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Key Differentiators Between Binah.ai and Wearable Technology
Collecting vital signs through digital healthcare technology is a growing industry trend, and we’re often asked how we measure up to wearables such as smartwatches. So, here are our top differentiators, as we see them:
1. Software Only – from a Device Users Already Have
Binah.ai is a software-only solution that can work on almost any device with a camera. Today, we already work on smartphones, tablets, laptops, and even smart mirrors! Users do not need to purchase any extra equipment, they can use a device most of us already have: our personal smartphone.
2. Enterprise-oriented Delivery for Digital Healthcare Technology
Here at Binah.ai, we deliver a Software Development Kit (SDK) for all operating systems, including various web browsers. This can be integrated into our customers’ applications and their existing processes however they choose. Creating a business-ready solution adapted to their exact needs, already on the ground running in various industries. Companies that have already integrated our solution include, Sompo Himawari Life, Momentum, and Generali in the Insurance sector, as well as various companies in the Wellness and Medical arena, including an upcoming partnership with a high-profile hardware manufacturer.
3. Telemedicine and Remote Wellness at Scale
Don’t get us wrong – we think wearables are great! Smartwatches particularly – are a style statement and a great personal tool for many needs. But when it comes to monitoring healthcare status in a reliable way, the picture changes completely. Also – how many of the people in need of healthcare services can even afford a reliable smartwatch? The cheapest one comes in at around $25-$35, while the Apple Watch Series 6 starts at $399, which is considered among the most accurate Smartwatches. This cost makes it in most cases prohibitively expensive for an organization to sponsor, or for a single user to purchase. In addition, many of the companies we work with have millions of users, so providing all users with a smartwatch would be slow and expensive. The only way to ensure quick delivery at an unlimited scale is via a software-only solution, like Binah.ai’s. Users already have the hardware in their pocket. Also, when new software versions are available, the update process is seamless and easy as it will be delivered as part of the organization’s app update. If you use the Binah Team corporate wellness platform, you will be notified via an update from the Apple and Google app stores, ready to go immediately. With Binah Team we also offer a comprehensive management dashboard, so stakeholders can keep track of essential data behind the scenes, according to compliance guidelines of course, as well as monitoring and analyzing the results of their digital healthcare program, including trends over time.
4. Resources Allocation and Costs Overtime
When using hardware devices, the expected cost is not «just» for the wearable device itself, but also for the surrounding ecosystem. This includes the distribution of the devices according to demand, which can become a continuous logistical challenge, through to the day-to-day management and training of each and every user. A specific hardware device also forces the user’s organization to support legacy devices that are quickly outdated, and do not feature all of the capabilities of newer devices.
With Binah SDK or its end-to-end wellness application platform, Binah Team, the whole process becomes much easier – requiring only easy version updates on devices users already possess. Also – no need for users to learn how to use new hardware or equipment.
5. The Need for Spontaneous Access
Think about a service provider that needs to engage with new customers, let’s say for onboarding a new insurance client, or for obtaining vital signs remotely for a telemedicine session. Other examples could be during the COVID-19 pandemic, to enable airport screening for any traveler, or to allow visitors entry to schools, office buildings, or shared spaces. With wearable technology, you’re stuck with a hardware gap and fully dependent on a device that may well be unavailable. In contrast, as Binah.ai runs from any camera-enabled device, such as smartphones, tablets, or laptops, this drastically increases the variety and ease of use.
6. Accessibility of Any Digital Healthcare Solution
When we set out to create Binah.ai, we knew we wanted to offer a vital signs monitoring tool that was suitable for anyone, anywhere, anytime, and of any age. It is well known that as individuals age, their blood vessel functionality decreases, making it more difficult to measure vital signs such as blood pressure or oxygen saturation with the same levels of accuracy as you can in younger patients. Unlike smartwatches, Binah.ai takes information from the face rather than the wrist, meaning that even for people over the age of 85, the results can be trusted. We are in the process of delivering Binah.ai to many nursing homes and other facilities for the elderly, in large part because of this unique functionality.
7. The Importance of Medical-grade Accuracy in Digital Healthcare
When was the last time you heard a smartwatch manufacturer claim that they could offer medical-grade accuracy? The answer is never, as even the biggest names in the industry, from Garmin and Fitbit to Apple, Samsung, and Xiaomi, have been struggling to achieve medical approvals, despite being on the market for many years. For the recently launched Apple Series 6 and Samsung watch 3, oxygen saturation monitoring has not been cleared by the FDA, and has been defined as Wellness, which removes any need to be medically tested or approved. This is because the challenges that smartwatches have with location (wrist), sensor types, and motion compensation, create huge challenges to make the technology accurate enough to gain medical approval. In contrast, at Binah.ai we expect to have our first approvals in 2021, from the FDA in the United States, Health Canada, and PMDA from Japan.
8. Friction and Life Span
Smartwatches have an approximate lifespan of 2 years. And I am talking about the good, expensive ones! While most people never leave their smartphone behind and make sure it’s always charged and protected, fitness trackers and smartwatches are often neglected after a few months of use. With Binah.ai, no need to purchase a new smartwatch, no need to charge it, no need to wear it, it’s just integrated as part of your smartphone.
Still, what has Binah.ai learned from Wearables?
One thing that we do love about wearables, is the way that this technology can collect information while users are sleeping and while they train, offering continuous monitoring capabilities. In fact, we think this is so important that we’re looking into incorporating this into the Binah.ai solution, too!
We’ve already started working on acoustic features, using the microphone that is available on nearly all smartphone devices. When the smartphone is within 1.5 meters of the user’s head, we will soon be able to detect breathing rhythm, to better analyze issues such as dyspnea or sleep apnea, even facilitating the monitoring of more than one person at a time.
Great things still to come!
