Problem
When it comes to regulating the Internet of Bodies, it's the Wild West. (Lee, 2020)
Internet-connected "smart" devices are increasingly available in the marketplace, promising consumers and businesses improved convenience and efficiency. Within this broader Internet of Things Links to an external site.(IoT) and Internet of Medical Things Links to an external site.(IoMT) lies a growing industry of devices that monitor the human body and transmit the data collected via the internet. This development, which some have called the Internet of Bodies (IoB) could revolutionize health care and improve our quality of life. IoB includes an expanding array of devices that combine software, hardware, and communication capabilities to track personal health data, provide vital medical treatment, or enhance bodily comfort, function, health, or well-being.
Additionally, this technology the bridges both the digital and physical worlds and can monitor and modify patient behavior in real time to manage chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes and high blood pressure. IoMT technology can also streamline various clinical processes and information flows and bring together people (patients, caregivers, and clinicians), data (patient or performance data), processes (care delivery and monitoring) and enablers (medical devices and mobile applications) to improve health care delivery.
According to Lee Links to an external site.(2018), "the line between human and machine is blurring-and creating new concerns about consumer safety and privacy rights. Smart contact lenses Links to an external site. are being developed to monitor glucose levels and could eliminate the daily blood sugar pinprick for people with diabetes. You could even have an artificial lens Links to an external site. implanted in your eye to correct your vision, but such lenses could also one day record everything you see. Bluetooth-equipped electronic pills Links to an external site. are being developed to monitor the inner workings of your body, but they could eventually broadcast what you've eaten or whether you've taken drugs. And while you can restore hearing with a cochlear implant Links to an external site., be aware that it could log data on the audio environment surrounding you."
However, these devices also complicate a field already fraught with legal, regulatory, and ethical risks. Moreover, without appropriate guardrails, it could also jeopardize our most intimate personal information and introduce several ethical concerns.
The devices connecting the human body to the web increases their vulnerability to unintentional flaws or malicious abuse. Weaknesses in code can be exploited to steal or manipulate information collected by the device, disrupt its functioning, or otherwise cause it to behave in unexpected or unintended ways. Fortunately, no attack has yet been done by harnessing medical implants, but in 2017 the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recalled close to half a million pacemakers in the fear that they could be remotely hacked (FDA, 2017 Links to an external site.).
As you consider the summary above regarding the IoMT, IoB, and the benefits and risks this week review the follow resources and respond to the discussion questions.
Medtech and the Internet of Medical Things How connected medical devices are transforming health careLinks to an external site.
The Internet of Bodies: Opportunities, Risks, and GovernanceLinks to an external site.
The Internet of Bodies Will Change Everything, for Better or WorseLinks to an external site.
The Internet of Bodies is here. This is how it could change our livesLinks to an external site.
What Makes IoMT Devices So Difficult to Secure?Links to an external site.
Lee, M. (2018, October 15). The perils of connecting our bodies to the internet. https://www.rand.org/blog/2018/10/the-perils-of-connecting-our-bodies-to-the-internet.htmlLinks to an external site.
Task
• Discuss a newer IoB device and its benefits. Include the current data or research on its effectiveness.