Institute For The Future

What does the Internet of Things look like for health and health care?

Over the past several years, the Internet of Things has moved from being a concept to being part of many people’s every day life. The number of Internet-connected devices that surround us as we move through out the world has grown rapidly. And over the next decade, more than 50 billion objects—from food to furniture, buildings to bodies—are expected to come online.

Seeing this rapid proliferation of smart objects and devices, the Health Horizons team asked: What’s beyond today’s landscape of wearable technologies—and what does it mean for health and health care?

We forecasted a world of “health-aware environments” in which we can enlist our homes, cars, clinics, and entire cities to support our health and well-being.

Now, we’re pleased to make our forecast map Health Aware World available to the public online. It depicts a future where intelligence is embedded into everyday objects and ubiquitous sensors capture and communicate health data seamlessly with an ecosystem of devices and with healthcare providers. In this world, we rely on our environments and our consumer electronics to work together to support our health, bolster our well-being and help us achieve wildest aspirations.

This map forecasts a range of innovations you can use a source of inspiration to imagine new tools, services, and strategies in a health-aware world.

More Information

• For information about Health Horizons' research plans, check out the 2016 Health Horizons Research Agenda (PDF)
• For information about becoming a Health Horizons sponsor, which includes access to exclusive research, workshops, and events, please contact Dawn Alva at [email protected]