Science Week: Invention of the future

Posted by Conor O'Neill on Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Today’s Science Week question is “What invention do you want to see most in the future”. This is an easy one to describe but it’ll be a long time coming. I want to see an inexpensive non-invasive home medical diagnostic machine that can detect and diagnose a wide range of problems on its own and via a data-feed to the relevant medical experts.

The benefits of such a machine could be enormous

  • Massive reduction in GP queues
  • Reduction in incorrect self-medication (e.g. anti-biotics for viral infections)
  • Prompt addressing of potentially dangerous conditions
  • Diagnosis by subject-area experts globally rather than by potentially incompetent local hospitals
  • Blue Sky: Your own portable MRI with “lump” detection

We are starting to see this sort of thing appear here and there, from equipment for diabetics to portable defibrilators to the awesome sleep-apnea equipment by the BiancaMed guys. Some day we’ll get to the point where your health isn’t in the hands of a dysfunctional bureaucracy and you’ll control your own destiny.


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