When you think about how far Medical technology in general has come in just a few short years, it’s easy to get excited about the future. What we once considered to be science fiction even a decade ago is quickly advancing to “standard operating procedure” in terms of modern healthcare. Disruptive technologies that completely change the way healthcare professionals think, and operate are one of the keys to securing the future of humanity. Medical technology can help us not only curb rising costs but prevent diseases, predict our future health, provide us with avenues to monitor and improve our own health and more.

The Future of Medical Technology Is Closer Than You Think

According to the brilliant medical futurist Berci Meskó, here are the top ten medical technologies that will be breaking new ground all over the world in 2016 and beyond. Between advances in the medical technology used to train the medical professionals of tomorrow and the equipment being used to guarantee that people live longer, healthier lives, the future truly seems like a bright and exciting place to be. The best part of all is that the future isn’t nearly as far away as it seems.

Virtual Reality – Changing the Way We Learn

Virtual reality devices like the Oculus Rift® are for more than just video games – they can be used to give medical students access to real-world environments, regardless of the capabilities of the school that they’re attending. VR can give patients hands-on experience examining patients, even if no patients are present at all.

Augmented Reality – Changing the Way We Experience Life

Augmented reality tech like the digital contact lens Google® will be releasing in 2016 can do everything from measuring the blood glucose level in our tears (for the early detection of diabetes) to change the way that certain conditions are treated and managed for more effective medical care almost overnight.

Fibretronics – Putting Our Clothes to Work for Us

Fibretronics are clothes that have small microchips implanted inside them. These chips can do everything from react to a person’s body temperature and even to their mood, which can be used by medical professionals in addition to other pieces of equipment to better care for a patient’s health remotely.

Smart Algorithms Analyzing Wearable Data

Smartwatches and similar devices already provide a near constant stream of data about the user. Smart algorithms can put that data to good use, drawing meaningful conclusions and making it easier to prevent certain types of diseases based on the wearer’s lifestyle choices.

Near-Artificial Intelligence in Radiology Saves Time and Boosts Efficiency

IBM’s Medical Sieve, for example, is a product designed to diagnose a lesion using state-of-the-art software. This frees up the time of a radiologist to focus on only the most serious cases that they’re presented with, rather than taking up huge amounts of their day checking out images that ultimately only contain false positives or nothing at all.

Food Scanners – Watching What We Eat Has Never Been Easier

A food scanner would be able to tell a person exactly what they’re about to eat – not just regarding calorie and fat content, but also clueing them in on certain ingredients that they may be allergic to as well. This takes the guesswork out of eating healthy.

Humanoid Robots – Doing More With Less

Humanoid robotics like those developed by Boston Dynamics can aid in the medical training process in a number of ways. They can realistically simulate certain emergency conditions like cardiac arrest and can even react organically to certain drugs that are administered, giving students access to everything they would have in a real-world environment except living, breathing patients.

3D Bioprinting – Unlocking the World of Organ Donation

Medical experts have already successfully transplanted bioprinted liver tissues in 2014. It is currently estimated that liver parts for transplantation will be ready in as soon as four to six years. 3D bioprinting can also completely replace the need for animal subjects when it comes to testing new drugs.

Internet of Health Things at Home

Imagine your entire home, working together as one unit for your benefit. The Internet of Health Things means that everything from your scale to your bathroom mirror to your thermostat are all working together, sharing and analyzing data and making automated decisions to help improve your life and your health.

Theranos – Innovation or Broken Promises?

Theranos’ claims as a company are noble – they say that they can perform blood tests based on a single drop of blood in a way that is affordably and transparently priced. The Wall Street Journal seems to disagree, but until Theranos reveals more about how their technology operates they are still one to watch.

Even though it will be a long time until all these technologies will be accessible, they still represent the single best source of one of the most important qualities in modern medicine: optimism.

Medical Technology: Paving the Way for a Healthier Humanity

Even though it will be a long time until all these technologies will be accessible, they still represent the single best source of one of the most important qualities in modern medicine: optimism.

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