Sleep and pee tracking via an app
There is truly an app for that, and this product, Lumi by Pampers, reports to an app both how long baby slept, as well as if baby is dry, wet or really wet. CNN
dis-rup-shun: It was only a matter of time before the connected diaper debuted — following smart underwear released several years ago. Despite the convenience of a diapering app, successful parenting is usually related to learning to be flexible. This may be an example of too much data not being helpful and, of course, your child becomes another data set to be ‘safeguarded’ by Pampers and their cloud provider. Truthfully, this technology may be better served for senior’s diapers, such as Depends.
Anthem and K Health app improves doctor experience
Finally, Anthem offers an app to help text with doctors, get pricing and information about care, and generally make healthcare more convenient. Visits to primary care physicians have plummeted over 18% by health care insurance holders over the past several years. Healthcaredive
dis-rup-shun: The traditional healthcare industry has, so far, missed the boat on convenience, transparency and competition. Neighborhood walk-in clinics and in-store clinics at drugstores are punishing primary care physicians whose services, thanks to higher deductibles and the escalating prices of treatments, have been pushed to “treatment of last resort.” Technologies to demystify and simplify doctor visits will be critical, but will continue to be resisted by traditional practitioners who never learned the basics of marketing.
Why does facial recognition discriminate?
Facial recognition technologies already in place in travel (airports and customs) applications do not work well on black females. Black men, white women and white men are more accurately detected. French company Idemia has sold its system to law enforcement in France, United States and Australia and readily acknowledges problems identifying blacks and black females in particular. The reasons for the deficiencies are unknown, but could be related to the fact that models used in development of the technology are generally white males. Wired
dis-rup-shun: We expect technology to remove human bias that results in unequal treatment and make our society a better place to live. The idea that software developers, mostly caucasian or Asian, are able to inadvertently build-in racial bias raises new concerns, especially when law enforcement increasingly relies on new technologies. Racial and gender neutrality impartiality must be a part of technology acceptance testing.
VC investment in drones is on the rise
Analysts Teal Group forecast the consumer drone market to triple over the next 10 years, while the commercial markets, including agriculture, construction, insurance, energy, communications and delivery systems, will increase 600 percent to $9.5 billion by 2028. Forbes
dis-rup-shun: While package delivery via drone has been discussed at length, expect the first commercial drone sightings to be of your home insurance agent inspecting your roof and property before renewal or responding to a claim. Construction companies will also utilize drones to scope infrastructure repairs on tall buildings, bridges, and power poles.