Billions of dollars in health care costs could be saved if only patients were more diligent in taking their prescribed drugs at the right time and in the right amount (dosage). In the future, I am of the opinion that micro-pharmacies—biocompatible devices which release drugs molecules according to a set schedule or in response to specific health conditions (i.e. low bood sugar levels)—are a real possibility. But before this future arrives, the convergence of some new emerging technologies will enable an elegant solution to this issue of non-compliance.
Last week, I described Nokia’s new flexible electronic cellphone—dubbed Morph—and explained how people might soon be wearing their phone as a bracelet. Well, yesterday, researchers at Georgia Tech described how a low-cost necklace could soon be used to increase drug compliance.
At the present time, Georgia Tech’s necklace isn’t very stylish but if you consider how technologies such as “Morph” might soon change this, it is possible to see how this new jewerly could minimize noncompliance costs.
In the near future it also could soon free people from the venerable old habit of tying a shoestring around their finger.
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Jack Uldrich is a writer, futurist, public speaker and host of jumpthecurve.net. He is the author of seven books, including Jump the Curve and The Next Big Thing is Really Small: How Nanotechnology Will Change the Future of Your Business. He is also a frequent speaker on future technology and future trends, nanotechnology, innovation, change management and executive leadership to a variety of businesses, industries and non-profit organizations and trade associations.
