Verily Study Watch

Back in Oct 2016 I listened to Dr. Insel's talk at a seminar jointly hosted by the Blackdog Institute, UNSW and USYD via podcast All in the mind, about 'Humans and Machines: A quest for better mental health', and in it he also talked about the role of the institute he's working at, Verily, which was previously called Google Life Science, focusing on how technology can assist human society in dealing with mental health issues.

After listening to the talk I had an idea, based on the talk, I was wondering what could we use with Google's current product lineup in helping society's current health or any other issue.  So I thought about Android Assisted Care, obviously from the idea where Android Wear and other Android Devices could provide a lot of data and assistance needed.

At the time I had the idea like this:

1. Country Setting: Japan
2. Target Users: Ageing Population Living alone (Sources: 1, 2) or for people who need to take care of their elderly parents but unable to to be with them 24/7 nor do they have the financial backings to let their parents to live in a care facility.
3. Devices required: Any two of the three Android Wear, Android Phone, Android TV with video camera, with 24/7 uninterrupted high speed internet connection.  Extra Android devices like Sharp's RoBoHon or Google Glass 2 may also be useful as well if programmed to integrate with the whole Android Assisted Care system.
4. Target Problems:
1. Dying alone - many Japanese elderly are now living alone, caused either by passing of their spouse in earlier years and or maybe divorce later in life or not divorce but just living apart from their spouse. (Sources: 1, 2)  If unfortunate accident happened, one might die alone, which seems to becoming more often.
2. Lack of funding for employing social workers - with such big population of elderly, it is understandable that the government at every level with current economic weather do not have enough funding to employ more people to look after their elderly if the elderly were not sick, or injured. However they still require constant contact with the welfare system, more so when they are living alone so if there are any early symptoms of say anxiety or depression, then social worker may be able to intervene to help the elderly.
5. How Android Assisted Care could help?
1. Data provision - Android wear - providing your daily health data especially vital signs.  A fall in the bathroom maybe deadly when the elderly could not stand up by him/herself. There are products such as LiveLife Personal Medical Alarm that can detect and sends out calls, I think Android wear can do that easily and with more function as well.  Also I think any Android wear can be prettier than that alarm...
2. Counselling - Android phone/Android TV with video camera - it is common for social workers to go visit elderly citizens in their area to see how things are going and or if there are any problem.  Frequency may be once per week or once per month I think.  However, with the help of Video Chat apps like Google Hangout/Skype, such "visit" can be more often. Video chats may not replace actual home visit but it does gives more opportunities to the caregivers to understand the lives of the elderly.  This also may help the social workers to visit more people even if the government isn't willing to employ more social workers.  With help of AI monitor/analysing the talk between the Counsellor/Social Worker and the elderly in real time, they may help detecting many more sign of psychological disorder/trauma etc as shown in the use Crisis Text Line.
3. Crisis handling - fall, burglar intrusion, elderly with early/light dementia or alzheimer's illness suddenly have short lapse of brain function and got lost in the area.  With GPS on hand or forcing the video app to turn on TV/Phone to see what is happening around the elderly can provide the helpers necessary and timely information before situation worsen.

Recent release of Verily Study Watch I suppose fits in nicely with Android Assisted Care system where it is so light and yet elegant to wear.

Then what are the problems?

1. Privacy intrusion - very obvious; so much information can be stolen and used.
2. Finances - who would pay for the whole system design and implementation and hardware (well hardware part may be easy with banks and hardware provider coming together to provide some sort of loan/layby scheme for the family to pay over long period of time).
3. Politics - with such large care system, public health care and welfare system are greatly affected, and this would probably need some strong minded politicians to start and oversee things through.
4. Machine control - with more and more network and AI-connected IOT springing up in the market some argue the end is near when the machine will ultimately rule every aspect of our life.  Such fear is not unwarranted and it is probably going to be the biggest hurdle to jump in the future.

Anyway, with the intention to read more, think more and finally write more, I probably will put out more of my funny ideas here...who knows what will happen but I do hope one day my writings may help someone in someway.