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What if your washing machine automatically set its water temperature after sensing the condition of your clothes? Or, what if your medicine cabinet could remind you to take your allergy medication when the local pollen count spiked into the red zone?
Such futuristic devices may be in your home sooner than you think.
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Technology researchers at Accenture conduct pioneering research, and envision how technology will impact our lives in the future. We're looking at how emerging technologies, placed in ordinary household devices and connected to the right source, can deliver information and services to people when and where they need it.
One example is the Online Medicine Cabinet, a prototype developed by Accenture that demonstrates how technology will enable us to take more control over our own healthcare. It combines sensors with the power of the Internet and embedded computers to create a "situated portal"—a smart appliance that continuously monitors the needs of people and responds with appropriate, individualized services.
By using a camera and face-recognition software, the cabinet can identify different persons in a household, and their special needs. For example, if an individual suffers from allergies or asthma, the Online Medicine Cabinet will provide information such as the day's pollen count, and remind that person to take their medicine. Sensors on prescription bottle labels allow the cabinet to identify each drug and alert consumers if they have taken the wrong bottle—or if it's the right bottle at the wrong time. This is vital, because at present, nearly one third of all hospital visits result from consumers not following their doctor's orders or taking the wrong medication.
The Online Medicine Cabinet also enables consumers to monitor vital signs, such as blood pressure, heart rate and cholesterol levels, and immediately share this information with their doctor via the Internet. The cabinet also provides a trend chart, so individuals can track their progress. If the chart indicates a problem tendency, the system will suggest that the user make an appointment with their doctor. Naturally, appointments can be made via the cabinet's Internet connection. This will cut down on routine doctor visits, saving time and money for consumers, doctors and insurance companies.
What's the lesson for forward-looking enterprises? The combination of Internet connectivity, miniaturized electronics, and robust back-end systems will enable thousands of creative solutions. Consumers will do their grocery shopping through a screen on their refrigerator door, buy clothing through a connected closet, and tune their car's engine by plugging in to an online port in their garage. Companies that create and deliver these solutions will gain competitive advantage. Further, multiple applications may be integrated at the household or office level, becoming part of a total broadband solution.
For more information on the Online Medicine Cabinet, please contact us.
The Online Medicine Cabinet is another example of Silent Commerce—the next big wave of technological change that is revolutionizing business!
Publications
Magic Medicine Cabinet: A Situated Portal for Consumer Healthcare
Dadong Wan
First International Symposium on Handheld and Ubiquitous Computing (HUC '99), 27-29 September 1999, Karlsruhe, Germany
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Abstract]
The Online Medicine Cabinet delivers a wide variety of health-related products and services into the home.