Bangkok: Day 2 of this incredible and innovative summit from the Singularity University and the central focus has come from Dr. Daniel Kraft, focusing on the digital revolution in the Health Industry. Healthcare 4.0 is set to take effect in the coming years which will start the process of revolutionizing the health care system as we know it, improve lives, extend and promote longevity and encourage wellness, fitness, and nutrition.

What will healthcare 4.0 look like in a decade?

There are key areas that we must take into consideration when implementing tech in the health industry. As we are all aware and can agree upon the smartphone with digital apps are well and truly integrated into our lives. The health industry and tech geeks are already creating a wide range of apps that will cover a wide range of industries within the health sector.

The Digital age is generating an overload of information and data that needs to be processed, utilized and condensed into manageable and transferable statistics which can be used in order to progress into Health 4.0. We are slowly becoming an internet of healthcare and medical care that can benefit from apps that can help create faster, more effective ways of gaining the right help and information. There will also be the emergence of 5G which will really move the apps and internet faster. This will create a culture of mobile and digitalization health which will help with the aging populations, rising costs, and the unfragmented Big Data.

The emergence of Digital health will help to cease global health issues that affect poorer nations and enable global aid. Japan has already invented 'UberHealth'. This is the humanized version of the app and really connects the dots by enabling people to get to and from hospitals and medical centers easily and cost-effectively. This is the first of its kind and with swift adoption and integration, the evolvement of UberisedDoctor will come to the forefront which brings healthcare professionals to your door. Amazon is creating and will supply drones that will deliver pharmaceuticals. This is very advanced but gives us an indication of where things are heading in terms of technological developments.

There are 5 main areas that will be developed under the health tech umbrella: 

Health & Prevention

Tracking our behaviors and regulating things like our sleep, alcohol intake and smoking can quickly reduce the fatal causes of these damaging and stress provoking vices.

The arrival of FitBits can sensor and evaluate and track this data which are readily available as we speak.

Quantified self - to quantified health/Digital health

Things that can improve, manage health and detect illnesses quickly.

Photorealistic scans that can be downloadable and used via iPhones and Ipads can help to scan areas of your body to detect illness. Smart Watches are also the newest tech-savvy form of tracking our personal health.

Apps for your iPhone can help with posture for example. There are robots that help you sleep better. Sleep trackers, pollution trackers, wearable tech that can sense and pick up on tremors. We can track Babies as they sleep and breathe through the invention of 'Cocoon Cam' which also analyzes their data. 

The integration of these devises and apps are still developing and need testing and structures to improve their functionality.

Improving mental health 

Depression is up and so are suicide rates which need to be addressed and helped through the use of technology. AI phycologists are becoming a thing where we can use this technology to interface and help people who have mental health problems. AI and other forms of technology can help track and prevent neurological disorders with the integration of detailed brain scans. 

Asia's access to mental health is still limited and needs to be vastly improved, integrated and removed of stigmas.

Collecting Data

By collecting data we can diagnose heart disease quicker with improved technology, the data can help to generate patient-centered care, health kits which connect to our personalized health. We can also map put the world health problems through data, collect data on Pharmaceutical drugs and mobilize health records.

Medical education

Health 4.0 and digital tech will focus on and change the way we teach medicine as well as advancing and promoting more non-invasive surgery, improving the lives of civilians globally.

Companies like Google have already invented the Augmented Reality Glasses which are perfect for surgeons and give more visual perspective.  AR can redefine pain management and the way we teach and perform surgery.

Guided meditation is also an extremely forward thinking and imperative domain of overall health which can be enhanced by AR. Mindfulness training  Train your child that has ADHD to play the game to improve your kid's attention span instead of drugs! 

The interlinked and connectedness of the gut and brain health can be assessed and can focus on the microbiome that lies in our gut and you can test your own microbiome at home to rebalance and reset your natural rhythm which will ensure optimum health.

Diagnostics will also become much easier and in particular with the complex and complicated diseases such as Alzheimers and Dementia through eye tracking games.

Taking a glance into a more in-depth futuristic tech health industry we will see drone operated emergency ambulances, bitcoin body scan diagnostic tools, research Crowdsourced data that reveals insight and innovation. 

The future is already here for improving and creating a better health care system through sophisticated technology, however, it will take a long time for the full adoption and use of these sophisticated apps and tech to be widely used which will need proper education to help the masses.

Bio of DR. DANIEL KRAFT, Founding Executive Director & Chair, Exponential Medicine, Singularity University

Education :

• Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry, Brown University
• Medical Doctor, Stanford University School of Medicine
• Residency: Harvard Combined Residency in Internal Medicine & Pediatrics
• Fellowships: Stanford, Hematology/Oncology & Bone Marrow Transplantation

About :

Daniel Kraft is a Stanford and Harvard trained physician-scientist, inventor, entrepreneur, and innovator. With over 25 years of experience in clinical practice, biomedical research and healthcare innovation, Kraft has served as Faculty Chair for Medicine & Neuroscience at Singularity University since SU's inception, and founded and is chair of Exponential Medicine, a program that explores convergent, rapidly developing technologies and their potential in biomedicine and healthcare.

For more information on Daniel Kraft follow the link:  http://www.singularityuthailandsummit.org/speakers