Without gambling a cent, Demian Borba, CEO of the La Jolla-based interactive agency Action Creations, and his lead developer, Douglas Saisho, recently took home a big win at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the largest consumer technology tradeshow in the world. Borba and Saisho competed against 150 international mobile application developers in a seven-hour developing session for AT&T’s Hackathon competition. During the contest, software developers were challenged to create an app that could run on AT&T’s new mHealth Platform — a mobile health platform that will help users track their health and wellness information and share information with friends, family and healthcare professionals. The platform will allow users to track information that is often locked away at the doctor’s office — like blood pressure, sleep, exercise, body mass index and reminders to fill or take prescriptions — in one easy-to-use app. Borba found a perfect fit for the dynamic health platform as a result of a surfing injury he had endured a week prior to the competition. “Pretty much everyone at our company loves extreme sports, and the idea came when I hit my finger surfing and it got double the size,” he said while presenting his app at the event. “Also, seeing that people love to share their injuries on Facebook and Twitter, [I thought] why not do an app to keep track of our injuries using text, photos, video and voice?” The app, named “Action X-Ray,” will allow users to track and show off past and current injuries, as well as measure pain levels and precise points of injury on a simulated virtual body so health professionals can better understand their patients’ ailments over time. The app even recommends the best treatment procedures, medicines and prevention techniques or equipment for the injury, some of which can be purchased directly from the app itself. “Advertisement can be really well targeted,” Borba said. “For example, if there is a head injury, the app can display an ad for a helmet, and you can buy it right there on the app.” From their win, Borba and Saisho took home a $20,000 cash prize, a Microsoft Xbox 360 and Kinect for the entire team, and their new app will be featured in several promotional campaigns, including an AT&T commercial and promotional widget. The duo will also have the opportunity to spend three days at the AT&T Foundry for business and technical support, as well as take advantage of a six-month membership in the Alpha API program to help set up networking events with the best in the business. Borba and Saisho said they will use their winnings to reinvest in the production of “Action X-Ray,” and by utilizing the resources AT&T will provide, they hope to bring their app to the top of the market. For more information about Action Creations, visit www.actioncreations.com.
