Smart Technology is Saving LIVES
ALEX HOLLOWAY – Smart technology is virtually everywhere. It’s in our homes, cars, bedrooms and for some, even on our bodies. Many of these smart products were released within the last decade, however, they are already making an impact. Two products specifically, the Amazon Alexa smart speaker and Apple’s smartwatch, have been able to use their technology to save lives.
Apple has been known to be a powerhouse for technology in recent years. They have an array of products like cellphones, computers, tablets, wireless headphones and even a watch with cellular service. In May of 2018, the Apple watch made its first reported life-saving alert. Gaston D’Aquino, a 76-year-old Hong Kong resident, sat in church one Sunday when his watch notified him that his heart rate was elevated. Rather than ignore the warning, D’Aquino decided to get it checked out to be safe, and he’s lucky he did. Upon arriving at the hospital, D’Aquino found that he had two blocked arteries and a third of his heart was only functioning at ten percent. He took to writing to Apple’s headquarters, thanking them for designing the Health app that saved his life and encouraging others to take a few minutes to input their information. However, D’Aquino’s story is not an isolated situation. 30-year-old Chris Mint of Lincolnshire, England faced a similar situation. Last September, Mint noticed an alert on his Apple watch that it was detecting an irregular heartbeat. Like D’Aquino, Mint took the alert seriously and made an appointment with his doctor. After an electrocardiogram (EKG), Mint discovered the watch was correct and he was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation or Afib. The condition is known to cause a quivering of the heartbeat, which can cause complications such as a stroke or even death. In a younger case, one thirteen-year-old from Arizona felt lightheaded one day as his smartwatch’s heart rate detector shot up. Austin Hardison was experiencing a heart rate of 219 beats per minute, over double what the average resting rate should be. After going to the doctor, Hardison discovered he had a heart disease known as Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome. The syndrome is known to cause tachycardia or increased rapid heartbeat which explained many of Hardison’s symptoms and allowed him to get treated.
In 2019, two more men experienced a live-saving alert by Apple’s smartwatches. 28-year-old James Prudenciano of New Jersey and 62-year-old Bob Burdett of Washington were wearing their Apple watches when they took a hard fall. Both men’s watches detected their hits with their hard fall detection system. After the watch senses a fall, it alerts the owner by sounding an alarm, buzzing the wrist and providing the option to call 911. If the system does not sense movement within a minute, it will respond by dialing 911 itself and play a recording by Apple that indicates the watch detected a fall while also pinging its current location. Both Prudenciano and Burdett were outdoors and knocked unconscious when they took on their fall, so without the smartwatch’s detection, it’s possible their injuries could’ve gone unnoticed for much longer. Apple continues to put out a new series of watches, however, hard fall detection is only a feature for the series 4 and newer.
Apple is not the only company making a difference in health with its innovative technology. Amazon’s Alexa smart speaker has had a few life-changing moments itself. In Tijeras, New Mexico, Eduardo Barros found himself surrounded by a SWAT team after his girlfriend allegedly used an Amazon Echo to get in touch with 911. Barros had been beating the victim when she alerted the device and contacted emergency services. Another incident occurred in Arkansas where prosecutors requested recordings from an Amazon smart speaker because they believed they contained detailed evidence. This finding posed some concerns as many users did not realize their Amazon devices store the information after hearing the wake-word, “Alexa.” Previous recordings can be found on the Amazon Alexa app or on the user’s Amazon privacy settings tab.
While these technological devices can create privacy concerns, the benefits of their safety features and health detection apps outweigh the cons. However, the devices can only be helpful and life-saving if used correctly. It is important when getting a device like the Apple watch to input all health information during set-up, otherwise, some of its features can go to waste.
Photography Source: https://www.macrumors.com/2018/05/11/gaston-daquino-says-apple-watch-saved-his-life/