe, a training and support hub for startups. The company creates learning opportunities, facilitates training and helps them with capitalization.

“Early-stage companies need every kind of resource, not just money; they need people, network, good clients, etc.,” the Business Administration graduate from the University of Tokyo said.

His current investments in the food technology industry in Asia, specifically India, is seen as a bold move by many.

Day: November 7, 2017

Texas A&M, Center for Research into Implantable and Wearable Health Technology

Technology Needs Survey For Teachers; Students Reject Smartwatches

Taizo Son, Masayoshi’s Brother, Revamps the Food Industry

Subscribe for exclusive updates!

Builds a Better World.

Connect

Subscribe for exclusive updates!

Builds a Better World.

Connect

How can we help?

How can we help?