Emerging Technology 💻

Brief Description

We will explore how wearable technology can be beneficial to predict sleep apnea. I chose to research Blackstone Medical Services sleep ring which monitors heart rate, pulse, body movement, and snoring. These monitored behaviors as a collective along with some other is what a Physician will use to form a diagnosis. 

My Why

I chose this topic because this is a test I am currentlly taking because I have sleep apnea. I was diagnosed in the past but never received treatment, and since my in person test was completed so many years ago, those results cannot be used to treat. I suffer with many of the side effects from sleep apnea, and it's a daily struggle so I must recieve treatment for some relief. 

Original Photo of My Device

CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Lessons Learned

Technology has advanced to give you a non-invasive way of testing for sleep apnea at home. Unlike other at home testing devices this ring is easily wearable compared to the facemask which can be quite uncomfortable, especially when trying to change positions. The ring uses artificial intelligence, and some sensors to collect data needed for a diagnosis. While this is not the test for everyone it is a beneficial for some people such as myself whom do not have severe conditions and prefer the comfortability of testing at home over in-person testing. This ring helps with early detection along with some other at home testing devices such as the mask. There are some downsides to these at home devices such as, false negative, and false positive results. You also must expose some personal information to use this at home testing device so users must be cautious. It is always a good idea to review the companies privacy policy before using at home testing devices. 

Unit Terms

• Digital Divide

• Emerging Technology

• Primary Source 

• Secondary Source