Mobile Medical Applications - Healthcare at CES

So I wasn't kidding last week about wearable tech, which made the biggest splash at CES 2013, an annual consumer electronics expo. Coverage thanks to CNET.com.

Two great products that I came across in my browsing of CES coverage were the FitBit Flex and the Basis Band. As an interested consumer in health and fitness gadgets, these products are candidates for purchase this year for certain.

The FitBit Flex is a wristband with the technology in a removable capsule to be released soon this Spring. If it is consistent with FitBit's previous products, the activity and sleep tracking are likely based on accelerometer technology only, giving you calorie estimates rather than a calorie calculation based on sensor readings.

As I am partial to having the readings over an accelerometer estimate (though I don't doubt its general accuracy), I might be partial to the Basis Band. By using six sensors on the bottom of the watch face, the Basis Band measures blood flow, skin temperature, and perspiration levels to provide feedback. Even better, CNET's review notes specifically that the Band integrates biometric data to give a snapshot of your health and recommend healthy habits to adopt.

My major concern? Regulation. The Basis Band is currently available for sale, but in my brief research of the technology and the FDA-based resources, I cannot find any regulatory information on its status with the FDA. That concern is less-so with the FitBit Flex, as it seems that the products based on accelerometers (Nike+ FuelBand, Jawbone UP) and estimates are living for the moment outside of FDA oversight. Regardless, there is a regulatory risk for Basis Science, FitBit, Nike, Jawbone, and other companies in this space that fight to remain outside of controlled regulations. With companies, such as BodyMedia, in this space already meeting FDA regulatory expectations, my consumer purchase might have to wait for further regulatory development in the wellness category.

-RTK