the AIpod telehealth booth: a great turning point in the health sector to discover

AIpod: The telehealth booth

AIPod is a telehealth booth, designed by Bodyo, which allows users to make a general diagnosis of their health conditions in complete confidentiality. Its sensors allow monitoring of a variety of physiological parameters in order to deliver a safe result to the user. In this article we will explain how innovation was propelled by the pandemic and how companies have reacted to this new situation, especially in the health sector which has been the most impacted by this crisis.

Black swan

In the midst of the pandemic, we have found ourselves within a black swan moment for the healthcare sector as hospitals are being burdened, costs are piling up, and particular demographics have found increasing inaccessibility to certain pathological needs whilst vulnerable health professionals face a dilemma in performing check-ups for their patients; at the same time, this crisis has ignited the impetus in accelerating ‘innovation’ to its literal definition: the process whereby an invention is brought into use.  

Whilst inventions can manifest key solutions to dire problems, innovation itself is separate though vital processes in ensuring those solutions are delivered, and that its benefits and drives for future innovation and invention may successfully transmit across society. Research has shown that we are at a key moment because companies and businesses don’t usually innovate even though the opportunity is granted, instead the recent pandemic has forced enterprises, institutions and nations to innovate because they have to. 

Accessibility has been a key concern in healthcare, but as Noor Sweid writes, healthtech is set to mirror the fintech revolution (The AIpod telehealth booth as an example). The fintech revolution has manifested with increasing improvements to online banking and the emergence of alternative solutions such as the bankless digital platform, Klip. In health, various issues still concern us today. For example, at least 6% of the total French population is still affected by medical deserts, whilst alarming portions are unaware of their ailments such as with 50% of those with hypertension. 

This revolution in healthcare is outlined by an increased embracement towards artificial intelligence and web-based platforms. Machine Learning is being increasingly adopted for the analysis of clustered patient data, social media data for epidemiological purposes, image recognition, reducing human error in the clinical process, and using natural language processing methods to render accessing new medical research breakthroughs more efficiently.

Meanwhilst, social media hyperconnectivity has increasingly helped drive awareness towards certain health crises, and has consolidated the increasing adoption of teleconsultation to finally address accessibility issues in the health sector for those dealing with isolation or uncommon ailments. 

Bodyo aims to spearhead this turning moment in healthcare by introducing a convergent platform that combines and synergizes the pillars of this revolution into a complete package. The AIPod health kiosk (telehealth booth) provides closed spaces to perform teleconsultation calls, complemented by a wide array of high-end sensors for self-diagnosis tests that’s always prepped for the task at hand.

In respect to the COVID-19, the thermal imaging camera on the exterior of the AIPod combined with the on-board oxygen saturation sensors can detect symptomatic individuals. Bodyo’s web-based platform, linked with the AIPod, then allows both users and their designated health professionals to better engage with their recorded health data and focus on their wellbeing, and in some cases earn rewards for reaching milestones.  

Thibaut Faddy 

Sources :

Adams, James G., and Ron M. Walls. \”Supporting the health care workforce during the COVID-19 global epidemic.\” Jama 323.15 (2020): 1439-1440.
Emanuel, Ezekiel J., and Robert M. Wachter. \”Artificial intelligence in health care: will the value match the hype?.\” Jama 321.23 (2019): 2281-2282.
Kriegel, Gila, et al. \”Covid-19 as innovation accelerator: cogenerating telemedicine visit notes with patients.\” Nejm Catalyst Innovations in Care Delivery (2020).
Salathé, Marcel. \”Digital epidemiology: what is it, and where is it going?.\” Life sciences, society and policy 14.1 (2018): 1.
Serper, Marina, et al. \”Telemedicine in Liver Disease and Beyond: Can the COVID‐19 Crisis Lead to Action?.\” Hepatology (2020).
Sweid, Noor. “Healthtech: a Unique Opportunity to Improve Care in Emerging Markets.” The Banker, 2020, p. 14. 

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