(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/svetikd)

Health insurance provider, AXA PPP, is hosting their first ever "Health Tech & You" awards at the Design Museum in London and will announce an overall winner during a ceremony on the 18th March 2015. Perhaps predictably, the shortlist is laden with wearable and connected devices which monitor health and performance to usher in a new-generation of patient-led care. 

It's not surprising that health-based devices are so prominent in AXA's shortlist; after all, the innovations are leading the charge for mass adoption of wearables. We posted an article just earlier today regarding fitness trackers and how important it is to interpret the data correctly, but most of those which have made AXA's shortlist attempt to remove the delay in waiting for professional assistance. 

The shortlist includes the following wearables and connected devices; 

• BRUISE Suit - An injury detection suit for disabled athletes with loss (or lack) of sensation which allows them to see issues if they occur and prevent further damage. 
• The PIP - A device which measures electrical changes at the surface of the skin to provide a robust and scientifically-established indicator of an individual’s stress response. 
• iHealth Align - The smallest mobile glucometer in the world is part of a family of devices from the company which aims to monitor overall health and fitness using iOS' HealthKit platform. 
• Aware - A wrist-worn device for people living with bipolar disorder which aims to prevent a relapse from happening through the monitoring of indicators and is able to contact family and/or your psychiatrist. 
• Elvie - Kegal exercise device which connects to your smartphone and provides a virtual personal trainer for an area where the client or trainer may feel inappropriate to receive or provide advice. 
• QardioArm - This smart blood pressure monitor keeps a check on your heart health and can provide useful insights on its condition to you and your doctor. 
• Cupris - The company provides a range of "clip-on" devices to allow your doctor to keep a check on your health remotely and reduce the burden on hospitals to those who are in urgent need of care. An "Otoscope" and "Opthalmoscope" are up for an award. 
• DuoFertility - A tiny sensor is worn on the body to alert the wearer when they are most fertile to increase the chances of becoming pregnant. 
• BleepBleeps - This family of devices offer a variety of parenting aids in kid-friendly designs including motion detectors, ear thermometers, and more. 

Six judging panels consisting of 33 leading figures from healthcare, design, technology and the media will be deciding on a winner for the categories of; Keep Me Healthy, Signs and Symptoms, Manage My Condition, Most Innovative Provider, Best R&D Product, and Special Category - Fertility, Pregnancy, Birth, and Early Years. An overall winner will also be announced during an awards ceremony on the 18th March, 2015. 

James Freeston, Marketing Director, AXA PPP healthcare, states: “We are delighted with the response to the AXA PPP Health Tech & You Awards. The sheer volume and quality of entries really is a true testament to the innovative projects currently being developed and launched by so many individuals and companies in the health tech space." 

The awards are in collaboration with 2020health. The health think tank's Chief Executive, Julia Manning, comments: "This is the first year for these awards and we didn’t know what to expect. We were taken aback and delighted by the quality and professionalism of the submissions – which made our job harder to choose the final shortlist from so many innovative and pioneering ideas.” 

A shortlist was whittled-down from over 120 entries and will all be on display to the public at the Design Museum in London from 10th March – 26th April 2015. The museum is open daily between 10am and 5:45pm. 

Deyan Sudjic, Director of the Design Museum, adds: “The digital revolution is breaking down doors in the health industry. We’re about to witness a transformation of the global healthcare industry, led by an independent, consumer-led health tech market. This radical change is breaking on to a community of medical practitioners whose purpose is about to be dramatically enhanced – or challenged – by the growth of patient-led healthcare." 

Do you think wearables will be enabling to healthcare? Let us know in the comments.

 

Interested in hearing industry leaders discuss subjects like this and sharing their use-cases? Attend the co-located IoT Tech Expo, Blockchain Expo, AI & Big Data Expo and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo World Series with upcoming events in Silicon Valley, London and Amsterdam and explore the future of enterprise technology.