Will smartphones soon be able to predict the time of our deaths?
In a new study, researchers show the extent to which smartphone sensors can determine our time of death. The results seem amazing.
Smartphones, tablets and the like have now become daily companions. The areas in which mobile devices are used are constantly increasing. Telephoning or texting is no longer the main focus. Because iPhones and Android smartphones are now considered all-rounders.
researchers around Bruce Schatz from the University of Illinois have now taken a closer look at the data generated by our smartphones and developed a thesis. Because many devices now also record health and activity data, which are an indicator of our well-being.
Smartphone sensors provide clues about the time of death
According to the study, smartphone sensors could even predict our time of death within a period of five years. The approach is not new. Doctors are already using our walking speed today to infer certain ailments.
The researchers meanwhile looked at the data of 100,000 people from the UK biobank. The test subjects wore a sensor around their wrist, but it could also be part of a smartphone. Six minutes of recordings were enough to determine a person’s mortality – and surprisingly accurately.
Time of death can be reliably determined from walking speed
Because if you compare the forecasts with the values from everyday life, the researchers were correct in 70 percent of the cases. And this is completely independent of the age and gender of the respective test person. In the future, smartphones could possibly reveal a lot about our lifetime.
However, it is still unclear what the result of the study will be. A medical application would be conceivable. Nevertheless, one should not misinterpret the high level of accuracy. Because even if the algorithm was correct for 70 out of 100 people, there were also incorrect forecasts for 30 individuals.
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