Welcome to Thanksgiving in 2013, where Fitbits and iPhones are as likely at the Thanksgiving table as mashed potatoes and wine.
I’ve just finished reading David Eggers’ The Circle and have been thinking about how much technology and quantification will continue to transform life over the next several years. So, some predictions for Thanksgiving in 2030.
Before sitting down for the big meal, those of us with gluten intolerance or celiac disease (and, because diagnostics will be better, there likely will be someone) will pop a pill to prevent any problems resulting from cross-contamination. Because someone will inevitably mix up the serving spoons.
Life should be a little easier for people with diabetes, too. (Yes, unfortunately there will still be diabetes.) Hopefully by then, most diabetics will have access to a partial or complete implantable artificial pancreas that will continuously read their blood sugar levels and respond, or even anticipate, them with the appropriate dosage of insulin.
Meanwhile, the seniors at the table – and there will be several of them — will have a place setting equipped with tremor-canceling utensils to make sure they can eat comfortably alongside the rest of the family.
This is where it gets really interesting. When the turkey’s served, it might not actually be turkey. It could be synthetic meat created by some crafty tissue engineering and 3D printing — a method that’s supposedly cheaper and more sustainable than raising, slaughtering and transferring livestock. The desserts, instead of being hand-crafted by the family’s finest baker, will be even more beautifully crafted by a computer and a 3D printer.
But you might not even eat them, because a device worn on the wrist, over the eyes or embedded in the fork will keep track of what you’re eating and prompt you to stop when you’ve exceeded your recommended caloric intake for the day. (Admittedly, none of the passive calorie trackers under development now seems especially promising, but a lot can happen in a decade and a half.)
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
When it’s time to hit the couch after dinner, the same device that’s tracked your day’s eats and activities will track your post-meal nap and wake you up when it’s just the right time. Don’t worry if you don’t feel so great after the nap; every parent will have a tricorder in the medicine cabinet that will be able to detect whether anything’s seriously wrong in just a few minutes.
And if there is something wrong, let’s hope 17 years is long enough for the government, payers and providers to get telemedicine reimbursement worked out.
[Image credits: Robot & Frank; Lift Labs; Scanadu]
