Google X, Google"s experimental group is working to improve medicine. - http://clapway.com/2015/06/24/new-google-medical-wristband-tracks-patient-vitals-233/

The minds at the Google X experimental group are working on a medical grade wristband so that doctors can track their patient’s vital signs.

In addition to taking a patient’s electrocardiogram (or EKG), the health tracker measures vitals such as heart rate, pulse, skin temperature, and environmental conditions such as light exposure and noise levels.

Data taken by the device could be downloaded by doctors so that they can accurately monitor their patient’s health. Google X is currently seeking regulatory clearance for the device so they can start clinical trials in the summer of 2015.

THE GOOGLE MEDICAL WRISTBAND IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE

The Google medical wristband will not be available to consumers. Instead, Google intends to have the wristband available only to the medical community so that doctors can prescribe the tracker to their patients or that organizations can research new applications for the device.

Google also wants to study the device and determine if it can predict disease patterns and ultimately treat disease.

“Our hope is that this technology could unlock a new class of continuous, medical-grade information that makes it easier to understand these patterns and manage serious health conditions,” said Andy Conrad, head of the life sciences team at Google.

Conrad also wants the device to help prevent disease. “I envision a day, in 20 or 30 years, where physicians give it to all patients,” said Conrad. “Prevention means all the time.”

MORE ACCURATE THAN CURRENT HEART RATE MONITORS

Current heart rate trackers on the market have been criticized for being inaccurate. Current devices use rapidly flashing infrared light in order to measure blood flow changes which indicate heartbeat. This technology can be inaccurate because tendons, muscles, and bone may interfere with the reading.

The Google medical wristband relies on different technology; the device measure electrical pulses of the heart which the Google X lab hopes to prove more accurate.

GOOGLE X IS CHURNING OUT INNOVATION

The laboratory that is working on the Google medical wristband, Google X , is responsible for a number of recent innovations. This is the same team that unveiled Google Glass, the driverless car, airborne wind power, and drone delivery. The team is also working on a medical device similar to contact lenses that can measure glucose levels.

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New Google Medical Wristband Tracks Patient Vitals

Ridiculous Security Questions Aren’t Very Secure - http://clapway.com/2015/05/22/the-ridiculous-security-questions-arent-very-secure123/

We are all too familiar with the ridiculous security questions we are asked when signing up for something on the web. What was the name of the street you grew up on? What’s your grandparent’s anniversary? How old were you when you first had surgery? Not only are these questions personal, some present an adventure just to remember. What’s worse is, after going through all that and hoping you remember the answers, it turns out these security questions aren’t as secure as we thought.

Studies Shows Security Not so Secure

A recent study conducted by Google showed that more than seventeen percent of the participants were actually able to guess the answers to stranger’s “secure” questions. It turns out that the most popular questions that were used tended to be the easiest ones to answer, as well. Researchers at Google found that the ridiculous security questions we are asked don’t provide much security after all.

The answer to the security question, “What is your favorite food?” for English-speakers turned out easy to guess on the first try by 20% of the people asked. The answer: pizza. Guessing the first name of a teacher for Arabic-speakers only took around 10 tries. This is without having any personal data about the person, which is usually easily available online.

2009 Microsoft Research Shows Same Results

Microsoft researchers Stuart Schechter, A.J. Bernheim Brush and Serge Egelman had subjects share in an adventure to learn about password security questions. Participants first answered questions and then another participant guessed what they were. Even the participants who did not want to share their information still had their passwords guessed 17% of the time. Only five attempts were needed to guess what the answers were. Within six months, participants even forgot what they had originally answered. The harder the ridiculous security questions were to guess, the harder they were to remember, as well.

Ridiculous Security Questions Not Very Helpful

What makes a good security question? One could argue that as long as it’s safe, stable, memorable, and simple and has many possible answers, it is the way to go. However, researchers are still trying to find a happy medium between hard to guess for hackers and easy to remember for users. People tend to share so much personal information online already, using sites like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter that it makes it even difficult to obtain a good security question. Some of the ridiculous security questions are sometimes things that people can’t relate to, such as, “What is your spouse’s name?”

When it comes to many questions, what would seem should be unique, ends up not being so unique. Spanish-speakers father’s middle name was guessed 21% of the time, and Korean-speakers had their city of birth guessed 4 in 10 times. Although the ridiculous security questions are supposed to be secure, the most popular questions receive the most popular answers. Researchers say that asking more difficult questions, such as, “What was your first phone number?” are harder for hackers, but they are also harder for the user to remember. So, the search goes on for the best way to provide secure log-in access for those who forget their passwords.

Ridiculous Security Questions Aren’t Very Secure