Amulet lets you keep watch on your health

Mobile health is moving beyond your smartphone. Soon, you could be managing your health with spy-gadget-like wearable trackers in the form of Amulet.

The Amulet is a watch that will function just like any other but has a number of advanced features that can monitor various aspects of your health.  For example, it could be used to monitor blood sugar levels, heart rate and even stress. Because the device is actually being worn, it can give more accurate results than with an app on a smartphone.

Initially, the watch will work with smartphones and other health technology to help monitor certain things. Users can also log into certain devices to send information across to the device or even a doctor. Amulet will have features that will allow it to stop working if the watch is stolen. It can “recognise” the person that it is tracking and when it detects a change, it will automatically shut down.  Pretty damn clever.

There are of course a few issues that they will need to sort out first before the device comes to the mass market. Firstly will be the cost. Bluetooth and wireless watches aren’t exactly cheap but they should gradually come down in price over time. The second issue is reliability. If the watch is linked to an insulin machine and makes an error, it could impact badly on the user by having too much/not enough insulin. The makers say they’re undergoing thorough testing to ensure the risk of the this is minor.

The watch is currently being prototyped on the Motorola MOTOACTV, which looks extremely cool. If they go ahead with this design and they can get prove it is reliable. This could be a real advancement in mobile health.