CES/Silvers Summit/Digital Health roundup

Views at variance of CES and the Silvers Summit:

  • From an exhibitor in Digital Health:  plenty of visitors and a great crowd, definitely up from last year, but the Silvers Summit and Digital Health ‘tech zones’ on the expo floor were separated, with unrelated products placed across the aisle, leading to some confusion.
  • Senior Housing News:   “The Digital Health Summit and Silvers Summit covered a full day of presentations that went from 8 am until almost 6 pm in rapid fire sessions of 45 minutes a piece.  Next year, the organizers plan on having a day for each.  The Digital Health sessions were standing room only and the Silvers Summit were near capacity until the very end.  Very wide ranging audience from care providers, software professionals, hardware engineers, senior technology firms.  This part of CES will continue to grow more in the coming years…guaranteed.”  Key takeaway:  these manufacturers, largely small and entrepreneurial, not only focus on their hardware and software, but service.  The writer highlights technologies with direct and indirect use such as the aforementioned Wellcore (fall detection), Carnegie-Mellon, Kwikset’s SmartCode with Home Connect Technology (front door connects to your cell phone, connects to your thermostat, lighting, security) and  Dakim (brain fitness).  And an interesting personal story about a 60+ year old mom evangelizing the iPhone to her older siblings.  Article
  • CommNexus‘ (San Diego network of communications companies and related) video coverage of CES features eight minutes of interviews (at 15:15-23:00) about digital health: a discussion by Wayne Fishburn of Cooley Godward Kronish and Don Jones (VP Business Development) of Qualcomm about the Paul Jacobs (Qualcomm) keynote which included several digital health devices demonstrated by Dr. Eric Topol of the West Wireless Health Institute.  Qualcomm is a key supporter of WWHI, and an illustration on San Diego’s telcom and life sciences business are coming together to form a cluster of wireless health. A short demonstration of a digital cardiac monitor at the Qualcomm booth and MedApps round out this segment.  CommNexus website; click on CES link to download video. 
  • More on Dr. Topol’s demos at Mobihealthnews: the Corventis PiiX peel and stick sensor transmitting heartbeat, blood pressure and body temperature from Texas to his iPhone;  the portable Vscan ultrasound by GE Healthcare, and Mobile Baby by Great Connection, which securely transmits fetal ultrasound images to smart phones.  It’s currently in use in Sweden with US planned in the near future.   The standard they use is common to medical images and other industrial areas, so applicability is broad.  Article.

To be continued…..