Silicon Valley: Shaping the Future of Wellness Real Estate
Feature Blog: Elizabeth Burton for @proven.partners
United by our shared values and common passions @Proven.Partners and @CoreEssence are joining together to deliver a full spectrum solution for responsible real estate developers that value health & well-being and conscious consumption. We can't wait to share more of this exciting partnership officially launching Fall 2021💫
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Over the past decade, Silicon Valley technopreneurs have poured investment dollars and research hours into a variety of home tech innovations. Apps, robots and intelligent machines have been designed for people of all ages and stations. Over the coming years, everyone from luxury homeowners and seniors to students moving into their first apartments stand to benefit.
Perhaps most exciting of all are the collaborations between real estate developers, nonprofits and tech companies to design innovative new spaces that support the health and wellness of their inhabitants.
From living art to smart toilets, today’s home tech embraces a whole-health approach to life at home. For more detail on how Silicon Valley is shaping the future of wellness real estate, read on below.
UNDERSTANDING THE LINK BETWEEN SILICON VALLEY AND THE WELLNESS INDUSTRY
Despite the increasing number of question marks around the reputation of big tech, many of us still look to Silicon Valley researchers and entrepreneurs to lead societal innovation and advancements in areas such as wellness tech. In her article for Well + Good, Erin Bunch explains the complex relationship between personal wellness and the technopreneurs who have redefined it.
Bunch writes that we focus our attention on Silicon Valley because “the tech industry is known for being on the cutting edge, and this forward-thinking approach is no longer limited to, say, computer programming or iPhone development.” In the words of Silicon Valley psychologist Dr. Cameron Sepah, “the world looks to Silicon Valley for the latest and greatest in everything.”
CAN A HEALTHIER HOME LEAD TO A LONGER LIFE?
Though this obsession with Silicon Valley began with technology, Dr. Sepah notes that “there’s a considerable amount of health and wellness-related companies that come out of here that blur the line between healthcare and technology.” Those looking for health improvements are now looking well beyond traditional wellness resorts and wellness getaways - they’re integrating the focus throughout their daily lives.
As such, biohacking - the idea that we as individuals can make incremental changes to our lifestyles and diets in order to improve our healthy, longevity and quality of life - has emerged as a major trend. Bunch writes that biohacking, “whether you like it or not, is a concept that originated in Silicon Valley. Personalization is the future of health” because no matter whether you are “taking your advice from a famous personality or tech founder or a medical professional, you want it to be on the cutting edge of what’s best for you personally versus what’s trending or what’s popular.” This appetite for a wide variety of wellness integrations has spurred on home innovations that are set to transform the wellness real estate industry.
4 WELLNESS TECH INNOVATIONS FOR THE REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY
#1 CAPTURING CARBON WITH LIVING ARTWORK
The COVID-19 pandemic has vastly increased the general public’s concern over the quality of indoor air, from that of restaurants and hotel rooms to home interiors and classrooms. Bay Area innovators like biotech startup Artveoli have responded to that public outcry, designing Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) monitors that help homeowners create safer spaces. In her article for Eyewitness News, Amanda del Castillo describes the need for clean air solutions in Silicon Valley. Citing recent wildfires in the Bay Area, as well as health concerns posed by viruses like COVID-19, del Castillo writes about a collaboration between Artveoli CEO Alina Adams and Congwang Ye, who are working together to improve indoor air quality.
Their joint project aims to “‘combine CO2-devouring photosynthetic algae and carbon capture microcapsules into a flat panel device disguised as a work of digital or printed art.’" Artveoli began developing IAQ tech in 2016, producing their air panel shortly after securing funding. TheArtveoli air panel looks like a printed artwork and uses photosynthesis to convert CO2 to breathable oxygen to provide fresher, cleaner air to each room.
#2 INTEGRATING LUXURY HOME AMENITIES WITH BIOTECH
In his article for CEPro, Arlen Schweiger outlines the latest in luxury home automation and tech integration. The New Home Technology Centre, located about forty-five miles outside the heart of San Francisco, “highlights smart, healthy, sustainable and connected living.” This fully integrated, wholly automated smart home emphasizes a connection between home and health in every feature and detail.
The 950 square foot show home includes dozens of home tech features, including solar-powered skylights and shades designed for circadian lighting, a hydrotherapy shower system, smart bed that “learns and improves daily sleep experience” and an IAQ monitoring system that “automatically turns on home exhaust fans when unhealthy air quality is detected.” From voice commands to intelligent energy management systems, the home operates as an R&D centre, and its blend of high IQ and high style could be a window into the future of wellness real estate.
#3 CUSTOMIZABLE FITNESS TECH
Several years ago, the fitness mirror emerged as an antidote to the busy lives of many who occupy the Bay Area. Fitness mirrors, such as those by NordicTrack, Tempo and ProForm, experienced a resurgence during the pandemic while homeowners were kept away from gyms and hiking trails. However, while today’s smart mirrors tend to perform only a single function, tomorrow’s home fitness tech will offer so much more. Last year, Silicon Valley startup TONAL installed the first of its smart gyms in The Four Seasons Hotel.
Michelle Gross explains the many features and capabilities of Tonal in her article for Robb Report. She writes that TONAL responds to the needs of “luxury hotels around the world...to address traveler’s wellness needs in creative ways.” TONAL pairs a smart mirror with built-in exercise equipment, designed for everything from yoga to 200 pound weight lifting. These machines allow hotel guests to “call up classes or custom-created workouts” - all from the privacy of their room.
#4 SMART TOILETS FROM STANFORD
In her article for the Stanford Medicine News Center, science writer Hanae Armitage celebrated advancements made by the late Stanford professor and Stanford Cancer Institute member Dr. Sanjiv Gambhir. As Chair of Radiology, Dr. Gambhir had recently led the development of a smart toilet at the University. Unlike the standard “smart toilet”, or glorified bidet, this toilet “is fitted with technology that can detect a range of disease markers in stool and urine, including those of some cancers, such as colorectal or urologic cancers.”
What makes Gambhir’s smart toilet so special is that the innovation lies in external gadgets that can be attached to any standard bowl. This element makes smart home tech more accessible for mass adoption. Though the smart toilet is still in its infancy, it offers a particular advantage for multi-person households as it “has a built-in identification system” that can provide “‘precise, individualized health feedback.’” A global leader in early cancer detection, Gambhir’s incredible advancements will serve as a blueprint for those who follow in his footsteps. Learn more about the inspiring, pioneering scientist here.
IN CLOSING
Many additional home tech innovations are expected to emerge from Silicon Valley in the coming months and beyond - from apps designed for seniors aging in place to augmented reality conference rooms for telecommuters. This represents a boon for the increasing numbers of consumers seeking integrated wellbeing solutions throughout their homes and a critical opportunity for the developers serving them.
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Originally Publication: https://www.proven.partners/blog/future-of-wellness-real-estate