I'm reminded of this, and countless other sci-fi plots, as I strip off and step semi-naked into the gleaming capsule of the Neko Body Scan. Like Autodoc, it promises to conduct a comprehensive examination of my health inside and out - in minutes and, while unable to estimate the timing of my demise (yet), it can identify if I'm at imminent or future risk of developing some of the biggest killers and causes of chronic ill health.
Healthy as I may feel on the outside, the prospect of learning whether some hidden nastiness lurks on my health horizon feels too tempting to refuse. The doors of the scanning pod slide shut, and a soothing female voice instructs me to close my eyes and keep still.
Neko is the brainchild of the Spotify co-founder Daniel Ek, who hopes to achieve the same for health that he did for music: redesigning the industry from scratch, starting with the technologies that exist today, rather than the hotchpotch of approaches it has relied on for decades.
Neko's co-founder and chief executive, Hjalmar Nilsonne, said: "Since 70% of healthcare costs are tied to chronic diseases, which are largely preventable or can be greatly delayed by early interventions, it seems pretty obvious that the healthcare system everybody actually wants is a preventive one that creates health, rather than being a medicine dispenser for the people who are already sick.
"The idea we had was very simple.
Esta historia es de la edición September 21, 2024 de The Guardian.
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Esta historia es de la edición September 21, 2024 de The Guardian.
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