Tag: wearable technology device

Could wearable technology be the next anti-anxiety treatment?

A new form of headset may be able to lower anxiety levels better than drugs, caffeine, or alcohol.

A new type of wearable technology from Thync, which comes in the form of an electronic headset, is being designed to be able to reduce the tension that people feel in their bodies so that their stress and anxiety levels can safely, rapidly, and effectively be lowered.

This headset involves the attachment of two small electrodes to the temple and back of the neck with a gentle adhesive.

The wearable technology device must currently be worn for 16 minutes and, according to Sumon Pal, the executive director of the neuroscience startup based in Los Gatos, California, the majority of people begin to feel a reduction in their body tension. This results in greater thought focus and clarity, which slows the breathing and causes the thoughts that would typically cause anxiety to rise to become less impactful.

This wearable technology gadget is currently in prototype form and is controlled by an app.

Wearable Technology to help with anxietyThe device produces a type of “vibe” that makes its way through the brain and eases the body. More specifically, it uses transcranial direct stimulation (tDCS), for the triggering of specific brain responses, in order to generate the sensation of serenity and calm, or to boost focus and energy, when needed.

The purpose of these wearables from Tync is not to change the biology of the brain, but is, instead, to offer an individual an improved control over his or her focus, energy, and calm, in a way that is not available through natural pathways. This, according to Jamie Tyler, the chief science officer of the company.

Tyler explained that “Coffee, alcohol, drugs; these are all neuro-enhancers,” adding that “You’re already modifying your brain activity.” However, Thync is hoping to use wearable technology to improve the control that individuals have in those areas so that they can more quickly and effectively manage them in a way that coffee, energy drinks, alcohol, and pharmaceuticals simply cannot. Considering the size of those markets, at the moment, if these wearables could manage to produce similar – but more controllable – effects, there is considerable potential for the company and its creations.

Wearable tech initiative for mhealth launched by team of doctors

The hope of this effort is to be able to bring meaningful health data through these devices.

While wearable tech has been gradually rising in popularity, many believe that it wasn’t until the recent Apple Watch unveiling that this type of device was catapulted into the mainstream spotlight.

That said, even before that time, a team of doctors had started a new effort to make them practical for mhealth.

The wearable tech industry specifically for activity and sports trackers is expected to reach $1.4 billion within the upcoming two years . This will allow for a tremendous collection of activity data. A team of doctors feels that this presents a massive opportunity for leveraging that data to develop resources that will help people to be able to make meaningful decisions with regards to their health care. The team is working under the name Vivametrica.

Vivametrica is aiming to develop a wearable tech based analytics platform that will be a first of its kind.

Wearable Tech - mhealth dataThis platform for wearables will be meant for enterprises, health care providers, and patients, alike. Its development is based on several years of clinical research that connects health risks with various types of activities.

The mobile wearable device being produced by Vivametrics is operating system agnostic, which means that it will be compatible with smartphones regardless of whether they run on iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, or any other operating system. This was because the team was seeking to take a standardized approach to the collection and management of the data. The goal was to help to span the gap that currently exists between current wearable fitness apps and actual health data upon which specific action can be taken.

The Vivametrics company has every intention of using wearable tech to be able to provide improvements in the areas of credible, personalized assessment, and research based analytics. The team is made up of health, medicine, and business experts that include: Dr. Richard Hu (the company’s CEO and founder), Dr. Christy Lane (the company’s COO and co-founder), Dr. Matthew Smuck (the company’s scientific advisor and cofounder), and Scott Valentine (the company’s president).