Spiroscout inhaler uses GPS, WiFi to trace asthma attacks

Back in 2009, we told you a few University of Wisconsin-Madison scientist using GPS to tag asthmatics in order to better understand what was triggering their attacks. Two years later, David Van Sickle is ready able to turn his research right into a commercial product dubbed the Spiroscout. The USB-powered inhaler uses GPS in addition to WiFI to trace patients’ inhaler use, which Van Sickle says will yield a fuller, more accurate body of knowledge than the self-recorded logs are usually asked to maintain. The convenience is 2-fold, Van Sickle says: physicians can use this information to regulate their patients’ medication, if necessary, while epidemiologists may need more insight into population-level trends. As PhysOrg notes, this isn’t the primary inhaler of its kind (that honor goes to SiliconSky GPS), nevertheless it could be the most practical one thus far in that it doesn’t include a bulky box attached. Spiroscout isn’t available just yet — the corporate expects it to ship within the fall — but curious asthmatics can reserve theirs now.

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This post is tagged: medication, physicians, population level, university of wisconsin, university of wisconsin madison, van sickle