“Free at the Point of use – Medtech Meets Moore’s Law” join us at our popular The 3rd Annual Future of Medicine – The Role of Doctors in 2027 to hear Dr Chris Elliott, speak.

 

We are used to carrying with us at all times a 20MP zoom camera, a satnav, a calendar and a compass. Oh, and it makes ‘phone calls as well. We didn’t go out to buy those things; they were bundled with the latest Smartphone. The next generation Smartphones will come equipped with medical-grade hardware and software to measure our vital signs and other diagnostics. These won’t be toys that measure (inaccurately) the inputs, like how many steps we’ve taken, or easy targets like pulse rate. They will be regulated medical devices that measure blood pressure, temperature, heart valve functions and blood constituents to the same accuracy and using the same techniques as professional medical equipment.

 

Around 1 billion people per year will unintentionally acquire medical technology that now costs hundreds of dollars. Just one capability – blood pressure – will add an average of six months to the life of the person who uses it. Medical practice can see this as an opportunity, to add value and effectiveness to the work of doctors and nurses, or as a threat, transferring power and authority to untrained amateurs. In either case, if you doubt that a “free” device in a phone will have an impact, ask Kodak what happened in the 10 years after the first Smartphone camera.

 

Dr Chris Elliott is an engineer (Fellow of the RAEng and RAeS, Member of IET) and lawyer (barrister specialising in regulatory law). After a PhD from Cambridge in nuclear power he spent 20 years helping to build the company that became Detica (now BAE Intelligent Systems) then qualified in law. He practiced at the environmental and public law Bar for a few years then left to create an independent practice in regulated engineering, working in transport (rail, roads, aviation), construction, chemicals, energy and medtech.

 

In 2011 he and a colleague established Léman Micro Devices in Lausanne, Switzerland, to develop a novel class of device, combining high volume, low cost for consumers with regulated medical quality. Its first product is being prepared for regulatory trials.

 

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