Pollen Alerts From High-Tech Medicine Cabinet

Filed in archive Asthma , Gadgets and Tools Against Allergies , Hay Fever , Living with Allergies on June 8, 2006

You wake up in the morning, the sun streaming through the window. You head to the bathroom, and as you reach for your toothbrush, you wonder what's the weather --and the pollen levels!-- will be like today. Should you turn on the tv? Log-in to check the internet? Or step in front of your medicine cabinet?

The medicine cabinet of the future: As soon as it recognizes you, it reminds you of health concerns that need your attention --weight, body fat, heart rate, cholesterol, blood pressure, and the pollen counts in your area. Need a reminder for your daily medications? Aside from issuing reminders, here's something nifty for you sleepyheads: radio frequency identification tabs on prescription bottles prevent you from taking the wrong drug at the wrong time.

Neat, eh? Researcher Dadong Wan, Ph.D., of Accenture Labs in Chicago, says it might be available for installation in homes in less than a year. Click the image to see a video of how it works (courtesy of Carolina News 14).