Technology is often blamed for making life more difficult, but just a few days without technology and people would truly learn to appreciate what systems and applications do to make the average person’s life more convenient. People would have to go to banks often, pay their bills in person, contact companies by phone, and even go to the store for items they’d normally order online. Just imagine how much more free time you’d need to get your errands done.

While many people equate easy access to unhealthy food and constant mobile and console gaming to a rise in the average American’s waistline, that doesn’t mean that it’s technology that is contributing to health factors. In fact, there are inventions and developments that have been awarded for improving world health. Here are 4 examples of ways that technology improves health:

Helping Provide Safe Drinking Water to All

One thing that all human beings have in common is that they can’t survive without water no matter what region of the world they live in. City slickers in metropolitan areas and children located in third-world countries all need similar amounts of water to survive. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to water or at least water that’s safe to drink.

One way that technology is improving health on a global level is by giving people who normally would have to resort to drinking contaminated water access to safe drinking water. The LifeStraw water filter is a small tube that costs less than $20. It filters water straight from the water source can clean up to 4000 liters with just one unit. The LifeStraw has saved countless lives.

Helping to Reduce the Numbers of Drunk Driving Fatalities

Drunk driving is the cause of a huge percentage of traffic fatalities each year. In 2015 alone, the Center for Disease Control found that 10,265 people died in alcohol-related crashes. That was nearly one-third of the deaths reported for the entire 365-day period. Driving under the influence is a problem that is being dealt with head-on in many states by imposing stiffer penalties and investing in more education programs.

Technology can also help state and local officials crack down on the number of drunk driving injuries and fatalities that there are. One thing that is making a huge difference is enhanced breathalyzers from companies like Soberlink. These breathalyzers have a face recognition camera, a fuel cell, and tamper-proof sensors so that it works as a monitoring solution for addiction treatment, family law firms, employers, and criminal justice settings. Users struggling with addiction can receive reminders to test and demonstrate they are sober all through the app.

Detecting Cancer without Biopsies

There are endless lists of different forms of technology that can be used in medical offices to save lives. From heavy-duty CAT scan machines to pulse monitors, everything serves a purpose. One of the more modern devices that can help to detect cancer without the need for a biopsy is MelaFind. Since melanoma is the most deadly type of skin cancer, using this handheld tool to aid in the diagnosis of melanoma without a biopsy has helped treat many patients.

Tao Helps You Make Time for Exercise

You aren’t going to have a medical device in your home but you could find a device that helps you make time in your busy schedule very useful if you never have time to hit the gym. Tao is an isometric device that will help you track if you are making progress with your fitness routine. It can track your meals, your workout sessions, and how much you burn doing other activities. This is the perfect solution for someone who wants to stay accountable while they get fit.

There are so many aspects of life where technology can help to make the population healthier. Wellness and technology do go hand-in-hand when devices are used to the human advantage. Make sure that you research all of the fun gadgets that have hit the market to change your own bad habits.