A Smart Inhaler for People with Asthma From: Medical Design Technology - 10/28/2015 A "smart inhaler", launched in 2014, called CareTRx, is a small cap equipped with sensors and onboard memory that fits over the canister of most metered-dose inhalers. When a user presses down to deliver a dose, the onboard memory stores that data. Then, when the user is near a mobile device, the cap automatically connects and syncs to the cloud and to the product's app. Lights around the cap also illuminate when it’s time for a dose. The app offers several features: a diary that tracks potential triggers, peak flow, and symptoms; notifications for upcoming or missed doses; a percentage of prescription adherence; and a "badge" system for users, which rewards them for certain “good” behaviors. Users own the data, but can share them with anyone, such as health care provides or caregivers. Researchers and clinicians, with permission from the users, may also use another dashboard component to track usage among entire populations of patients anonymously. The sensor can also track overuse of rescue inhalers, which is sometimes overlooked. For example, if a patient uses a rescue inhaler, five times during a run when they've previously only used it a couple times, that could signal an underlying issue. Read the entire article at: http://www.mdtmag.com/news/2015/10/smart-inhaler-people-asthma Source: http://news.mit.edu/2015/gecko-health-smart-inhaler-asthma-1028 Link: CareTRx http://www.caretrx.com