There are a growing number of wearable technology devices entering the market healthcare place. These devices provide unprecedented opportunities for citizens to monitor their health and better manage their lifestyles. This presentation provides some insights into the impact of these technologies on personal health management both now and in the future. It also considers the importance of gamification in translating health information into changed behaviours enabled by these technologies.

1. Gamification and Wearable Technologies in Healthcare
A Revolution in Personal Health Management?
Serious Games Conference 2015 Singapore

2. 2
The Perfect Storm of Opportunity
Urgent Societal Issues
● Health – Obesity, Diabetes etc
● Ageing Society – Dementia and
care costs
● Education – Rejection of traditional
practices
● Environment – Unsustainable
demand for Resources
● Commerce – E-Commerce threat
to traditional Physical retailers on
the High Street
Disruptive Technologies
● Wireless Sensor Technologies
● Mobile Applications
● Cloud Computing
● Internet of Things
● Big Data Analytics
● Data Visualisation
● Social Media
Creating synergistic collaborative partnerships across multiple disciplines
and sectors is key to a sustainable future

3. The Impact of Disruptive
Technologies on Personal Health
and Wellbeing
Humans and the Singularity
Mankind and Machines Merging
Will Disruptive Technologies make Humans
All the Same?
All Different?
All the Same but Different?

4. Spot the Similarities
Each individual on this slide is the same but different
but in what ways?

5. The Same but Different !

6. The Same but Different !

7. What is the Impact of Technology on
Human Evolution?
● Our brains are being re-wired for task
swapping capabilities
● Technology is removing or taking over many
cognitive and physical tasks
● Technology is being used to augment our
physical and mental capabilities
● Technology is making our lives “easier”

8. Impact of Technology on Health
Technology has helped to improve life spans,
eradicated diseases, provided cures and
treatments, aided our understanding of the
human physiology and helped us to anticipate
problems……….

9. 9
Top Ten causes of Death 1900 vs 2010

10. 10

11. Obesity is a Global Challenge
11

12. Global Health Issues
Modern Lifestyle
consequences include
many negative effects
which place increasing
demands on available
healthcare resources and
threaten the sustainability
of healthcare services for
future generations

13. Global Challenge – Health
Obesity, Diabetes, Cancer & Cardiovascular Problems
Very High Profile in UK Press and Media

14. Global Challenge – Health
Obesity, Diabetes, Cancer & Cardiovascular Problems
● Sedentary lifestyle
● Convenience foods
● Comfort eating
● Inadequate exercise
● Couch potato syndrome
● Spectator society

15. Who is to Blame?
15
In a Spectator Society we come to expect other people to
resolve global challenges

16. Who is to Blame?
The truth is that we are all collectively responsible through our lifestyle choices…
and we are all collectively able to turn things around…
Television

17. What can be Done ?
The consequences of a failure to address these challenges are unthinkable…..

18. How do we Solve the Problem?
● Develop clinical solutions that prevent or
manage these conditions or
● Influence the food industry and citizens
through public policy interventions or
● Develop better personal health management
solutions and practices
18

19. Clinical Solutions
19

20. Public Policy Interventions
Taxes & Legislation
20

21. Public Policy Interventions
Awareness and Education
21

22. Better Personal Health Management
22

23. Which is the Best Solution?
Who will Provide the Solution?
23
Medical Professionals or Politicians or Citizens?

24. The Transition from Cure to Prevention
It’s quite clear that the best chance we have for
increasing our life spans and overall improving
our health is to adjust our personal behaviours
and to do so at an early age.
24

25. The Same but Different !
My Body is not a Temple it is a Car

26. Navigating Life’s Journey
Life is like a journey from the cradle to the grave. We know the
starting point and the final destination and we are aware of the
places en route but we have little idea of how long the journey
will last and whether the route will be easy or difficult

27. Our Body is our Journey Vehicle
Our body is the vehicle that will take us to our final destination
and its condition determines where we are on that journey, the
nature of the journey and how long it will last. Most of us do not
know or monitor our body’s condition or properly maintain it

28. Cars before Data Technology
We used our human skills to get the best from our
vehicles supported by knowledge professionals

29. Breakdowns and Repair
The consequence of this lack of technology in older cars
was more breakdowns and a reliance on garages and
mechanics to diagnose problems, maintain and repair

30. Data Measurement and Visualisation
Modern cars tell us oil
pressure, temperature,
speed, range of petrol tank,
warn us of any impending
problems, tell us where we
are and how to get to our
destination and compute
new routes if we go off track

31. Lifestyle Technology Transforming Health Management
Wearable and embedded technologies change the dynamics of our
management like the dynamics of car health management

32. Where are We and Where can we Go?
Wearable and embedded lifestyle technologies
provide the tools to manage our health

33. But how can we change Personal Behaviours?
33

34. Who will Most Influence Future Health?
34

35. An Approach for Better Personal Health
Gamification Enabling Technologies

36. Demonstrable Results
Substantial improvements in physical and
mental health are achievable

37. Measurement and Feedback
37
Snapshot data Real Time data

38. Lifestyle Technology Roadmap
● Wearable consumer devices like iWatch to
provide advanced health metrics
● Healthcare costs linked to lifestyle behaviours
● Revolution in the healthcare ecosystem
● Use of wearable lifestyle devices for identity
applications
● Growth in embedded devices that not only
monitor but also control
● The Singularity – Immortality ?

39. Serious Questions for Society
● Will Society and/or Citizens accept constant
monitoring of health parameters and lifestyle
behaviours in exchange for the potential benefits?
● What will be the impact on business and commerce
if each citizen has a unique and verifiable personal
identity?
● What would be the impact on society if embedded
health monitoring technology became compulsory?

40. Gamification and Wearable Technologies in Healthcare
A Revolution in Personal Health Management?
Serious Games Conference 2015 Singapore