can then be posted online; and hospitals, for concern about
patient privacy. Some state governments have banned driving
in Google Glasses, which can distract drivers, possibly leading
to traffic accidents. In January 2015, Google announced that it
was redesigning Glass, to make it more visually appealing to
wearers and to upgrade its technology. Although Google has
not announced a launch date for the redesigned Glass, tech
visionaries believe that by the 2020s, the technology will be
common in eyeglasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses.
the internet insiDe You
Experts say that the Internet of Things will not only allow
external web access but will soon offer web access from
within
you. Imagine sensors in your body, monitoring your health in
real time, all of it instantaneously shared on a social media
network. Health monitoring devices such as Fitbit track every
step the user takes, including distance traveled and elevation
gained (for those climbing mountains, for instance). At night, it
monitors sleep patterns. By tracking this information, Fitbit can
calculate how many calories the user is burning and other health
measures. Another new device monitors babies’ breathing rates,
skin temperature, and sleeping position and sends the data to
parents. A company called Proteus, named after a shrunken
submarine that travels through the human body in the 1966
film
Fantastic Voyage
, has created a medicinal pill containing
a sensor. When a patient swallows the pill, the sensor sends
a signal to a patch on the patient’s skin, which in turn alerts a
doctor or a caregiver via smartphone that the patient has taken
his or her medicine. The technology, which is already being sold
in the United Kingdom, is designed for elderly people who might
forget to take needed medications.
77
The Internet of Things
