Future of Wellness

A vision for 2050
Future of Wellness

INTRODUCTION
Wellness, in today’s context, is much more than
diagnosing and curing poor health or diseases. It is a
multidimensional and holistic state of being that is
conscious, self-directed, and constantly evolving.
Trying to make sense of wellness in a world of rising
healthcare costs, shortage of wellness professionals,
and technological advances in everything from
computing to genetics, gives rise to several pertinent
questions.
 Will there still be any universally recognized concept
of wellness? Or will it be hyper personalized to each
individual's environments, genetics, and
experiences?
 What will wellness look and feel like in the future?
What will be the new indicators of wellness?
 As people experience enhanced wellness, will they
become more self-aware and adopt additional
experiences that will promote wellness?
What Is the Future of Wellness?
 Will we be more in control of our well-being? Or will
we stop caring in a world where every aspect of our
person is closely and constantly monitored and
serviced?
 As roles in the wellness ecosystem shift, what are
the new well-being authorities and environments
that will emerge?
 Will big data around wellness help create better
early warning systems about potential pandemics?
Or will there be a drive to protect and hide our
personal wellness and risk profiles online?
 Will we ever be 'unwell', given all the new
technologies to enhance (as well as prevent)
wellness that will be in place?
 Will we prefer being looked after and treated by
robotic care givers/surgeons?
We attempt to answer these questions through 10
current trends we have identified, which will impact
the course of wellness in the future.

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Wellness Trends
Engineered Environments Evolutionized Neo-styled Life Smarter Intake Closing The Loop
Predictive Prevention Tech’Know’logy Customized Care Crowdsourced Fitness Gamified

 Environments will be designed to motivate users
to lead healthy lives with the help of both intrinsic
and extrinsic factors, consciously and
subconsciously
 Changes in lifestyle will lead to a significant
overlap between life at home, at work, and in other
environments. Clear-cut demarcations of time and
space for work and play will diminish
 Health measurements will no longer take place
only in hospitals and traditional health spaces, but
increasingly in all spaces that humans inhabit
Engineered
Environments
Changing habits and nudging
behaviors through environments
TREND 1

A combination of advanced materials are being
incorporated into buildings to help remove harmful
pollutants from the air, creating safer and more
enjoyable places for people to work and live in.
http://www.slideshare.net/PSFK/the-future-of-cities-
27145532
Living Walls
Work with Work-out
Brooklyn Boulders Somerville provides a
combination climbing gym and collaborative
workspace in Somerville, Massachusetts.
The space has also played host to corporate
meetings (companies like Puma and Vita-Coco)
and a hackathon to develop fitness-related
applications.
http://www.fastcoexist.com/3023162/at-this-coworking-
space-in-a-climbing-gym-you-can-do-pull-ups-at-your-
standing-desk#2
EXAMPLES SUPPORTING THE TREND

Ecological Cities
Bo01 in Malmo, Sweden, is a recently developed sustainable
district, where:
 Consumption of resources is minimized by wind turbines,
rooftop solar panels, and a biogas plant
 Residents are encouraged to regularly check their energy
consumption on information panels installed in each home
 Paths and cycle tracks have been given high-priority as
has the use of healthy materials in the dwellings and
surroundings
http://www.dac.dk/en/dac-cities/sustainable-cities/all-cases/master-
plan/malmo-bo01---an-ecological-city-of-tomorrow/
Compact Farming
In an effort to bring city centers closer to their food sources,
developers and architects are experimenting with farms and
gardens that maximize yield within a limited amount of space.
http://www.slideshare.net/PSFK/the-future-of-cities-27145532

Fitness Furniture
Designer Lucie Koldová has
transformed both a table and a
wardrobe into an exercise gym.
Offering various combinations and
workout suggestions it is an all-round
gym experience.
http://www.luciekoldova.com/projects/home
-fitness
Human-powered Street Lighting
The Citilite lamps by Zhongren Zhang will
use electricity generated through outdoor
fitness facilities to:
 Save a significant amount of public
energy spending
 Motivate a healthier life style for
individuals
 Enhance community awareness of
green energy
http://www.coroflot.com/ericzzr/CitiLite-20
Obesity Fighting Chair
The Gymygym desk chair improves
circulation, promotes spine alignment,
and helps reverse the evils of sedentary
desk jobs.
http://www.gymygym.com/

People will be able to aspire to immortality, and take on any
technology enhanced avatar (mental, physical, emotional)
depending on their needs.
Evolutionized
Challenging the natural pace of human
evolution through genetic engineering and
transhumanism
TREND 2

Augmented Humans
Future citizens of Earth will have bio-tech and
technology enhancements at their fingertips.
Augmenting one's own body for physical or mental
advantages will be as easy as putting on or taking
off cosmetics.
http://www.nextnature.net/themes/augmented-bodies/
Nano Bots
Nano robots will patrol our bodies and destroy
disease as it breaks out, or repair diseases before
birth.
A century or more from now, cancer may well be a
thing of the past; so will other genetic disorders.
http://news.discovery.com/tech/robotics/world-150-years-
from-now-130702.htm

Robo Doc
Machine learning systems will be cheaper, more
accurate and objective, and also effectively replace
80% of doctors simply by being better than the
average doctor.
www.impactlab.net/2012/09/11/technology-will-replace-80-
of-doctors-vinod-khosla/
Live Forever
The nanotechnology revolution will decrease cell
deterioration and extend human lifespan in the
future.
Ray Kurzweil's hypothesis further states that this
will be not just be life extension, but life expansion.
We will lead longer and also more healthy and vital
lives.
http://www.macleans.ca/society/life/how-nanobots-will-
help-the-immune-system-and-why-well-be-much-smarter-
thanks-to-machines-2/

Rise of the New Species
Paleontologist Peter Ward speculates that a new
species of humans will emerge through genetic
engineering.
In time, scientists will modify our genomes to
design superhuman progeny with any combination
of desirable traits- intelligence, health, athletic
prowess, longevity, and more.
www.livescience.com/5859-future-evolution.html

 To counter the stress and isolation of technology
saturated lives, we will develop novel ways of
reconnecting with our primal nature
 New-age community activities will bring people back to
real life, face-to-face interactions
 Living formats will be redesigned to help us stay close
to nature and be in touch with our spiritual core
Neo-styled Life
Finding unique new ways to “return to
innocence”
TREND 3

Disconnecting
Faraday Zones, or hang-out zones that offer the
opportunity to be “beyond reach,” will find
mainstream acceptance on trains, planes, and
automobiles, as well as in public spaces like
libraries and cinemas.
www.frogdesign.com/techtrends2014/?utm_campaign=Tech
+Trends+2014
Neo Emotions
A neo-emotional system will extend and modify
outdated emotions to better suit modern
situations, culture, and technologically-enabled
existence.
http://www.transhumanism.org/index.php/th/more/701/

Community-building Sports
Largescale participatory sports events
like Tough Mudder and other mud
runs are gaining success because of
the inter-personal interactions they
promote.
They also create a sense of
community and belonging between
like-minded people.
http://breakingmuscle.com/strength-
conditioning/the-future-of-fitness-who-will-
win-the-gym-wars
Future Sound of Yoga
The Future Sound of Yoga is a concept
created by husband and wife DJ and yogi
team, Angel and Matt Singman.
The juxtaposition of futuristic music with
the ancient art of yoga helps create a new
meditative experience.
http://www.futuresoundofyoga.com/What_is_it.html
Back to the Roots
Primal Move helps us relearn basic
natural movements in a scientific and
play-oriented way, for an overall sense of
well-being.
Through Primal Move “workouts,” our
bodies gain flexibility, remove pain,
repair and prevent injury, and build
strength and skills.
http://primalmove.com/

 Consuming food that could lead to the onset of
diseases or health issues will be a problem of the past
 Smarter food options will be developed, with edible
items classified based on the body type they are suited
for
 3D printed food will ensure micro-customization of
dietary needs
Smarter Intake
Consuming according to your body's
unique needs
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TREND 4

Meat Alternatives
Beyond Meat and Hampton Creek Foods are
creating healthy plant-based alternatives that taste
just like eggs, chicken, and other animal sources of
protein.
This will satisfy meat cravings, and will be- toxin
and cruelty-free.
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2013/12/beyond
-eggs-meat-josh-tetrick
Guiltless Binging
Arctic Zero has created an ice cream made of whey
protein and purified water, that sets one back by
150 calories per pint.
http://www.arcticzero.com/

Obesity Control
A new drug that allows people to eat as much as
they want without gaining weight seems possible,
based on new research into certain brain
chemicals that influence how quickly we burn fat.
http://www.livescience.com/18860-marijuana-chemical-
brown-fat.html
Customized Food
The labels we use today to describe our diets -
vegetarian, Kosher, glucose-free, vegan, gluten-
free, lactose intolerant - will be replaced with new
terminology as we determine, on a molecular level,
which foods are suited for which body type.
In the future, we will be consuming 3D printed food,
catering to each person's unique dietary needs.
www.futuristspeaker.com/2011/10/the-coming-food-
printer-revolution/

 Things people interact with will interact back with them
in smarter and more sensitive ways, giving them more
control over their wellness
 Products and services a person uses will be able to
monitor, track and serve them well as per their
requirement, preferences and desires
 Products and services will assist people to make
healthier and better choices in a world of increasing
complexity and multiplicity
 Personalization will unfold across domains: mental,
emotional, physical and spiritual
Tech”Know”logy
Using technology to help your world
“know” you and work for you
TREND 5

Scan What You Eat
TellSpec is a device that can scan food and help
consumers make informed choices to buy or eat a
particular item.
It identifies allergens, chemicals, nutrients,
calories and ingredients in foods or beverages.
http://tellspec.com/
Track Your Well-being
The Lifewatch V is a smart phone that measures
temperature, stress levels, blood pressure, heart
rate to help users monitor their health status.
By placing their fingers on the sensors, LifeWatch
V users can measure and track their medical
condition, take corrective action, plan meals,
activities and more.
http://www.lifewatchv.com/

Wearable Light Tracker
“Sunsprite” is a wearable that tells when you need
more sunlight, to improve mood, energy and focus,
and regulate the body's sleep cycle.
http://www.sunsprite.com/
Healthy Commute
The Healthy Commute app plots a person's route
between two addresses, and displays alternative
routes that fit their health choices in terms of food
and activities.
http://suelynyu.com/Healthy-Commute-1

 To overcome our guilt-laden collective conscience for
the harm caused to planet Earth, humans will end the
one-way track from consumption to disposal, and
develop a perfectly closed loop system between man
and nature
 By successfully harnessing renewable energy sources
and energy created by human activity, we will help
create a sustainable energy cycle
Closing the Loop
Maintaining the fine balance of Earth's
resources
TREND 6

The Green System
In the Green System gyms by SportsArt Fitness,
you work out, and the electricity you generate with
the machines is fed into the grid to help the gym
save on its utility bills.
The watts you generate will be turned into eco-
points, a currency that will soon be accepted at
coffee shops and other retail outlets.
http://green.sportsartamerica.com/greenSystem.aspx
Wave Energy
Yinger Jin, a Wake Forest University sophomore,
estimated that swimmers generated 10-kilowatt-
hours of electricity, enough to keep the lights on at
Wake Forest's Reynolds Gym pool for a full day.
This research will form the basis of generating
electricity from wave energy on a much larger scale,
in oceans.
http://nationswell.com/college-students-clean-energy-idea-
making-waves-just-campus/

Rainwater Harvesting Pavilion
Tom David Architecten's Casablanca pavilion
design consists of structures that provide shade
from the scorching sun, and also collect rainwater
and channel it into underground tanks for use in
public toilets.
http://inhabitat.com/sustainable-leafy-canopy-in-
casablanca-by-tomdavid-architecten-wins-ac-ca-
competition/
The Copenhagen Wheel
The wheel, developed by a team at MIT, generates
energy during braking, similar to the regenerative
braking of hybrid cars.
The electricity, controlled via iPhone, can provide
power boosts for hills or long distances, making
commuting by bike a viable option for more
people.
http://www.fastcodesign.com/1662103/breaking-hybrid-
bike-wheel-wins-us-dyson-award

 The new trend will be to build a preventive world where
more focus is given to prevention of disease and
illness,much before the need for a cure
 People will not only be aware of possible problems
beforehand, but technology will provide different
options for tackling these situations
 Health-related apps will reach a new level of preventive
intervention, and close and continuous checks on
health and well-being will become routine
Predictive Prevention
Foreseeing and correcting wellness-
related issues before they occur
TREND 7

Body Weight Simulator
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health
have created a tool that predicts how one's body
weight will change and how long it will take to
reach a weight loss goal.
In the future, physicians will be able to use it to
design personalized weight management
programs based on a patient’s individual goals.
http://www.niddk.nih.gov/research-funding/at-niddk/labs-
branches/LBM/integrative-physiology-section/body-
weight-simulator/Pages/body-weight-simulator.aspx
Posture-correcting Shirt
Using an innovative and patented set of elastic
bands, the Up T-shirt reminds its wearer that their
shoulders ought to be held in a straight position
that is good for bone and circulatory health.
This promotes good posture way before we've had
a chance to ruin it.
http://designtaxi.com/news/363153/A-T-shirt-Designed-
To-Keep-You-From-Slouching/

Nutrition Guide
Fooducate is a free mobile app that empowers
supermarket shoppers to make healthy choices
effortlessly and change their purchase habits.
It scans barcodes and instantly provides a health
score to how nutritious food products really are.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fooduc
ate.nutritionapp
Personal Genomics
Research is on, to be able to get our complete
genetic code analyzed, so that each person's
propensity to disease, response to drugs, and other
tendencies can be individually mapped.
Doctors will be able to predict what might ail a
person in the future, and tailor-make therapies and
medications to prevent it.
http://www.wfs.org/futurist/2014-issues-futurist/may-june-
2014-vol-48-no-3/adventures-personal-genomics

 The doctor-patient relationship and awareness about
health related issues will reach new heights due to deep
monitoring and instant availability and sharing of
information
 Healthcare institutions will be able to provide patients with
customized treatments and organs, specifically matched to
their physiological make-up
 More and more procedures will be performed with the help
of robotic technology, to assure patients greater precision
and surgical control
Customized Care
Evaluating patients' unique needs and
delivering tailor-made treatments
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TREND 8

3D-printed Replacements
3D printers are already being used to quickly
create personalized body parts like teeth or knee
joints and medical devices like hearing aids and
wrist braces.
Viable human tissue and organs will follow suit,
doing away with patients' waiting time.
www.computerworld.com/s/article/9244884/The_first_3D_p
rinted_organ_a_liver_is_expected_in_2014
Advanced Surgical System
The Da Vinci surgical system enables surgeons to
perform delicate and complex operations through
a few tiny incisions with increased precision,
dexterity, and high definition 3D vision.
In the future, this will make it possible for complex
surgical operations to have 0% chances of error.
www.intuitivesurgical.com/products/davinci_surgical_syste
m/#sthash.3Xcf2NNG.dpuf

Electronic Skin
A multidisciplinary research team has developed
an ultra thin membrane with diagnostic sensors
and stimulatory components that can stick to skin.
This “electronic skin” allows remote patient
monitoring and may someday be used to deliver
treatments.
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/525976/a-
bandage-that-senses-tremors-delivers-drugs-and-keeps-a-
record/
Ultra-sensitive Monitor
ZhenanBao, a professor of chemical engineering at
Stanford, has developed a heart monitor thinner
than a dollar bill and no wider than a postage
stamp.
The flexible skin-like monitor, worn under an
adhesive bandage on the wrist, is sensitive enough
to help doctors detect stiff arteries and
cardiovascular problems.
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2013/may/skin-heart-
monitor-051413.html

 Healthcare professionals will use crowdsourcing
platforms and methods to research and solve critical
health problems, and suggest innovative solutions
 People will seek diagnosis and suggestions on health
issues from professionals around the world, and accept
treatment from virtual clinics and hospitals
Crowdsourced
Leveraging the power of the people to
generate wellness solutions
TREND 9

Crowdsourced Diagnosis
CrowdMed is revolutionizing healthcare by
harnessing “the wisdom of crowds” to help solve
the world's most difficult medical cases quickly
and accurately online.
It aims to help people reach a diagnosis faster by
tapping into a unique database of experts.
www.crowdmed.com/
Telehealth
AccuHealth, Chile, uses sensors with a wireless
connection to remotely monitor vital signs of
chronically ill patients.
If the vital signs are not good, data center staff
can immediately contact the patient to
recommend actions to take.
The stored information can also be used for
preventive treatment, avoiding costly post-
emergency hospitalization.
https://www.accuhealth.cl/uploads/archive/filename/27_02
_12_BNAmericas_Accu.pdf

Fitness Gamified
Staying fit and fighting illness through
games
Innovative platforms and applications will be introduced to
educate and inspire users and groom children to practice
well-being and overcome health-related issues.
TREND 10

Reduce Anxiety
A mobile game based on an emerging cognitive
treatment for anxiety called attention-bias
modification training (ABMT) can reduce stress in
25 minutes.
The treatment involves training patients to ignore
a threatening stimulus, such as an angry face, and
to focus instead on a non-threatening stimulus,
such as a neutral or happy face.
http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/relea
ses/reducing-anxiety-with-a-smartphone-app.html
Employee Wellness
Keas is a gamified employee wellness program, to
promote job satisfaction and encourage a fitter
workforce.
It provides a platform to share updates, pictures,
and healthy recipes, and participate in challenges
and games with co-workers for incentives.
It also integrates with biometric applications like
FitBit.
https://keas.com/

Fight Cancer
Re-Mission 2 gives kids and young adults with
cancer a sense of power and control over their
disease and also encourages treatment
adherence.
Each game puts players inside the human body to
fight and destroy cancer with an arsenal of
weapons and super-powers, like chemotherapy,
antibiotics and the body's natural defenses.
http://www.re-mission2.org/
Race Yourself
Race Yourself is a Google Glass app that makes
exercise more interesting, through the addictive
and social elements of gaming.
It lets you race against giant boulders, zombies,
fire, virtual friends, and even an oncoming train, to
stay fit.
http://mashable.com/2014/01/08/race-yourself-app/

The Way Forward, from Insights to Action
Confronting wellness-related challenges and planning for the future will take creative efforts and
collaboration with a variety of stakeholders:
 User experience professionals
 Technology innovators
 Cyber security experts
 Governments
 Social scientists
 Individuals and organizations involved in traditional and new age healthcare
 Citizens
We would like this report to act as a catalyst, to help kick-start ideas around discovering and exploring
opportunities in the Future of Wellness.
As a tiny glimpse into the possibilities, we leave you with a vision of wellness for the year 2050.

A day
in the life of
Huang in
2050

SHANGHAI II, May 12, 2050
Changes in lifestyle and nature of human activities have lead to an overlap between home,
work spaces and other living environments.
Citizens of this neopolis are ultra-conscious of their health and wellbeing.
Technology-enabled environments motivate and aid them to lead a life of holistic wellness.
This is the era of ENGINEERED ENVIRONMENTS.
Meet Dr. Huang!
He is 32 years old and EVOLUTIONIZED.
He has had himself genetically altered, to be able to attach and control
robotic arm modifications.
This helps him perform complicated surgery with greater precision, even
when stressed or exhausted.

A report by:
ice.humanfactors.com
Human Factors International Pvt. Ltd.
No.10, 2nd Floor,
Saint Ange Street,
Puducherry 605001
India
Phone: + 91 413 4210583
Fax: + 91 413 4210586
Team:
Sonal Malhotra
Snehshikha Gupta
Prashant Vutha
Ananya Roy

Future of Wellness

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