[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":308},["ShallowReactive",2],{"slug-perfecting-the-power-to-talk-the-future-of-voice-and-speaking":3},{"post":4,"relatedPosts":184,"relatedBooks":307},{"id":5,"date":6,"date_gmt":7,"guid":8,"modified":10,"modified_gmt":11,"slug":12,"status":13,"type":14,"link":15,"title":16,"content":18,"excerpt":21,"author":23,"featured_media":24,"comment_status":25,"ping_status":25,"sticky":26,"template":27,"format":28,"meta":29,"categories":30,"tags":33,"project_category":46,"contact_email_category":47,"yst_prominent_words":48,"class_list":59,"better_featured_image":80,"acf":119,"yoast_meta":128,"_links":131},22222,"2018-10-30T13:00:39","2018-10-30T11:00:39",{"rendered":9},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002F","2022-05-27T10:13:29","2022-05-27T08:13:29","perfecting-the-power-to-talk-the-future-of-voice-and-speaking","publish","post","https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fperfecting-the-power-to-talk-the-future-of-voice-and-speaking",{"rendered":17},"Perfecting The Power To Talk – The Future of Voice And Speaking",{"rendered":19,"protected":20},"\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"5px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp style=\"color: #555;font-size: 12px;line-height: 14px\">THIS ARTICLE HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED SINCE 2018. THE INFORMATION SHARED IN THE ARTICLE WAS ACCURATE AT THE TIME OF ITS PUBLICATION, BUT IT MAY BE OUT OF DATE NOW. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fmagazine\">BROWSE OUR LATEST ARTICLES HERE\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003C\u002Ftbody>\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Talking, conversing, exchanging words: for more than 10 million people, this seemingly simple act cannot be imagined without assistive technologies, such as voice generating devices, touch screens or text-to-speech apps. What does the digital future bring for them? How could innovations turn around the translation industry or the medical administration process? Here’s a glimpse into the future of voice and speaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003C!--more-->\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Speaking, identity, voice stereotypes\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cem>Give me the key\u003C\u002Fem>! – This simple sentence carries much more information when it’s pronounced. A weary Philippino mother could instruct her little child as she cannot open the door to their home otherwise. A friend could reassure a troubled twenty-something that everything’s going to be alright with her dog, she will take care of little Suzy while she’s away on holiday. An angry and jealous Dutch woman can demand the opener from her boyfriend who doesn’t want to unlatch the door as another woman hides behind it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Voice carries much more information about the speaker than just content.\u003C\u002Fstrong> \u003Cstrong>Tonality, speed, volume, pitch or articulation of the vowels all matters – and make every single one of us unique, become part of our identities\u003C\u002Fstrong>. And as other characteristics of human appearance, it creates expectations and stereotypes. A strong, muscle-man is anticipated to have a low, rotund voice while a small girl a thin and high-pitched one. That’s why jokes playing with voice stereotypes could work: as in the cute cartoon, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.imdb.com\u002Ftitle\u002Ftt1049413\u002F\">Up\u003C\u002Fa>, where the Alpha dog’s voice machine gets messed up and instead of his alpha-male, strong barking he’s giving instructions in a high-pitched bird cry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In the light of the above, the question emerges: what happens to those who lose their ability to speak due to injury or illness? Could modern technology give them back the functionality of speaking alongside the lost part of their identity?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone size-full wp-image-22223\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"508\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F10\u002FFinding-a-Voice.png\" alt=\"future of voice \" class=\"wp-image-22223\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F10\u002FFinding-a-Voice.png 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F10\u002FFinding-a-Voice-768x448.png 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F10\u002FFinding-a-Voice-512x299.png 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption>Source: www.economist.com\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Stephen Hawking and the birth of speech generating devices\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The most famous cosmologist on Earth, the late Stephen Hawking was also someone who involuntarily popularized speech generating devices – and thus gave an eloquent response to the first question. The genius physicist \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.scienceabc.com\u002Finnovation\u002Fstephen-hawking-cheek-communication-help-computer-speech-generating-device.html\">suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which results in the gradual deterioration of muscles and leads to difficulty swallowing, speaking and eventually breathing\u003C\u002Fa>. Everyone has an image about him giving lectures and communicating with audiences through his computer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Digital adaptive alternative communication (AAC) methods, as well as speech generating devices (SGDs) or voice output communication aids (VOCA), have been helping \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theguardian.com\u002Fnews\u002F2018\u002Fjan\u002F23\u002Fvoice-replacement-technology-adaptive-alternative-communication-vocalid\">\u003Cstrong>more than 2 million people in the US, while about 1 percent of the British population\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cstrong>. People with ALS, cerebral palsy, Locked-in syndrome, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Brain stem stroke, traumatic brain injury or several developmental communication impairments or disabilities might be in need of such speech generating devices\u003C\u002Fstrong>. The forerunners of these aids \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.academia.edu\u002F20579609\u002FHistory_and_Technological_Advances_of_Augmentative_Alternative_Communication\">have been around since the early 1960s\u003C\u002Fa>. Pioneers in the speech pathology field began implementing the use of communication boards with individuals who were cognitively or physically impaired at that time. For example, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.action.org.uk\u002Ftouching-lives\u002Fseptember-2004\u002Fpossum-system\">Maling and Clarkson developed POSSUM, the first piece of technology in 1963 exclusively designed as a communication tool\u003C\u002Fa> for individuals with severe physical disabilities. POSSUM incorporated a typewriter with a switch-controlled scanning device.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone size-full wp-image-22224\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"580\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F10\u002FStephen-Hawking.jpg\" alt=\"future of voice\" class=\"wp-image-22224\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F10\u002FStephen-Hawking.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F10\u002FStephen-Hawking-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F10\u002FStephen-Hawking-512x341.jpg 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption>Source: www.vanityfair.com\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Robotic voices and the development of AAC methods\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Since then, AAC devices have been advancing rapidly due to the development of speech synthesis algorithms and the improved power, speed, and memory of microprocessors.\u003C\u002Fstrong> We had grown \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.action.org.uk\u002Ftouching-lives\u002Fseptember-2004\u002Fpossum-system\">from a time when portable communication aids weighed nearly seventeen pounds to present day devices that can weigh as little as a pound\u003C\u002Fa>. Also, the first AAC devices marketed in the 1990s had limited functionalities and could come with inherent flaws.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theguardian.com\u002Fnews\u002F2018\u002Fjan\u002F23\u002Fvoice-replacement-technology-adaptive-alternative-communication-vocalid\">The Guardian reminds us\u003C\u002Fa>, the 2014 biopic of Hawking’s life, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theguardian.com\u002Ffilm\u002F2014\u002Fsep\u002F07\u002Ftheory-of-everything-review-hawking-eddie-redmayne\">The Theory of Everything\u003C\u002Fa>, contains a stark reminder of the loss that this technology could bring with it. When Hawking and his first wife, Jane, first hear what will be Hawking’s new voice, they are stunned. After a moment of speechlessness, Jane offers a timid objection: “It’s American.” The moment is played for laughs, but it marks a trauma. From that time on, the British Hawking was talking to his audience through an American accent and a rather robotic voice. Moreover, in contrast with the unique human voices, this mechanic sound scale has also been the voice to choose both for little girls or old men worldwide – as the collection of voices wasn’t that wide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In the last couple of years, the rapid advancement of technology started to change that profoundly. \u003Cstrong>Alongside the exponential growth in the capabilities of the devices, their ability has grown to adapt better to existing identities – and that will even be better in the future. The innovative power and the positive response of users have also been shown in the market figures: in 2017, \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.digitaljournal.com\u002Fpr\u002F3989130\">\u003Cstrong>the Speech Generating Devices market was valued at 190 Million US$ and is projected to reach 330 Million US$ by 2025, at an 8.4% growth rate\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa>. Now, let’s see what devices could make communication better for those who are unable to speak or pronounce syllables with great difficulties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone size-full wp-image-22225\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"435\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F10\u002FFuture-of-Voice.jpg\" alt=\"future of voice\" class=\"wp-image-22225\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F10\u002FFuture-of-Voice.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F10\u002FFuture-of-Voice-768x384.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F10\u002FFuture-of-Voice-512x256.jpg 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption>Source: www.geomarketing.com\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Alternative communication solutions for people having trouble speaking\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>1) Assistive apps\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>The appearance of smartphones, tablets, and digital touch screens, in general, allow a more straightforward way of communicating without speaking. The \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nidcd.nih.gov\u002Fhealth\u002Fassistive-devices-people-hearing-voice-speech-or-language-disorders\">\u003Cstrong>simplest AAC device is a picture board or touch screen\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cstrong> that uses pictures or symbols of common items and activities that make up a person’s daily life\u003C\u002Fstrong>. For example, autistic children or adults might have great difficulties in expressing their needs, but it’s possible to teach them to touch the image of bread if they want to ask for a slice of bread. Several of such picture boards can be customized and expanded based on a person’s age, education, occupation, and interests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The iOS app, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fitunes.apple.com\u002Fus\u002Fapp\u002Fsayit!-speak-your-mind\u002Fid1119303404?ls=1&mt=8\">SayIt\u003C\u002Fa>! is a simple help for people having trouble speaking: they can open the app, type something and tap the speak button. The program also has a word prediction element similar to autocomplete or autocorrect. The \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fitunes.apple.com\u002Fca\u002Fapp\u002Fpredictable-text-based-communication-app\u002Fid404445007?mt=8\">Predictable\u003C\u002Fa> app offers something similar, using intelligent word prediction to provide word options on a keyboard to limit the amount of typing it takes to write a sentence or phrase to be spoken by the app. On the other end of the spectrum, the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fitunes.apple.com\u002Fapp\u002Fproloquo2go\u002Fid308368164?mt=8\">Proloquo2Go\u003C\u002Fa> app offers symbol-based communication – used by over 200,000 people in need.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.mytalktools.com\u002Fdnn\u002F2\u002FOurStory.aspx\">MyTalkTools Mobile\u003C\u002Fa> app was created by a dad whose son was born with Nager Syndrome – a rare condition affecting hearing, speech and other abilities. As the family was never satisfied with the existing solutions, they started to develop \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.mytalktools.com\u002Fdnn\u002F2\u002FProducts.aspx\">MyTalkTools on the iPhone\u003C\u002Fa>. With over \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fgettecla.com\u002Fblogs\u002Fnews\u002F5-assistive-apps-that-communicating-easier\">100,000 users, MyTalkTools Mobile is definitely one of the most popular apps\u003C\u002Fa> for a complete solution to overcome communication difficulties. One feature that’s really neat contains local content that is accessible to the user without needing Wi-Fi or data.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Regarding\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cstrong> assistive communication apps, the future undoubtedly holds artificial intelligence – through the development of natural language processing and text prediction. Experts believe that \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Funicefstories.org\u002F2017\u002F06\u002F29\u002Fbuild-the-next-generation-of-communication-solutions-for-people-with-disabilities\u002F\">personalized synthetic speech applications could provide users with opportunities to customize and\u002For personalize their voice in the future\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fstrong>. An example is the platform \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theverge.com\u002F2016\u002F9\u002F9\u002F12860866\u002Fgoogle-deepmind-wavenet-ai-text-to-speech-synthesis\">WaveNet\u003C\u002Fa> produced by Google’s DeepMind artificial intelligence algorithm, which utilizes the technology to model audio waveforms based on real human speech and learns from it to create its own sounds in a variety of voices. Or consider \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.gazespeaker.org\u002F\">GazeSpeak\u003C\u002Fa>, an open-source platform which uses artificial intelligence to convert eye movements into speech, and makes it easier for users with ALS and other disabilities to converse in real time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Purdue App Gives Kids with Autism Their Own Voice\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FJifrQBZSNn4?start=181&feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen>\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>2) Speech-generating devices\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nidcd.nih.gov\u002Fhealth\u002Fassistive-devices-people-hearing-voice-speech-or-language-disorders\">Speech-generating devices go one step further\u003C\u002Fa> by translating words or pictures into speech. Some models allow users to choose from several different voices, such as male or female, child or adult, and even some regional accents, others enable the person to use their eyes or tilt their heads to activate switches and have personalized features for specific conditions and use cases. Some devices employ a vocabulary of prerecorded words, while others have an unlimited vocabulary, synthesizing speech as words are typed in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>For example, the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.performancehealth.com\u002Fpocket-go-talk\">Pocket Go Talk\u003C\u002Fa> is a wearable, light-weight, small and portable AAC device, also built for tabletop use with five adjustable scanning speeds. \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.megabee.net\u002F\">MegaBee\u003C\u002Fa> is a simple-to-use assisted writing tablet, which was developed in conjunction with patients and as a consequence, tailored perfectly to their needs. For a particular use case, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fenablingdevices.com\u002Fproduct\u002Ftactile-symbol-communicator\u002F\">Enabling Devices’ Tactile Symbol Communicator\u003C\u002Fa> applies tactile symbols for concrete or abstract representations that can be tactually recognized by the visually impaired user.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In addition, several companies exist which aim to combine existing digital technology, including social companion robots, to further improve assisting speech devices. A spin-off of Luxemburg University, \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.luxai.com\u002F\">LuxAI\u003C\u002Fa> has developed a social companion robot for children with autism, the \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fluxai.com\u002Fwho-is-qtrobot-for-autism\u002F#QTrobot\">QTrobot\u003C\u002Fa>, which teaches the little ones new skills for being able to express their emotions and better participate in social interactions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>On the other hand, the Boston-based \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.vocalid.co\u002Fhow\">VocalID\u003C\u002Fa> promises to bring life to robotic machine voices by the power of crowdsourcing and voice blending technology. The company creates a unique vocal persona for any text-to-speech tool. So far, over 14,000 speakers from over 110 countries have contributed over 6 million sentences to their growing spoken repository, The Human Voicebank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Vocal Adventure\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FtXPioS_yjwc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen>\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>3) The future: communication through brain-computer interfaces\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>The idea that once humanity will be able to give out commands purely by thinking about them is as far away in the terrain of science fiction\u003C\u002Fstrong> as Marty’s hoverboard from Back to the Future (no, single-wheeled hoverboards don’t count).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>However, some researchers undertook the issue in large-scale research projects. University of Reading researcher Dr. Kevin Warwick managed to control machines and communicate with others using only his thoughts\u003C\u002Fstrong> with a cutting-edge neural implant. In 1998, Warwick, who earned the nickname “Captain Cyborg” from his colleagues, implanted a transmitter in his arm to control doors and other devices; then in 2002 he decided to implant electrodes directly into his nervous system in order to control a wheelchair with his thoughts and allow a remote robot arm to mimic the actions of his own arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Having a goal of helping voiceless patients communicate as a next, and very brave, step, Warwick implanted a chip into his wife’s arm to link their brains together through the Internet, creating the world’s first electronic brain–to–brain communication. When she moved her hand three times, he felt three pulses and recognized that his wife was communicating. He is optimistic that mind–to–mind communication will become a commercial reality in the next one or two decades. When Cathy Hutchinson, paralyzed years earlier by a brainstem stroke, managed to take a drink from a bottle by manipulating a robot arm with only her brain and a neural implant in 2012, the path became clear for future research.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone size-full wp-image-22226\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"513\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F10\u002FBrain-Computer-Interface.jpg\" alt=\"future of voice\" class=\"wp-image-22226\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F10\u002FBrain-Computer-Interface.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F10\u002FBrain-Computer-Interface-768x453.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F10\u002FBrain-Computer-Interface-512x302.jpg 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption>Source: https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hochschule-rhein-waal.de\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Speaking 2.0: Voice interface technology and real-time translations\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Innovations could lift communication to another level in the future – not only with regards to the fact how it empowers people with speech impairments but also in connection with how people exchange information with individuals from other cultures or with machines. \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In the next years, real-time translation and the dream about the notion that people can speak a common(ly understood) language will get within reach. In October 2107, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theguardian.com\u002Ftechnology\u002F2017\u002Foct\u002F05\u002Fgoogle-pixel-buds-babel-fish-translation-in-ear-ai-wireless-language\">Google launched a set of Bluetooth earbuds called the Pixel Buds\u003C\u002Fa> with one standout feature: instant translation between 40 different languages using a Pixel smartphone. Meanwhile, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.skype.com\u002Fen\u002Ffeatures\u002Fskype-translator\u002F\">Microsoft’s Skype Translator\u003C\u002Fa> can do real-time translation between eight languages over a voice or video call or between 50 languages for text chat, making conference calling between nations and languages possible. The portable and wearable \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fiamili.com\u002Fus\u002F\">ili\u003C\u002Fa> device helps travelers translate from English to Japanese, Mandarin or Spanish within seconds without any Internet connection. In the future, you might \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fdigital-health-makes-you-a-superhero\">have a small earbud and switch from Chinese to Icelandic then back to English within 5 minutes of conversation\u003C\u002Fa> without any problems.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Not even sign language is left out of technology’s sight. Researchers at Texas A&M University have developed a wearable device that “translates” sign language into English by sensing the user’s movements. In October 2015, the instrument was already able to recognize some 40 ASL signs with 96 percent accuracy. However, as \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theatlantic.com\u002Ftechnology\u002Farchive\u002F2017\u002F11\u002Fwhy-sign-language-gloves-dont-help-deaf-people\u002F545441\u002F\">The Atlantic points out\u003C\u002Fa>, projects converting sign language, especially ASL gloves, have strong limitations at the moment. Perhaps, the future will bring some breakthrough in interpreting human movements for sign linguistic purposes by machines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Nevertheless, machines will not only act as interpreters but also as communication partners. Gartner estimates that \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gartner.com\u002Fdoc\u002F3021226\u002Fmarket-trends-voice-ui-consumer\">30% of our interactions\u003C\u002Fa> with technology will be through conversations with smart machines by the end of this year. Now, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theverge.com\u002F2018\u002F1\u002F15\u002F16892254\u002Fsmart-speaker-ownership-google-amazon\">one in six U.S. adults\u003C\u002Fa> owns a voice-activated intelligent speaker or device – and \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.forbes.com\u002Fsites\u002Fdanielnewman\u002F2018\u002F08\u002F22\u002Fvoice-interface-technology-the-future-of-business\u002F#5de0870d316a\">Forbes believes that\u003C\u002Fa> number will continue to rise. In the future, speaking to Siri or Alexa will not only result in turning the lights on and off, but also in \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fgoogle-please-make-dentists-appointment\">making restaurant reservations or dentist appointments\u003C\u002Fa>. In a couple of years, you might not be sure whether you are talking to an A.I. or a real person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone size-full wp-image-22227\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F10\u002FReal-Time-Translation.jpg\" alt=\"future of voice\" class=\"wp-image-22227\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F10\u002FReal-Time-Translation.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F10\u002FReal-Time-Translation-768x288.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F10\u002FReal-Time-Translation-512x192.jpg 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption>Source: www.lwolf.com\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Medical implications: Is the doctor speaking?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Speech technologies will impact the business world, the private sphere – and the medical community\u003C\u002Fstrong>. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fchatbots-health-assistants\">Chatbots will become the first line in primary care\u003C\u002Fa>. That means patients will turn to chatbots for medical advice in simple cases and they will be sent to a doctor only in cases when the algorithm decides that the individual needs further assistance. It will take some burden off the shoulders of busy doctors and nurses while taking care of patients.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Artificial intelligence-powered and speech-based solutions will support diagnostics in many other ways, too. As \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fvocal-biomarkers-new-opportunities-prevention\">vocal biomarkers\u003C\u002Fa> are just as unique as our voice itself, researchers believe that they could help in diagnosing certain illnesses. The tech giant, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.scientificamerican.com\u002Farticle\u002Fthe-sound-of-your-voice-may-diagnose-disease\u002F\">IBM is teaming its Watson AI supercomputer with academic researchers\u003C\u002Fa> to try to predict from speech patterns whether patients are likely to develop a psychotic disorder. An Israeli company, Beyond Verbal deals with emotion analytics and provides voice analysis software. It has announced that its algorithms were successful in helping to detect the presence of coronary artery disease (CAD) in a group of patients.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In addition, voice assisting technologies could also become a valuable asset in medical administration. Imagine that artificial intelligence-based voice tools could record patient visits and make medical notes for doctors without the need to type them into any health record system. How much more time a medical professional could spend with their patients without the need for constant administration? A company called \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.augmedix.com\u002F\">Augmedix\u003C\u002Fa> \u003Ca href=\"a%20company%20called%20Augmedix.%20Its%20platform%20enables%20physicians%20to%20wear%20Glass%20Enterprise%20Edition%20as%20they%20see%20patients,%20while%20remote%20medical%20scribes%20fill%20out%20the%20electronic%20medical%20records%20based%20on%20what%20they%20hear%20and%20see%20from%20the%20visit.\">utilizes Google Glass to enable physicians to examine their patients\u003C\u002Fa>, while remote medical scribes fill out the electronic medical records based on what they hear and see from the visit. How mind-boggling solutions technology could bring to the medical practice, don’t you think?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"10px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>At The Medical Futurist, we are building a community for making a bold vision about the future of healthcare reality today.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FFIbMejImnxs\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003Cp>If you’d like to support this mission, we invite you to \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">join The Medical Futurist Patreon Community\u003C\u002Fa>. A community of empowered patients, future-oriented healthcare professionals, concerned health policymakers, sensible health tech developers, and enthusiastic medical students. If there were ever a time to join us, it is now. Every contribution, however big or small, powers our research and sustains our future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">\u003Cstrong style=\"background-color: #e71d3299; color: #000;\">Click here to support The Medical Futurist from as little as $3\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa> – it only takes a minute. Thank you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftbody>\n\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n",false,{"rendered":22,"protected":20},"\u003Cp>Talking, conversing, exchanging words: for more than 10 million people, this seemingly simple act cannot be imagined without assistive technologies, such as voice generating devices, touch screens or text-to-speech apps. What does the digital future bring for them? How could innovations turn around the translation industry or the medical administration process? Here’s a glimpse into the future of voice and speaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n",6,22229,"closed",true,"","standard",{"_acf_changed":20,"footnotes":27},[31,32],506,521,[34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45],1106,1107,246,1108,271,1109,275,1110,289,425,759,1105,[],[],[49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58],1883,3283,4295,4629,1583,1631,1715,1719,1721,1723,[60,14,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,69,70,71,72,73,74,75,76,77,78,79],"post-22222","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cyborgization","category-future-medicine","tag-voice","tag-speaking","tag-future","tag-assistive-technology","tag-health","tag-voice-generating-device","tag-healthcare","tag-speech-generating","tag-innovation","tag-technology-2","tag-apps","tag-speech",{"id":24,"alt_text":81,"caption":27,"description":82,"media_type":83,"media_details":84,"post":5,"source_url":118},"TMF","TMF, woman, angry, voice, shout","image",{"width":85,"height":86,"file":87,"sizes":88,"image_meta":115},1920,1080,"2018\u002F10\u002F046_megaphone.gif",{"medium":89,"large":95,"thumbnail":100,"medium_large":104,"1536x1536":105,"large_old_512x288":110},{"file":90,"width":91,"height":92,"mime-type":93,"source_url":94},"046_megaphone-370x208.gif",370,208,"image\u002Fgif","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F10\u002F046_megaphone-370x208.gif",{"file":96,"width":97,"height":98,"mime-type":93,"source_url":99},"046_megaphone-768x432.gif",768,432,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F10\u002F046_megaphone-768x432.gif",{"file":101,"width":102,"height":102,"mime-type":93,"source_url":103},"046_megaphone-150x150.gif",150,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F10\u002F046_megaphone-150x150.gif",{"file":96,"width":97,"height":98,"mime-type":93,"source_url":99},{"file":106,"width":107,"height":108,"mime-type":93,"source_url":109},"046_megaphone-1536x864.gif",1536,864,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F10\u002F046_megaphone-1536x864.gif",{"file":111,"width":112,"height":113,"mime-type":93,"source_url":114},"046_megaphone-512x288.gif",512,288,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F10\u002F046_megaphone-512x288.gif",{"aperture":116,"credit":27,"camera":27,"caption":27,"created_timestamp":116,"copyright":27,"focal_length":116,"iso":116,"shutter_speed":116,"title":27,"orientation":116,"keywords":117},"0",[],"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F10\u002F046_megaphone.gif",{"related_posts":120,"related_posts_footer":124,"cta_type":27,"cta_color":27,"subtitle":27,"related_books":20},[121,122,123],17139,21847,16513,[125,126,127],22099,17817,15467,{"yoast_wpseo_title":129,"yoast_wpseo_metadesc":130,"yoast_wpseo_canonical":15},"Perfecting The Power To Talk – The Future of Voice And Speaking - The Medical Futurist","Assistive technologies, voice generating devices, real-time translations? Here’s a glimpse into the future of voice and speaking.",{"self":132,"collection":138,"about":141,"author":144,"replies":147,"version-history":150,"predecessor-version":154,"wp:featuredmedia":158,"wp:attachment":161,"wp:term":164,"curies":180},[133],{"href":134,"targetHints":135},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F22222",{"allow":136},[137],"GET",[139],{"href":140},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts",[142],{"href":143},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftypes\u002Fpost",[145],{"embeddable":26,"href":146},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fusers\u002F6",[148],{"embeddable":26,"href":149},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcomments?post=22222",[151],{"count":152,"href":153},18,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F22222\u002Frevisions",[155],{"id":156,"href":157},46525,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F22222\u002Frevisions\u002F46525",[159],{"embeddable":26,"href":160},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia\u002F22229",[162],{"href":163},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia?parent=22222",[165,168,171,174,177],{"taxonomy":166,"embeddable":26,"href":167},"category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcategories?post=22222",{"taxonomy":169,"embeddable":26,"href":170},"post_tag","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftags?post=22222",{"taxonomy":172,"embeddable":26,"href":173},"project_category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fproject_category?post=22222",{"taxonomy":175,"embeddable":26,"href":176},"contact_email_category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcontact_email_category?post=22222",{"taxonomy":178,"embeddable":26,"href":179},"yst_prominent_words","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fyst_prominent_words?post=22222",[181],{"name":182,"href":183,"templated":26},"wp","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.w.org\u002F{rel}",[185],{"id":127,"date":186,"date_gmt":187,"guid":188,"modified":190,"modified_gmt":191,"slug":192,"status":13,"type":14,"link":193,"title":194,"content":196,"excerpt":198,"author":23,"featured_media":200,"comment_status":25,"ping_status":25,"sticky":26,"template":27,"format":28,"meta":201,"categories":202,"tags":205,"project_category":213,"contact_email_category":214,"yst_prominent_words":215,"class_list":220,"better_featured_image":231,"acf":261,"yoast_meta":262,"_links":265},"2017-04-13T18:00:05","2017-04-13T16:00:05",{"rendered":189},"http:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002F?p=15467","2022-05-03T14:15:17","2022-05-03T12:15:17","chatbots-health-assistants","https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fchatbots-health-assistants",{"rendered":195},"Chatbots Will Serve As Health Assistants",{"rendered":197,"protected":20},"\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"5px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp style=\"color: #555;font-size: 12px;line-height: 14px\">THIS ARTICLE HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED SINCE 2017. THE INFORMATION SHARED IN THE ARTICLE WAS ACCURATE AT THE TIME OF ITS PUBLICATION, BUT IT MAY BE OUT OF DATE NOW. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fmagazine\">BROWSE OUR LATEST ARTICLES HERE\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003C\u002Ftbody>\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Chatbots, intelligent personal assistants, artificial intelligence supported messaging apps or voice-controlled bots are forecasted to replace simple messaging apps soon. In healthcare, they could take off the burden on medical professionals regarding easily diagnosable health concerns or quickly solvable health management issues. Here is the evolution of bots as health assistants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003C!--more-->\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Imagined conversation with a health chatbot \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\u003Cli>\u003Cem>Hi Viola, how can I help you? \u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cem>I have a mild fever, headache, I feel dizzy. What could it be?\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cem>What is your temperature at the moment?\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cem>38C.\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cem>For how long have you been feeling the headache? \u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cem>In the last 2-3 hours.\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cem>Do you have any other symptoms? \u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cem>No, I don’t.\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cem>You had the exact same symptoms last week and the week before. This time, I recommend you to visit your GP. Let me call your doctor’s office and make you an appointment that fits your schedule!\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Ful>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>With the appearance of intelligent personal assistants (IPA) supported by machine learning such as Siri on iOS or Alexa for Amazon, the above scene does not sound like science fiction anymore. If we also consider how Cognitoys support the cognitive development of small children with the help of AI in a fun and gentle way, personal health assistants on our phones suddenly become definite responses for certain needs. They can make our lives more comfortable and they could pay attention to our very personal wishes through constant learning – which might also have some downsides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Half a million people professed their love for Siri\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Remember the movie entitled \u003Cem>Her\u003C\u002Fem>? The main protagonist, Joaquin Phoenix falls completely in love with the voice of a digital assistant capable of learning at an astonishing pace as well as fulfilling his every need. Luckily, we are not here yet. But according to a recent report in the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Furldefense.proofpoint.com\u002Fv2\u002Furl?u=https-3A__www.newscientist.com_article_mg23231045-2D700-2Dhow-2Dwe-2Dfell-2Din-2Dlove-2Dwith-2Dour-2Dvoiceactivated-2Dhome-2Dassistants_&d=DwMFAg&c=RAhzPLrCAq19eJdrcQiUVEwFYoMRqGDAXQ_puw5tYjg&r=tg4MUjJUSXB9wyKvQPiVMGkbqK7vQ5O-E3RpyohTek0&m=vxCvIT8IMSUDbFsYKpxKTAEiZqlSAj6qjKwgfDY9u34&s=iJyqNGTs6VAoV8DtCvUZy0ZTpcA6fhb_vsqjueTbw7o&e=\">New Scientist\u003C\u002Fa>, hundreds of thousands of people say ‘Good morning’ to Alexa every day, half a million people have professed their love for it, and more than 250,000 have proposed marriage to it. So we have to be careful, and already have to analyze the complicated relationship humans have with intelligent machines and all already existing forms of artificial intelligence. Preferably before they overflow our life. So let’s start with digital health chatbots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"373\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fchat-bot-designers_bots-as-health-assistants.jpeg\" alt=\"Chat-Bot-Designers_Bots as Health Assistants\" class=\"wp-image-15468\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fchat-bot-designers_bots-as-health-assistants.jpeg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fchat-bot-designers_bots-as-health-assistants-768x329.jpeg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fchat-bot-designers_bots-as-health-assistants-512x220.jpeg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fchat-bot-designers_bots-as-health-assistants-458x196.jpeg 458w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Chatbots are the future of messaging\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Chatbots are already everywhere. Okay-okay, you are right, not everywhere, but sometimes the supply cannot even appease the huge demand. For example, around the holidays in December 2016, Amazon Echo was such a ‘bestseller’ that the e-commerce giant’s main website and the app have been sold out of the Echo voice-controlled speaker for weeks. These bots talk to their users through speakers, and their built-in microphones hear from across a room. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.washingtonpost.com\u002Fnews\u002Finnovations\u002Fwp\u002F2017\u002F01\u002F06\u002Fwhy-2017-is-the-year-of-the-bot\u002F?utm_term=.299193ab774a\">When Echo hears the name “Alexa,” its LED ring lights up\u003C\u002Fa> in the direction of the user to acknowledge that it is listening. It answers questions, plays music, orders Amazon products and tells jokes. Mind-blowing! Obviously, there was a huge interest, which in turn shows a clear trend: chatbots will take over the place of messaging applications in many areas and they will also hit such market segments, which were previously unimaginable. Such as healthcare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Digital personal assistants in the form of chatbots offer a lot more than simple messaging apps. They can be voice-controlled, which makes it possible to use them also when your hands are full with laundry or you don’t want to put down your crying kiddo. They come in handy when you want to play music, order food or take notes. As they are voice-controlled, I can imagine that after a while they will be part of the dynamics of family communication.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"435\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Ffuture-of-messaging_bots-as-health-assistants.png\" alt=\"Future of Messaging_Bots As Health Assistants\" class=\"wp-image-15469\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Ffuture-of-messaging_bots-as-health-assistants.png 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Ffuture-of-messaging_bots-as-health-assistants-768x384.png 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Ffuture-of-messaging_bots-as-health-assistants-512x256.png 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Ffuture-of-messaging_bots-as-health-assistants-458x229.png 458w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Why will health chatbots become a success story?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>There are so many simple medical questions out there which do not require the full attention of a physician, but letting them remain unanswered leaves the concerned people nervous, confused and clueless. Imagine a young mother with a two weeks old baby without any experience. She will bombard you with tons of questions if you ask her how she and the baby is. What is the temperature of a baby that requires intervention? What is the ideal temperature for the baby’s bath? How much sleep is enough? Is it better to leave a sock on the little one’s hands for a while after being born or not?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>These are all relevant questions, but they usually do not need a response from a physician. A health visitor might be a better choice, but the young mother does not always have that possibility. Moreover, doing Google searches to find the right answers is also challenging as most patients do not know how to assess the quality of information they find online. Plus the Internet is full of fake news and misleading sites that want to sell something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"580\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fhealth-app-solutions_bots-as-health-assistants.jpg\" alt=\"health-app-solutions_bots as health assistants\" class=\"wp-image-15472\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fhealth-app-solutions_bots-as-health-assistants.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fhealth-app-solutions_bots-as-health-assistants-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fhealth-app-solutions_bots-as-health-assistants-512x341.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fhealth-app-solutions_bots-as-health-assistants-375x250.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>A more expanded primary care service cannot and should not fill this gap. Patients should not leave from work, travel to the GP’s office just in order to get a 10 seconds response for every simple question. At the same time, no symptom checker website can help in a reliable way, as they are not personalized enough or not driven by algorithms smart enough. An instant messaging health app cannot fill this gap effectively either, as we cannot expect that whenever we have questions, there is a physician available somewhere in the universe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>The solution is a digital health chatbot constantly supported and gradually taught by physicians.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Where does the development of digital assistants and intelligent chatbots stand at the moment?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Since the introduction of Siri, Apple’s voice assistant and ‘knowledge navigator’ in 2011, every tech giant came up with its own version. Just think about Microsoft’s Office Assistant and later Cortana, Google’s Google Home and Google Now or Amazon’s Alexa or Evi. Their evolution is a constant factor and they all ‘possess’ a certain personality with their own names – well, \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.theverge.com\u002F2016\u002F5\u002F18\u002F11672938\u002Fgoogle-assistant-chatbot-virtual-assistant-io-2016\">except perhaps Google’s assistant\u003C\u002Fa>. The independent, non-profit research center, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.sri.com\u002Fabout\">SRI International\u003C\u002Fa>, the inventor of Siri is working on \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.washingtonpost.com\u002Fnews\u002Finnovations\u002Fwp\u002F2016\u002F09\u002F30\u002Fsiri-answers-your-questions-this-bot-will-understand-your-emotions\u002F?utm_term=.c2011432d009\">how to make the conversations with this digital platform more ‘human-like’\u003C\u002Fa> and how such machines might get a clue about the emotional background of human conversationalists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"580\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Ffuture-of-messaging_bots-as-health-assistants.jpg\" alt=\"Future of Messaging_Bots As Health Assistants\" class=\"wp-image-15471\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Ffuture-of-messaging_bots-as-health-assistants.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Ffuture-of-messaging_bots-as-health-assistants-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Ffuture-of-messaging_bots-as-health-assistants-512x341.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Ffuture-of-messaging_bots-as-health-assistants-375x250.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The development obviously goes in the direction of making chatbot conversations more and more realistic, but we are definitely not there yet. Low-capacity AI such as \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.fastcodesign.com\u002F3069012\u002Fits-time-to-treat-siri-alexa-and-google-assistant-like-the-toddlers-they-are\">these digital assistants is rather in their toddler phase\u003C\u002Fa>. They are learning from the world around them by watching and listening, while they respond with their already existing knowledge repeating our prejudices and bias. And as you cannot expect a toddler to give you advice about your divorce, you cannot expect empathy from a digital assistant – not yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>However, I’m always very curious to test where technology stands, so I did it with chatbots and digital assistants as well. I can surely say we are not there yet. I talked with \u003Ca href=\".%20https:\u002Fwww.chatbots.org\u002Fchatterbot\u002Feugene_goostman\u002F\">chatbot Eugene\u003C\u002Fa> when \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fnewatlas.com\u002Feugene-goostman-turing-test\u002F32453\u002F\">they claimed it passed the Turing test\u003C\u002Fa>, although it didn’t. In my experience, even though I knew I was talking to a bot, it took the time to catch it making mistakes and losing the image of being a human being.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"303\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Feugene-goostman_bots-as-health-assistants.jpg\" alt=\"Eugene Goostman_Bots as Health Assistants\" class=\"wp-image-15473\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Feugene-goostman_bots-as-health-assistants.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Feugene-goostman_bots-as-health-assistants-768x267.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Feugene-goostman_bots-as-health-assistants-512x178.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Feugene-goostman_bots-as-health-assistants-458x160.jpg 458w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Digital assistants in healthcare\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The need for digital personal assistants and chatbots in healthcare is obvious and not new at all. The first \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fchatbotsmagazine.com\u002Ftop-useful-chatbots-for-health-c1e5382d057d\">“operative” bot in the healthcare sphere dates back\u003C\u002Fa> to 50 years ago. \u003Cu>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FELIZA\">Eliza \u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fu>was created to mimic a Rogerian psychologist that is a therapist who asks questions to the patient simply by rearranging what the patient himself said. Intelligent conversation is only emulated, allowing the chatbot to have some success in those days when AI was just something seen in the sci-fi novels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Currently, there are already certain medical fields, where start-ups and companies are offering intelligent personal assistants. For the visually impaired, Horus, \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.orcam.com\u002F\">OrCam\u003C\u002Fa>, \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fbemyeyes.com\u002F\">BeMyEyes\u003C\u002Fa>, and \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Faira.io\u002F\">Aira\u003C\u002Fa> all offer their solutions in order to create the possibility to live a more independent life. They are using various algorithms for describing the environment to the user, read out text, recognize faces and objects such as supermarket products or banknotes, or notify about obstacles. These algorithms are all able to learn over time. And that’s just the beginning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"465\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Feliza_bots-as-health-assistants.png\" alt=\"Eliza_Bots As Health Assistants\" class=\"wp-image-15474\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Feliza_bots-as-health-assistants.png 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Feliza_bots-as-health-assistants-768x410.png 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Feliza_bots-as-health-assistants-512x274.png 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Feliza_bots-as-health-assistants-458x245.png 458w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Health chatbots are shaping up\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The company, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fkore.ai\u002Fabout-kore\u002F\">Kore.ai\u003C\u002Fa> offers smart bots for healthcare facilities. The digital assistant can connect patients to the right contacts directly, give appointment details or make any changes. It lets the patients easily refill prescriptions or pay bills. It delivers lab, test or procedure outcomes or recommended next steps. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.safeinbreastfeeding.com\u002Fsafedrugbot-chatbot-medical-assistant\u002F\">Safedrugbot\u003C\u002Fa> embodies a chat messaging service that offers assistant-like support to health professionals, doctors who need appropriate information about the use of drugs during breastfeeding. Izzy helps women track their period and serves as a birth control pill reminder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Bots like \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.messenger.com\u002Ft\u002F109653792416142\">HealthTap\u003C\u002Fa> or \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.messenger.com\u002Ft\u002FYourDotMD\">Your.Md\u003C\u002Fa> aim to help patients find a solution to the most common symptoms through AI. However, a chatbot never replaces an experienced doctor. The bot itself exhorts the user to book an appointment with a doctor for a diagnosis, and eventually for the prescription of a therapy. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.messenger.com\u002Ft\u002F322745644732100\">Florence\u003C\u002Fa> might be a very useful chatbot for older patients. It is basically a “personal nurse,” and “she” can remind patients to take their pills. You just write the name of the medicine in chat, the number of times a day you must take it and at what time. Then, Florence sends you a message in chat every time you must take the pill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Some institutions already recognize the potential in chatbots for patients and their services alike. The UK’s \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.engadget.com\u002F2017\u002F01\u002F05\u002Fnhs-chatbot\u002F\">National Health Service (NHS) will start to use\u003C\u002Fa> a \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.babylonhealth.com\u002Fhow-it-works\">chatbot\u003C\u002Fa> app for dispensing medical advice for a trial period in 2017, with the aim of reducing the burden on its 111 non-emergency helplines. The NHS is developing the app with \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.babylonhealth.com\u002F\">Babylon Health\u003C\u002Fa>, one of the new breed of paid, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.engadget.com\u002F2016\u002F11\u002F04\u002Fone-consultation-was-enough-to-sell-me-on-online-doctors\u002F\">doctor-on-demand services\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Florence – Your health assistant\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FY8xxglM083s?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen>\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>The way forward\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Healthcare chatbots will spread around in many areas of healthcare. In February 2017, \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.merck.com\u002Fabout\u002Ffeatured-stories\u002Fmerck-amazon.html\">Merck announced\u003C\u002Fa> it \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.healthline.com\u002Fdiabetesmine\u002Ftalking-diabetes-tech-alexa#1\">will sponsor an open innovation challenge\u003C\u002Fa> in conjunction with Amazon Web Services and New York-based innovation consultancy Luminary Labs. The goal: a call to entrepreneurs, techies, and industry types to create open solutions for these voice-tech tools to help people with chronic conditions. The first one is diabetes: the so-called \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.alexadiabeteschallenge.com\u002F\">Alexa Diabetes Challenge\u003C\u002Fa> launches in April and will concentrate on type 2 diabetes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>As it is highlighted in the above examples, digital health assistants in the form of chatbots are already able to answer basic questions about health management. In the future, this function will get even better as it will be constantly evaluated and it will learn from its own mistakes. Moreover, not only one chatbot will learn from the given mistake, but the entire fleet of chatbots in that given service. As these intelligent personal assistants process new information very fast, it will follow-up and learn when to direct the patient to a physician’s attention or call for help itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In the future, we will be able to share the data we measure about our health and the data in our medical records with these digital personal assistants, so it can help make the wisest decisions. Maybe, they will also be able to detect certain medical conditions based only on our voices. There is already extensive research going on concerning \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fvocal-biomarkers-new-opportunities-prevention\u002F\">vocal biomarkers and their use in healthcare\u003C\u002Fa>. And I’m sure software developers and tech companies will recognize the huge potential for the use of gamification in healthcare chatbots as well. For example, if you could collect points for eating healthy food or doing some sports and then you could receive certain rewards, patients would be more motivated to live healthier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"581\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fai-chat-bots-as-health-assistants.jpeg\" alt=\"AI Chat Bots As Health Assistants\" class=\"wp-image-15477\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fai-chat-bots-as-health-assistants.jpeg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fai-chat-bots-as-health-assistants-768x513.jpeg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fai-chat-bots-as-health-assistants-512x342.jpeg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fai-chat-bots-as-health-assistants-374x250.jpeg 374w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Where are the boundaries of our privacy and our control over technology?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Healthcare chatbots and smart tech assistants, in general, raise serious ethical questions about the nature of humanity as well as its connection to technology. How much should these artificial intelligence-supported platforms know about us? Who else could have access to our private and very personal health information? How could we defend ourselves in this vulnerable situation? As it is often stressed, any device can be hacked, and I certainly do not want unauthorized people to have access to my data. How can we safeguard the inconceivably huge amount of data we generate through smart devices such as chatbots in the future?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The other area of concern is where and how to find the power balance between technology and humanity. Who will have the control? Can we ensure that \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.washingtonpost.com\u002Fsf\u002Fnational\u002F2015\u002F12\u002F27\u002Faianxiety\u002F?tid=a_inl&utm_term=.dd9130342d5d\">artificial intelligence remains confined in our control mechanisms or do we let an uncontrollable ghost out\u003C\u002Fa>? These are very difficult and extremely relevant questions, which need careful consideration from decision-makers, powerful tech companies, researchers as well as average people on the street. As technological development will not slow down, we have to catch up with the innovation happening around us and give reasonable responses in order to ensure our humanity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Frobot_chatbots-as-health-assistants.jpg\" alt=\"Robot_Chatbots As Health Assistants\" class=\"wp-image-15476\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Frobot_chatbots-as-health-assistants.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Frobot_chatbots-as-health-assistants-768x508.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Frobot_chatbots-as-health-assistants-512x339.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Frobot_chatbots-as-health-assistants-378x250.jpg 378w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>So, bots are coming even if you are reluctant to embrace them. And the first time you have a conversation with a bot that is wise, humorous and learns your preferences in seconds, you will be amazed how hard it is to resent them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\u003Cp>[subscribe image=”false” type=”article-horizontal”]Subscribe to\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>\u003Cb>The Medical Futurist℠ Newsletter\u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>News shaping the future of healthcare\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Advice on taking charge of your health\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Reviews of the latest health technology\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>[\u002Fsubscribe]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"10px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>At The Medical Futurist, we are building a community for making a bold vision about the future of healthcare reality today.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FFIbMejImnxs\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003Cp>If you’d like to support this mission, we invite you to \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">join The Medical Futurist Patreon Community\u003C\u002Fa>. A community of empowered patients, future-oriented healthcare professionals, concerned health policymakers, sensible health tech developers, and enthusiastic medical students. If there were ever a time to join us, it is now. Every contribution, however big or small, powers our research and sustains our future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">\u003Cstrong style=\"background-color: #e71d3299; color: #000;\">Click here to support The Medical Futurist from as little as $3\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa> – it only takes a minute. Thank you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftbody>\n\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n",{"rendered":199,"protected":20},"\u003Cp>Chatbots, intelligent personal assistants, artificial intelligence supported messaging apps or voice controlled bots are forecasted to replace simple messaging apps soon. In healthcare, they could take off the burden on medical professionals regarding easily diagnosable health concerns or quickly solvable health management issues. Here is the evolution of bots as health assistants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n",15475,{"_acf_changed":20,"footnotes":27},[203,32,204],504,494,[206,207,208,209,210,211,36,42,212],670,134,671,144,168,207,519,[],[],[216,217,218,219,55,49],1571,1617,1681,1683,[221,14,61,62,63,64,65,222,67,223,224,225,226,227,228,229,70,76,230],"post-15467","category-artificial-intelligence","category-telemedicine","tag-intelligent-personal-assistant","tag-ai","tag-machine-learning","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-chatbot","tag-digital-health","tag-gc4",{"id":200,"alt_text":232,"caption":27,"description":27,"media_type":83,"media_details":233,"post":127,"source_url":260},"Chatbots_Bots As Health Assistants_2",{"width":234,"height":235,"file":236,"sizes":237,"image_meta":258},870,227,"2017\u002F04\u002Fchatbots_bots-as-health-assistants_2.jpg",{"medium":238,"large":242,"thumbnail":246,"medium_large":249,"large_old_512x134":250,"medium_old_458x119":253},{"file":239,"width":91,"height":92,"mime-type":240,"source_url":241},"chatbots_bots-as-health-assistants_2-370x208.jpg","image\u002Fjpeg","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fchatbots_bots-as-health-assistants_2-370x208.jpg",{"file":243,"width":97,"height":244,"mime-type":240,"source_url":245},"chatbots_bots-as-health-assistants_2-768x200.jpg",200,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fchatbots_bots-as-health-assistants_2-768x200.jpg",{"file":247,"width":102,"height":102,"mime-type":240,"source_url":248},"chatbots_bots-as-health-assistants_2-150x150.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fchatbots_bots-as-health-assistants_2-150x150.jpg",{"file":243,"width":97,"height":244,"mime-type":240,"source_url":245},{"file":251,"width":112,"height":207,"mime-type":240,"source_url":252},"chatbots_bots-as-health-assistants_2-512x134.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fchatbots_bots-as-health-assistants_2-512x134.jpg",{"file":254,"width":255,"height":256,"mime-type":240,"source_url":257},"chatbots_bots-as-health-assistants_2-458x119.jpg",458,119,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fchatbots_bots-as-health-assistants_2-458x119.jpg",{"aperture":116,"credit":27,"camera":27,"caption":27,"created_timestamp":116,"copyright":27,"focal_length":116,"iso":116,"shutter_speed":116,"title":27,"orientation":116,"keywords":259},[],"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fchatbots_bots-as-health-assistants_2.jpg",{"cta_type":27,"cta_color":27,"subtitle":27,"related_books":20,"related_posts_footer":20,"related_posts":20},{"yoast_wpseo_title":263,"yoast_wpseo_metadesc":264,"yoast_wpseo_canonical":193},"Chatbots Will Serve As Health Assistants - The Medical Futurist","Chatbots started to appear in healthcare as intelligent personal assistants for patients as well as medical professionals.",{"self":266,"collection":271,"about":273,"author":275,"replies":277,"version-history":280,"predecessor-version":284,"wp:featuredmedia":288,"wp:attachment":291,"wp:term":294,"curies":305},[267],{"href":268,"targetHints":269},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F15467",{"allow":270},[137],[272],{"href":140},[274],{"href":143},[276],{"embeddable":26,"href":146},[278],{"embeddable":26,"href":279},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcomments?post=15467",[281],{"count":282,"href":283},29,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F15467\u002Frevisions",[285],{"id":286,"href":287},43665,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F15467\u002Frevisions\u002F43665",[289],{"embeddable":26,"href":290},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia\u002F15475",[292],{"href":293},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia?parent=15467",[295,297,299,301,303],{"taxonomy":166,"embeddable":26,"href":296},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcategories?post=15467",{"taxonomy":169,"embeddable":26,"href":298},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftags?post=15467",{"taxonomy":172,"embeddable":26,"href":300},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fproject_category?post=15467",{"taxonomy":175,"embeddable":26,"href":302},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcontact_email_category?post=15467",{"taxonomy":178,"embeddable":26,"href":304},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fyst_prominent_words?post=15467",[306],{"name":182,"href":183,"templated":26},[],1790254596113]