Top 10 Technology Tends for 2013

1. Big data ubiquity, along with machine learning algorithms, and information visualization
2. Video is the platform (example: individual YouTube channels with over 100,000 people making more than $10,000/year from ‘home video’ properties like My Drunk Kitchen, the ShayTards, and Right This Minute) 
3. Wearable computing and objective biometrics: Fitbit, myZeo, WiThings, smartwatch, smartring, wearable electronic patches and tattoos, Google’s Project Glass
4. Fracking
5. eHealth biohacking: Quantified Self-tracking, self-experimenting, group health collaboration, $99 personal genomics (23andMe), $99 personal microbiomics (American Gut Project), $5 home blood-test cards (Talking20) 
6. eLearning: Coursera, Udacity, edX, Class Central (MOOC aggregator)
7. Mobile is still the platform: worldwide smartphone adoption crosses 1 billion
8. Crowdsourced labor marketplaces: CrowdFlower, CrowdSource, oDesk, ClickWorker, Mechanical Turk, mobileworks, TopCoder, Elance, vWorker/Rent a Coder, Guru, 99designs, crowdSPRING, CloudCrowd, Soylent, microtask, LiveOps, Gigwalk
9. Computer security: increasing power of Internet-based activist hacking groups (e.g.; Anonymous)
10. New economic models (crowd-based): crowdfunding (Kickstarter, indiegogo, etc.), sustainable business, and crowdfunded debt forgiveness (from the Occupy movement’s financial arm: Rolling Jubilee)

Up and coming: Consumer EEG rigs wearable 24/7 (Axio, Interaxon) and attendant neural and biometric data privacy rights, ideally sans Faraday Cage 2.0

Still waiting for: nanotech, 3D printing, eHealth data commons with public longitudinal phenotypic data sets

Predictions for 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 

The Rapid Approach of the Health Internet of Things

The efforts of the eHealth movement have been quietly gathering steam for the last five years and are finally fulminating into what could be a significant transformation in the management of health and health care. The most encouraging sign of change is that it consists of not just the usual shiny new technology solutions, but more importantly, structural changes in the public health system:

The 80% slim-down of the doctor’s office visit…

• Telemedicine reimbursement: As of March 2011, only 12 states offered reimbursement for telemedicine services (e.g.; telephone, email, video consultation), and at lower rates than in-office visits. Now more payers and states are starting to approve telemedicine reimbursement, which could be a huge cost savings for the industry as it is estimated that 70% of physician consultations could be handled by phone.

• Majority of diagnosis is straightforward: It is estimated that in 18/20 cases (per Singularity University FutureMed), diagnosis is straightforward, and could be accomplished via telemedicine.

• Trend to higher deductible plans: many programs are underway to transfer employees to higher-deductible plans which both reduces costs and puts more of an emphasis on preventive medicine.

Significant progress could be made with these structural changes acting in concert with the new generation of healthtech tools in areas such as:

• Health sensors, examples: continuous glucose monitoring patches, EEG sensors, ambient assisted living
  

• Quantified self-tracking devices, examples: Fitbit, Zeo sleep tracking, Body Media, Pebble Watch, Nike Fuel Band, Basis Watch

• mHealth (mobile health) apps, examples: The Eatery, MoodPanda, Map My Run, Cardio Trainer

Citizen science health tools

The number of citizen science health and biology projects has been growing in the last few years due to a confluence of factors. Some of these include the plummeting cost of DNA sequencing, the availability of bioinformatics and other web-based data interpretation tools, the possibility of ordering direct-to-consumer blood tests, and having community DIYbio labs for experimentation, education, and support. DIYgenomics has developed a number of boilerplate tools to help in the design and conduct of citizen science health projects:

Study design and organization

• Study design template

Legal/ethics

• Sample informed consent form

Finance

• Study budget template

Recruitment and marketing

• Study flyers: multiple studies, aging study, vitamin deficiency study
• Conference poster
• Participant recruiting plan (per Genomera)