Arsebestos & The Instrumented Self

In his book of essays Some Remarks the writer Neal Stephenson coined the term Arsebestos to describe the likely epidemic in illnesses which will be attributable to our office-based, sedentary working lives. Research has shown that even if you take regular high-intensity exercise the long-term effects of the many hours we spend sitting either at work or at home are very very bad indeed. Longer periods of lower intensity ambulatory activity (i.e. walking) seem to help. However, in societal terms we are in danger of creating a wholly new class of devastating industrial injuries - in the forms of obesity, diabetes and cancer. What can we do about this? The obvious answer is to sit less and move around more. In the workplace this clearly depends on employers paying heed to the health research results which are starting to emerge which demonstrate the deleterious effects of sitting. What this might mean in practical terms could include standing desks, more standing in meetings and perhaps even treadmills integrated into desks.

The growing realisation than sitting is bad for your health is occurring at the same time as devices and practices are being created which help people to capture and analyse their own biometric data. The movement associated with this emerging trend calls itself The Quantified Self. Some participants in this movement capture the minutiae of their lives in great detail in order to better understand themselves and their lives and to, essentially, optimise their own lives. Whilst this can veer into the fanatical and wacky there are some devices available which ordinary people can buy, use and get benefit from. One of these is the Nike+ Fuelband.

Nike+ Fuelband

The Fuelband is a rubberised bracelet which attempts to measure the activity-level of the wearer. Given its form factor and its sensor-type (an accelerometer) it gives only a general picture of the wearer's activity level - walking and running can be measured quite well as they involve arm movement, cycling and weight-lifting are not measured well. The Fuelband allows the wearer to accumulate 'Fuel' which is a synthetic metric proprietary to Nike. Via both the Nike website and the Fuelband iPhone app the user can set goals for daily Fuel targets, track progress and compete with friends. According to user reports the Fuelband helps to change the wearer's behaviour in order that they meet their goals. Typically this involves adjustments in behaviour such as walking more or climbing stairs rather than using a lift or even a more intense exercise such as running or playing a sport. The Fuelband is merely one of the current crop of activity monitoring devices. Others include the Fitbit Flex and the Jawbone Up. Both of these will also monitor your sleeping patterns.

So, a device as simple and limited as the Fuelband seems capable of making a positive difference to levels of activity. The next generation of devices will offer much more insight to our physiology and activity patterns. One of these is the Basis monitor, a watch-style device which includes a heart-rate sensor.

Basis

Beyond the obvious ability to monitor the user's heart-rate this also makes possible the measurement of any exertion - not just ones involving arm movement. This in turn allows the capture of much more accurate calorie burn rates.

As these devices start to become both ubiquitous and increasingly connected we will start to move beyond the vaunted Internet of Things to the Internet of Us. The Internet of Things means that when my neighbour's BMW breaks down and before he has even had a chance to call a breakdown service he is rung by BMW themselves to let him know that they are aware that his car has a fault and that help is already on its way to his location. The Internet of Us means that an ambulance will be dispatched before we are even aware that a heart attack is imminent. We won't just be Quantified, we will be Instrumented. Eventually, these devices will disappear entirely - becoming sub-dermal implants powered by our own electrical systems. Effectively your body will have its own IP address.

The masses of data already being generated by the existing batch of activity monitors raises both opportunities and concerns. Opportunities because the data could provide an invaluable resource for medical researchers. For example, they could look for patterns of behaviour or biometric activity which correlate with health problems. Concerns because of the ownership and privacy issues which clearly arise from the amassing of such data by third-parties on our behalf. Ultimately, these concerns will need to be resolved via a combination of both customer pressure and legislation.

In any event these tools (even as they exist today) provide individuals with the information they need to help to start to combat the effects of sedentary living.

Anyway, enough rambling. My Fuelpoints total for today currently stands at a measly 1148. Time to get off my arse...