The intersection of technology, health and medicine is a crossing point that creates a new meeting space, where not only researchers, industry and technologists come together, but citizens as well. Their participation in these new areas brings a breathtaking array of possibilities: creativity, societal interests, participation and collaboration. But also a whole bunch of new questions and tensions: Which social tasks can we humanely delegate to machines? Do we have a right not to be measured, analysed and coached? Issues like privacy, safety and informed consent come to the surface and there are no easy or unique answers. In this context, RRI, or Responsible Research and Innovation, provides a fertile ground where to bring these new scenarios and discuss them. Cases like wearable technologies are one of these scenarios, where these issues arise. The impacts of the use of these gadgets go usually much further that we expect at a first sight! This is why the Sparks projects team is happy to share one of its first inspiring documents: the Inception report.

Why do we highly recommend reading and sharing this report? Because it gives you a refreshing insight about the new questions, reflections, practices and scenarios that technological developments are bringing to the table, and how we, citizens of the world, are using these gadgets to improve, create and recreate the health and medical environment. By reading it, you will get a better comprehension about real cases where innovation is happening in a collaborative manner and how the RRI approach is a new way of looking at the research and innovation landscape. This report is a unique document not only because of its accessibility and attractive design, but also because it explains in a reader-friendly manner the key aspects of current European research mindset and the fast technological developments happening nowadays. It’s not a trend: it’s here now and it arrived to stay.