Biosensors, an open access journal by MDPI, is solicitating paper for the special issue “Wearable Devices for Biosensors and Healthcare” in the following areas.
Click the link to submit your paper.
By Jackie Waters
Wearable technologies like smartwatches, and health-related apps like step counters and sleep trackers are all the rage. Smartwatches are also being used in the workplace to help with things like task management, dictation, and marketing. However, there are privacy risks when sharing your health data with big tech companies. Unlike healthcare providers, HIPAA regulations often don’t extend to companies in the tech industry. How can you ensure your personal data is private and protected?
Why Should I Protect My Personal Health Information?
“HIPAA regulations make your health care private, but they don’t cover as much as you think. Many groups, like tech companies, are not covered by HIPAA, and only very specific pieces of information are not allowed to be shared by current HIPAA rules. There are companies buying health data. It’s supposed to be anonymous data, but their whole business model is to find a way to attach names to this data and sell it,” said Anil Aswani, professor of the Industrial Engineering & Operations Research Department, College of Engineering, UC Berkeley.
Discussing Google’s purchase of Fitbit and the implications, CPO magazine asserts “The whole point of a ‘fitness tracker,’ after all, is for individuals to track their own health and wellness, and not for a corporation to track them. Given that some health insurance companies now provide incentives for people to use Fitbit devices, there is the further risk that all of the combined data that Google has accumulated about you might also be used in subtle ways to influence the type of insurance that you receive, or the rates that you are forced to pay.”
Are My Wearable Devices Putting Me at Risk?
Security Boulevard states that “Fitness app makers, just like every other industry, have suffered data breaches. The breach that hit UnderArmour’s MyFitnessPal in 2018 is the largest to date. It exposed the usernames, passwords, and email addresses of more than 150 million users. While hackers typically go after data they can easily monetize (like your credit card number) the thought that location data was exposed is especially troublesome. Given that joggers and bikers generally run and ride where they live, attackers could also identify where the user lived by looking at where the majority of their routes began and ended.”
ZDNet further explains that “[w]e have a serious problem when millions of users’ tracking data is going up to the cloud, and for the most part without the user’s direct knowledge or explicit consent. Our location, whether in real-time or historical, is one of our most private data points in our lives. They can show where we work and where we live — and even if you have “nothing to hide,” most people wouldn’t give up their home addresses to a random person on the street.”
How Can I Make Sure Companies Protect My Privacy and Data?
VPN Overview recommends that “even if your information is compromised, for it to have worth to others, it must be linked to you personally. By combining the information with a profile of your activities and interests online, your data becomes truly valuable. Protect your anonymity by using a VPN service on all your devices. A quality VPN makes sure your privacy is protected by rerouting your data through their server after encrypting it. Because the data does not go directly to you, your privacy is protected.”
What are Healthcare Providers and Tech Companies Doing to Ensure Privacy?
Ensure that patient information and other protected data is handled properly, healthcare organizations are now hiring health information management professionals. MHA Online notes: “So who can the healthcare industry trust to address information security concerns held by patients and providers? The answer is healthcare information managers. Healthcare information technology teams ensure that healthcare providers can access patient health data securely.”
What Other Steps Can I Take?
Security In a Box recommends always using “secure passwords to access social networks” and changing those passwords “regularly as a matter of routine.” Additionally, “make sure you understand the default privacy settings offered by the social networking site, and how to change them. Consider using separate accounts/identities, or maybe different pseudonyms [and] remember that the key to using a network safely is being able to trust its members. Separate accounts may be a good way to ensure that such trust is possible.”
“Regularly monitor your accounts and information for suspicious activity—not just immediately following a breach, but also for the foreseeable future,” says The Parallax.
Take advantage of white hat hacking. “White-hat hacking on the other hand is considered to be an ethical type of hacking. Generally a paid position, a white-hat hacker is someone who works to find insecurities in the system and then alert the company and find possible ways to fix the breach. It is a great way to go about spotting any gaps in the system without a risk of information being leaked. If you want to test your security system for potential holes, look into hiring a white-hat hacker.”
While the latest tech can help you get enough shut-eye and reach your fitness goals, many consumers take for granted the associated privacy considerations. Data breaches and identity theft can happen to anyone. Rather than assuming all your health data is protected by HIPAA, take the steps to educate yourself. With proper privacy precautions in place, you can stay healthy and keep your medical information safe.
Christopher Moore, a BME sophomore published his first research paper “FPGA Correlator for Applications in Embedded Smart Devices”. His work was supported by the URECA summer research program at Stony Brook University.
The FPGA correlator is the key component in the diffuse correlation spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering and fluorescent correlation spectroscopy. Our FPGA correlator is unique compared to other published correlator design. The modular approach makes the design highly flexible. The basic building block of the correlator is the single lag correlator module. It can be used to build linear or multi-tau correlators with any number of correlation lags. The connections of the modules are direct, and no additional circuitry is needed. The data flow between modules is regulated by the handshake signals: ND for the input data and Rdy for the output data. The design is compatible with the non-blocking mode of the Xilinx IP modules available through the Vivado suite, which simplifies the connections of FPGA modules in a pipelined design for parallel processing. The EOD signal indicates the last data point for the correlation.
Figure 1. FPGA multi-tau correlator in an embedded diffuse correlation spectroscopy device using a microprocessor
The FPGA correlator can be easily integrated into the DCS, DLS, and FCS by inserting it between the Avalanche Photon Detector (APD) and the microprocessor. Figure 1 is the illustration of the sensing and analysis component of an embedded DCS design using an FPGA multi-tau correlator with a microprocessor. The APD outputs the pulses of the detected photons, which are counted by the photon counter module within a preset time window, e.g., 200 ns or 5 Ms/s sampling rate. At the end of each time window, the photon counts are output at the count port and sent to the Ain and Bin ports of the multi-tau correlator for computation of the autocorrelation. At the same time, the end of the time window triggers the Rdy signal, which is connected to the ND input of the multi-tau correlator. The EOD pulse is generated when the preset number of data points is reached. The output data from the correlator are sent to memory through the AXI DMA module by Xilinx. The processor can then start processing the correlation values in the memory for the blood flow index.
For more information, please read the paper (https://doi.org/10.3390/bios12040236).
By Jackie Waters
Living with a disability doesn’t necessarily mean a life without independence. Millions of people who are disabled live and work independently just like people who are not disabled, thanks to the special home accommodations. Various types of assisted technology continue to make everyday life easier for those who are visually impaired whether it’s through smart homes or through modifications to existing homes.
When preparing a home for someone with a visual impairment, the first order of business should be making sure that the home is decluttered and well organized for easy navigation and that the lighting is appropriately controlled. The second most important modification will be through assisted technology (AT). Here are a few great examples of AT in the home that go the extra mile.
Voice Activated Devices
One of the most popular voice-controlled devices available today is Amazon’s Echo Dot. This hands-free device can play music, provide directions and information, control smart home devices (fans, lights, thermostats), and function as an alarm. The beauty of this device is that the more you use it, the smarter it becomes. The Echo is one example of many types of voice-controlled devices available for those with a visual impairment.
Another popular option is a personal digital assistant. These can come with speech activation and/or a braille display. These PDAs offer word processing, internet access, email, note-taking, and calendar organization capabilities.
Media Access
When it comes to enjoying a variety of media, one great option for the visually impaired is a multi-media digital talking book player. These players offer access to a variety of media formats, in addition to offering voice recording and easy portability. Braille displays are another option, designed primarily for extensive reading. Braille displays can easily connect to a computer or mobile device.
Mobile Apps
Those without visual impairments understand the benefits of apps. The same holds true for the visually impaired. There are an abundance of smartphone apps for the visually impaired, and they are available across a variety of platforms. These apps can do things like detect color, count money, offer assisted GPS, detect light, and more.
Appliances
Many appliances these days come with touchpads rather than knobs or controllers, which can pose a problem for the visually impaired. Although some manufacturers will offer Braille or tactile overlays for appliance displays, this is not the norm. Evaluation all appliances should be included in product standard to make sure they are accessible to the visually impaired user.
Alerting Indicators
While not necessarily high-tech, different types of alerting indicators including alarm clocks, motion detectors, and liquid level indicators offer assistance with some of the smaller details of daily life.
These are but a handful of options that can enhance independence at home for someone with a visual impairment. But they just goes to show that everyday living can become easier and more attainable for the disabled when new and better technology is incorporated.