Here’s what we’re reading online, this week at Involution, on design, tech, and the digital life, in our links round up.
Health Tech: Wearing Your Heart on Your Sleeve (or Maybe Your Arm)
It won't be long before the walk-in medical clinic gives way to the walking medical clinic. Wearable medical technology that can monitor heart rate, blood glucose levels, and brain activity, and even administer treatments is on its way. The Economist has a great feature on smart contact lenses that can diagnose and monitor diseases, like glaucoma and diabetes; deliver drugs; and even potentially display information to the patient. An LA Times article highlights electronic patches that can be adhered to skin like a temporary tattoo and monitor your heart.
Re-envisioning the Subway Station
In Boston, the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) runs the oldest subway system in America, which first opened in 1897. Aside from trains that break down regularly, T riders are treated to a network of ancient tunnels and stations, that, at best, lack any sense of beauty, and at worst, are truly oppressive in design. If and when public transportation becomes a priority for us in Boston, we might want to consider re-conceiving our subway system as something people might actually want to ride. For a little inspiration in this direction, the Fast Company Co.Design blog features a gorgeous rendering of a visionary subway station designed by BABELStudio.
The Robots are Coming
Toshiba's venture into the home cleaning robots category may not be notable for the technology itself. We've already seen the Roomba and marveled at its capabilities. Rather, it's remarkable for the gradual expansion of the consumer marketplace for this technology; we're at the beginning of the age of the home robot.
To be sure, we're not exactly on the path to the Jetsons' classic home helper, the robo-maid Rosie; Right now bots clean our pools and floors, but not much else. However, there are hundreds of medical, industrial and military uses for robotic technology, from security to product assembly to surgery, that over time will be re-purposed and slowly filter their way into our day-to-day lives. With this in mind, if Toshiba or iRobot are looking for the next big idea, I could sure use some help removing snow from the driveway in the winter.
Democratizing Data Analysis
Big data and analytics are all the buzz in the tech and business press. In the age of information, we have all the raw material for insight, but most companies, large and small, lack the ability, so far, to really sort through and filter the results for something they can use to make real decisions.
An article in GigaOm, highlights several products being developed to solve the problem of managing and analyzing the data deluge: IBM's Big Sheets, for collecting petabytes of information from Web repositories, and ManyEyes for visualizing that information once it's gathered. If we're to be overwhelmed with unstructured data from Facebook and the Twittersphere, we might as well find out what it all means.
So Long, Steve, But Not Goodbye
The media is awash with stories, ranging from the analytical to the speculative, on Steve Jobs's recent resignation from his position as CEO of Apple. It may not seem like Apple can move forward successfully without his presence at the helm, but in this Harvard Business Review blog post, the authors make the case that Steve Jobs has baked into Apple's culture his thirst for innovation and his drive for perfection. If Steve Jobs has so embedded his tenets for great product design, development, and marketing into the Apple ethos, his leadership can continue on, even when he's not there on a day-to-day basis. Jobs will, of course, remain at Apple as Chairman of the Board. But, there really is no finer compliment, to say he's established such a powerful foundation for Apple, that the company can survive and even thrive without him.