• True blood: The advent of a non-invasive blood test to automatically analyze blood via a wrist band will wirelessly transmit data to your doctor. When cholesterol levels spike, iron levels drop or white blood cell counts increase, users will know when to modify their medications, or seek medical attention.

• Mobility: Mobility is a critical factor to independent living, enabling people to remain in their homes and delay entry into assisted living and hospital facilities. Devices to keep people ambulatory will increasingly be used to monitor movement. These devices will provide coaching and tasks to improve coordination, range of motion and stability. They will also determine if the user is walking steadily, getting out of chairs easily, or if he needs assistance. Devices and sensors that predict conditions that could lead to a fall can alert the user to stop and rest or ask for help.

• Inside your head: New devices that tap brain waves will make it easier for the medically fragile and impaired to express their thoughts and sensations via a digital avatar of the human body. With the help of sensors, even non-verbal patients will be able to express how they are responding to specific treatments or pain, precisely indicate sensations in their body, or ask for medical attention, such as to change their position in bed or request more oxygen. These devices will capture important vital sign data as it streams in, interpreting it in real time and alerting caregivers to changes instantly.

The study went on to note some key requirements if such devices are to be really useful for the majority of the population. According to the survey:

• 96 % said ease of use is the top factor in selecting one device over another.