Graduating from the Physical to the Chemical

In the opening graduation party scene of Mike Nichols’ 1967 classic, The Graduate, a family friend drags the protagonist Ben, out for a word of advice and says, in a rather paternal and clairvoyant way:

“I just wanna say one word to you – just one word.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Are you listening?”
“Yes, Sir. I am.”
“Plastics.”

In hindsight, I guess he was not far wrong. The big question is: what are the plastics of the modern day? My answer is biosensors. But before I delve into the topic, it is important to recognize the current status and limitations of their predecessors, physical sensors.

Physical sensors, such as heart rate monitors, accelerometers, and pulse oximeters, are migrating from medical-grade devices positioned at the hospital bedside and can now be found on the wrists of technophiles, fitness enthusiasts, or those just endeavoring to join the club. IDTechEx projects that the emergent wearable technology field will reach a combined market value of over $70 billion by 2024 (1). However, despite tremendous growth, the unfortunate reality is that limited information content can be gleaned from the current breed of physical sensors, which ultimately limits the widespread adoption of wearable technology.

The measurement void is already leading users to abandon wearables once novelty has faded. In fact, among us in the wearables industry, there is an unspoken metric often used to describe the lack of long-term consumer engagement – time-to-drawer (TTD). Current TTD approximates for wearables are in the neighborhood of six months or less (2). So, why can’t physical sensors be augmented to satisfy the wearer’s appetite for actionable metrics, thereby driving continuous user engagement? The Holy Grail would be to provide information that isn’t patently obvious and take it to the next level. For example, rather than inform the wearer that there is something amiss, the device should provide further analysis and offer a course of action to remedy it.

But how? There is only so much that can be done with heart rate and kinesthetic measurements.

At a recent visit to the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, I had the opportunity to survey aisles and aisles of fitness trackers, wristbands, smartwatches, and the like. Although I was expecting this year’s new crop of gadgets to provide new levels of information, I was surprised to discover nearly all of them achieved the same outcomes – heart rate, pace, blood oxygenation, sleep quality – and only made their differentiating factor the design of the enclosure.

In essence, exhibitors were resorting to innovating in the industrial design while still encasing the same “guts” into their offerings. I call this commoditization; true technology innovation is lacking in wearable technology. It’s simply that the bright minds in the field are averse to confronting the overarching technical challenge in this emergent area – how to provide actionable insight through biochemical analysis that can drive behavior modification and, hence, dependency.

New algorithmic approaches are confronting the measurement obstacle by drawing inferences from measured physical signals. But in spite of the complexity of these algorithms or the sheer volume of data used for validation, estimates of metabolic signals will remain just that – estimates. As analytical scientists, many of you are aware that there is no substitute for a quality direct measurement.

What is the solution to this technological barrier? Biosensors. These unique devices aim to augment conventional physical metrics with an added dimension of rich chemical information that can provide a substantially more revealing level of insight into the metabolic implications of the wearer’s behavior in a continuous and ubiquitous fashion. Imagine having the ability to observe the causality arising from one’s routine behaviors, whether it is the blood glucose implications of consuming a cookie for dessert or the onset of a fluid and/or electrolyte deficit following a visit to the gym. Imagine being able to see how our behavior affects our health – in real time. That is the power of biosensors.

Over the next few years, we will begin to witness the emergence of a new class of sensors aimed at quantifying biochemical signals rather than vital signs. These biosensors will begin to shed light not only on the physiological diversity of the human population, but also upon the metabolic interdependencies associated with our daily lifestyle choices and habits.

I just wanna say one word to you – just one word. Are you listening? Biosensors.