Mems, the iPhone and “Health Piggy-Backing”

Posted on | July 10, 2007 | Comments Off on Mems, the iPhone and “Health Piggy-Backing”

I got a good look at the new iPhone this week, thanks to my son Marc, a 32-year-old think-tanker always on the leading edge of technology, especially Apple technology. One of the neatest features, which he first showed me in the online demo, and then in real life, is the ability of the phone, when switched from vertical to horizontal, to reformat its screen for video viewing. The ability to do this is the result of tiny mechanical motion sensors or accelerometers, a type of microelectromechanical system known as “mems.” Mems inertial sensors, including accelerometers and gyroscopes, are a hot market these days — $7.6 billion in sales last year, according to the Wall Street Journal. And that’s with significant price compression (low-end “mems” cost $20 just five years ago and now costs $2).

Anyway, the big sellers are the inertial sensors. They help keep the Segway scooter smooth, Sony upright dog Aibo “upright,” and the iPhone cognizant of shifts in position. They are also used in geographic positioning products (Celestron, LLC), game systems like Nintendo’s Wii, musical instrument distortion control (Source Audio, LLC), and motion-sensing clothing for athletic training (Xsens Technology — think hang-time in Olympic snowboarders or balance positioning in speed skaters).

Now product users of “mems” are experimenting with feedback loops (think a vibration alert to a sprinter whose positioning just ahead of the starting gun is marginally off).

Oh, and one more thing, rehab experts are already dreaming of speeding up stroke recovery, or better yet, picking up early signs of stroke, preventing falls due to aging, or driving real time data for fitness and wellness-oriented lifespan planning.

So when you see the iPhone, think of “mems.” It’s part of a dynamic, ever growing, and imaginative world of micro-technology that will soon revolutionize health. Here’s how it should go: First, connectivity. Second, reposition health around the home. Third, generate real-time data. Fourth, provide immediate feedback and coaching. Fifth, integrate into a killer application, the Lifespan Planning Record.