Abundance: The Future is Better Than You Think

by Peter H. Diamandis

Participatory medicine is the fourth category of our health care future. Powered by technology, each of us is becoming the CEO of our own health. The mobile phone is being transformed into a mission control center where our body’s real-time data can be captured, displayed, and analyzed, empowering each of us to make important health decisions day by day, moment by moment. Personal genomics companies such as 23andMe and Navigenics, meanwhile, allow users to gain a deeper understanding of their genetic makeup and its health implications. But equally important is the effect of our environment and daily choices—which is where a new generation of sensing technology comes into play. “Sensors have plummeted in cost, size, and power consumption,” explains Thomas Goetz, executive editor of Wired and author of The Decision Tree: Taking Control of Your Health in the New Era of Personalized Medicine. “An ICBM guidance sensor from the 1960s used to cost one hundred thousand dollars and weigh many kilograms. Now that same capability fits on a chip and costs less than a dollar.” Taking advantage of these breakthroughs, members of movements such as Quantified Self are increasing self-knowledge through self-tracking. Today they’re tracking everything from sleep cycles, to calories burned, to real-time electrocardiogram signals. Very soon, should one choose to go this route, we’ll have the ability to measure, record, and evaluate every aspect of our lives: from our blood chemistries, to our...