As the healthcare industry is a multi-billion dollar business now, the sheer amount of startups looking to carve out their own identity in this industry is increasing by the year. As such, for those that are looking to set up their own business within the medical industry, and specifically with a startup that’s focused on medicine, it’s important to take the best part of the past, while infusing them with the future. And while there are leaps into the future with regards to artificial intelligence and medical applications on smartphones, what are the components that are worth looking at to get an insight into the future of the medical industry?
Delivering Medical Supplies In A Different Way
UPS has been conducting a trial program using drones to deliver medical samples such as blood or tissue. As any research company that has a medical fridge can attest, time is of the essence. Delivering samples on foot, bike, or car can be time-consuming. Using drones to deliver these items may save more lives. In fact, in Rwanda and Ghana, the company Zipline is already using drones to deliver medical supplies to rural villages.
Harnessing The Power Of Your Mind To Move Your Body
As there have been leaps and bounds with helping patients to walk again, the next step is about having a wearable device. There is a device in its infancy, the CTRL-kit, which can allow you to control a machine that can aid patients that are recovering from amputation or a stroke. It can also benefit people that have neurodegenerative conditions. The device detects electrical impulses as soon as an individual thinks about a specific movement, and this, in the age of smartphones, can provide a giant leap forward for anyone that’s a slave to their body.
Portable Medical Imaging
For pregnant women that have anxiety about their first ultrasound scan, a handheld electrical device that connects to an iPhone is already on sale to medical professionals. This will reduce waiting times, but also provide extra peace of mind for those that want an early scan. The very act of powering up an ultrasound machine is time-consuming. Portable medical imaging is a fantastic step forward, as this will increase the mobility of getting specific checks. At the moment you can only go to the hospital to have an ultrasound scan, but once upon a time, a blood pressure cuff was only used in a medical center environment, but now it’s become a far more portable device.
Virtual Reality
Rehabilitation can benefit from virtual reality, and as VR technology is improving its scope, the opportunities to help repair neural pathways can be invaluable to those people who are not able to afford long-term health care and support.
The medical startup of the future is not just about mobile applications. It’s about using the technology that is in its infancy and turning it into the norm. As we progress into new and exciting areas of modern medicine, it’s partly to do with technology that will help us run the medical startup of the future, but at the same time, we cannot lose track of the human components.
