If the iPhone can be used to measure length and gradients, it can also be used to track the progression of scoliosis, an abnormal lateral curvature of the spine. We previously told you about the ScolioTrack app which records the height, weight and photographic data of the user, and keeps track of the patient’s ‘angle of trunk rotation’ (ATR), a standard measurement for scoliosis used by doctors around the world.
Back then, the ScolioTrack was already looking pretty popular, recording more than 1,000 downloads per month (that’s 30 per day on average). But it has now become even more powerful with its new 3.2 upgrade. According to its creator, Dr. Kevin Lau, the new version is more user friendly and accurate in its measurement.
The app looks sleek and is probably one of the few health 2.0 apps on the market that measures ATR. Those who aren’t that into health might suspect that this highly-specialized app wouldn’t have many downloads – but it turns out that the app is doing pretty well for a paid app, as Lau revealed that ScolioTrack was purchased by about 80,000 users (priced at $0.99) in the last one and a half year since its launch. Lau wears two hats: that of a doctor and also an entrepreneur’s. He briefly described his product iteration cycle:
Even though version 3.2 was released last month, we’re still constantly improving at the moment and adding new functions based on users’ feedback. The Android and iPad versions (which will be tailored more for health professionals and also parents who want to make use of the larger screen) will be out in 3 months’ time.
Building on its previous success, Lau now prices his app at $7.99, an eight-fold jump from its initial pricing. It’s pretty costly for an app but not when you compare it to conventional scoliometer hardware which can cost $150 to $300. ScolioTrack now supports seven different languages — Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, German and French — which should see it gain more downloads across the world.
Or will it?