Digital Map to Monitor Users’ Health

A visitor tests the Reign health tracker bracelet by Jaybird, which monitors activity and sleep. Reuters
A visitor tests the Reign health tracker bracelet by Jaybird, which monitors activity and sleep. Reuters
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Digital Map to Monitor Users’ Health

A visitor tests the Reign health tracker bracelet by Jaybird, which monitors activity and sleep. Reuters
A visitor tests the Reign health tracker bracelet by Jaybird, which monitors activity and sleep. Reuters

A Chinese company has developed a digital map for every individual using DNA and samples of saliva and urine. This information is then used to inform the user of his / her overall health status and to help monitor early-stage disease.

During her trip to China last week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited the headquarters of a new private Chinese company specializing in the collection and analysis of health data for citizens in China to help them monitor their health all the time in return for a subscription, the German News Agency reported.

Collecting the largest amount of users’ data highlights the success of iCarbonX, founded by the Chinese Wang Jun, a biologist and programming specialist in 2015.

The iCarbonX aims to collect and evaluate the health data of about one million users in China over the next five years. The company cooperates with fitness clubs and medical clinics, as well as opening its own biological measurement stations in major cities in China, but also, aims to reach its data collection points to the user's home in the long run.

At the same time, the firm plans to develop a new generation of smart home appliances such as "toilets" that analyze urine, toothbrushes that analyze saliva, and mirrors that scan the user's skin to provide the best and most accurate health information.



Nintendo Switch Sales Halve and Profit Tumbles as Successor Device Awaited

A customer browses the gaming section of Nintendo products in a shop in Tokyo, Japan, May 6, 2021. (AFP)
A customer browses the gaming section of Nintendo products in a shop in Tokyo, Japan, May 6, 2021. (AFP)
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Nintendo Switch Sales Halve and Profit Tumbles as Successor Device Awaited

A customer browses the gaming section of Nintendo products in a shop in Tokyo, Japan, May 6, 2021. (AFP)
A customer browses the gaming section of Nintendo products in a shop in Tokyo, Japan, May 6, 2021. (AFP)

Japan's Nintendo said sales of its aging Switch console almost halved in the April-June first quarter and profit slumped, falling far short of estimates.
The gaming giant sold just 2.1 million units of the Switch, which is in its eighth year, during the quarter but maintained its full-year sales forecast for 13.5 million units, Reuters said.
Nintendo has said it plans to make an announcement about a successor device in the current financial year.
Operating profit tumbled 71% to 54.5 billion yen ($365 million), more than a third below analysts' estimates.
Its mobile and intellectual property-related division also had a weak showing with revenue sliding to 14.7 billion yen, down 54% from the same period a year earlier when profit was boosted by the hit "Super Mario Bros." movie.
The company has a thin pipeline of titles announced for this year, with upcoming games including "The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom" and "Mario & Luigi: Brothership".
A new "Super Mario" film is due for release in April 2026. The company has also said it would collaborate on a live-action movie of "The Legend of Zelda".
The games industry is grappling with rising costs and weak pricing power. Sony-owned developer Bungie announced this week it is cutting almost a fifth of its workforce.
Shares in Nintendo fell 2.3% in Tokyo ahead of the earnings announcement and are up 7.6% year to date.