Biometrics in Sports
Athletes—and the cadre of professionals who surround them—are always looking for an edge over their opponents. Advances in technology have now made a whole new class of information readily available to athletes, coaches, trainers, and even fans. It’s called biometrics, the science of measuring and analyzing data collected from the body, such as heart rate or hormone levels.
Read the whole story at IEEE Pulse: The Rise of Biometrics in Sports.
Drug Overdose Deaths in the U.S.
The good news: Data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that drug overdose deaths have dropped for the first time since 1990. Between the 12-month period ending December 2017 and the 12-month period ending December 2018, there was a 5.1% decline in overdose deaths. Now the bad news: Experts still see worrisome signs in the data.
Read my latest story for IEEE Pulse magazine: Drug Overdose Deaths Decline, But Remain Historically High.
Gene Therapy for Rare Disorders
After decades of promise tempered by setbacks, gene therapies are nowbringing new treatment options for a variety of inherited and acquireddiseases.
Recently, clinical trials at the NIH Clinical Center and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have shown that gene therapy can safely correct the immune systems of children born without critical infection-fighting cells. These successes are the result of safety modifications and improvements in gene transfer efficiency and delivery fueled by basic science research. Now, as clinical progress in the field rapidly grows, gene therapies are beginning to benefit those with inherited immunodeficiencies, blood disorders, blindness, neuromuscular disease, and more.
Read my story at IEEE Pulse: Advances in Gene Therapy Offers Hope for Rare Disorders.
Robotic Pets: A Senior's Best Friend?
We are in the midst of a demographic phenomenon known as the graying of society. In more affluent countries, the population is aging. This demographic shift, along with a shortage of health care personnel, has led to increasing demand for new technologies that can assist the elderly in their daily lives. One result is a growing menagerie of robotic pets designed to address the companionship needs of older adults. Who are robotic pets for and what can they do?
Read my latest story for IEEE Pulse magazine: Robotic Pets: A Senior's Best Friend?
Health Care Chatbots
Chatbots are computer programs designed to carry on a dialogue with people, assisting them via text messages, applications, or instant messaging. Essentially, instead of having a conversation with a person, the user talks with a bot that’s powered by basic rules or artificial intelligence. Chatbots are already widely used to support, expedite, and improve processes in other industries and now the technology is gaining traction in health care, where it is helping patients and providers perform myriad tasks.
Read the whole story at IEEE Pulse: Health Care Chatbots Are Here to Help.