Jack, 70, is suffering from progressive dementia. His family worry that he is leaving the oven on, forgetting that he left the bath running, and losing his keys. The solution is a pair of spectacles containing software that recognises objects. Using voice commands, they can tell Jack where he has left things. The glasses build up a picture of the physical environment, then start to look at the daily routine. By maintaining his independence, Jack is less prone to depression and mood swings.

Allergies: The patch that can deliver antihistamine

Susie, six, has a strong allergy to nuts. Her parents, worried that others won't be as vigilant as them, buy a patch that measures the rising levels of carbon dioxide in the blood that precede an allergy attack. Indicators light up when the condition is becoming more serious, and the patch can administer antihistamine. The parents also wear a patch that vibrates when their child's condition is becoming an emergency.

Obesity: How to exercise safely

Apart from her supermarket smart card, which prevents her from buying any fatty food, Amanda wears 'intelligent fabric' in her sports clothing when she goes to the gym. This acts as a sensor to measure breathing rate, heart rate, blood pressure and recovery rate.

A simple indicator gives Amanda live feedback on how hard she is pushing herself, and she downloads a more detailed read-out to her online account to review it with her doctor. In this way, she can push herself as hard as her doctor thinks beneficial, by setting the indicator levels to alert her if she is not exercising hard enough.

STD: How to test yourself

Dino is fresh out of university and up to his neck in graduate debts. He enjoys a drunken one-night stand with a girl he has never met before. Next morning he worries that he may have picked up something nasty. Going to an online chemist, he buys a self-testing kit that will check him for chlamydia, thrush, syphilis and gonorrhoea. The kit also gives him information on incubation times and re-testing, as well as telling him to look out for genital warts and herpes. And it warns him to be more careful next time and take a condom when he goes clubbing.