ResearchKit Now Available for iPad

[MacRumors]

Apple has released an updated version of ResearchKit with iPad support and several other new features for developers. ResearchKit 1.1 includes improved slider support, new active tasks, bug fixes, style improvements and more, with some of the changes briefly discussed during Apple's recent What's New in Cocoa Touch session at WWDC this week. The full changelog is listed below.

Today we're happy to announce that we've tagged a new stable release of ResearchKit, version 1.1. This new version includes multiple significant contributions:

Audiometry active task (Shazino SAS)
Reaction time active task (James Cox)
Navigable Ordered Task (Ricardo Sánchez-Sáez)
iPad support (Ricardo Sánchez-Sáez, Bruce Duncan, and others)
Image Capture step (Bruce Duncan)
Improved slider support (various contributors)
Plus various bug fixes and style improvements

Over the past few weeks these changes have had additional review for accessibility, and have been localized to all the languages iOS supports.

ResearchKit is a software framework that enables researchers and developers to create apps for iOS users to participate in medical studies. Given that ResearchKit is open source, many of the changes made in the latest version were contributed by third-party developers not employed by Apple. A commit list for the ResearchKit 1.1 update is available for developers on GitHub.

(Thanks, Ricardo!)

Article Link: ResearchKit Now Available for iPad

 

[krazifour]

So can I get paid for my contributions to the research studies?

 

[rsanchezsaez]

@krazifour: Not really. Some traditional in-person medical studies do pay volunteers, but this is not the case with the current ResearchKit app-based studies. I don't expect that to happen with future studies either.

Why do you imply that?

 

[soundwave1337]

Does that mean that Health app is coming to iPad?

 

[Joe Rossignol]

Does that mean that Health app is coming to iPad?

More likely ResearchKit-based apps for iPad such as Asthma Health, mPower, GlucoSuccess, Share the Journey and MyHeart Counts. They're all limited to iPhone right now.

 

[rsanchezsaez]

@soundwave1337: I don't think Apple has plans to bring HealthKit nor the Health app to iPad. HealthKit is an optional component in ResearchKit: when coding an app that uses ResearchKit, on iPad you can't use the ResearchKit capabilities.

I'm not sure if any of the five current ResearchKit apps that Joe mentioned will be natively brought to iPad. My guess is that not for now.

 

[DavidLeblond]

@soundwave1337: I don't think Apple has plans to bring HealthKit nor the Health app to iPad. HealthKit is an optional component in ResearchKit: when coding an app that uses ResearchKit, on iPad you can't use the ResearchKit capabilities.

Well Health app no, HealthKit you kind of need for ResearchKit. A lot of their recommended best practices for ResearchKit pull in metrics from HealthKit.

 

[rsanchezsaez]

Well Health app no, HealthKit you kind of need for ResearchKit. A lot of their recommended best practices for ResearchKit pull in metrics from HealthKit.

Not really, many of RK tasks, surveys, etc., don't need any HK access.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Is Bruce Duncan (one of the mentioned in the contributors) one of the people on the forums? I think someone here has a screen name of Duncan or something like that (I think I've seen them in the programming section before.)

 

[The Mercurian]

So can I get paid for my contributions to the research studies?

You'll be paid in kind when the research provides improved disease under standing, improved treatment or maybe even cures for disease that you or your children become afflicted with.

 

[brucehappy]

Is Bruce Duncan (one of the mentioned in the contributors) one of the people on the forums?

No, I'm a lurker. Even had to sign up to reply!

With regard to HealthKit, developers can definitely produce a great deal of useful research study applications without HealthKit. In fact, many of the active tasks included in ORK (Open ResearchKit) measure a variety of items that can't be tracked by HealthKit, such as memory, response time, etc. Aside from the active tasks, traditional survey questions are also likely to be a big part of any study as well.

Thanks @rsanchezsaez for getting the word out about ORK 1.1.

 

[Benjamin Frost]

ResearchKit? Is this a development programme for Knight Rider?

 

[krazifour]

You'll be paid in kind when the research provides improved disease under standing, improved treatment or maybe even cures for disease that you or your children become afflicted with.

@krazifour: Not really. Some traditional in-person medical studies do pay volunteers, but this is not the case with the current ResearchKit app-based studies. I don't expect that to happen with future studies either.

Why do you imply that?

Wasn't intending on that comment to come off in a greedy way whatsoever. I think that apple can help this initiative even more by tacking on a dollar or two for each study you complete. Nothing crazy. It would probably go directly to iTunes/app store accounts and it could even be capped. Just something small for your time that would entice new, and more, people.

It is a great program that is in devolpment. I was pretty excited to have the chance to partake, but truthfully, I completely forgot about it until this post. Others probably did the same. Especially if they don't follow Apple's news as close, like you and I do.

 

[The Mercurian]

No, I'm a lurker. Even had to sign up to reply!

With regard to HealthKit, developers can definitely produce a great deal of useful research study applications without HealthKit. In fact, many of the active tasks included in ORK (Open ResearchKit) measure a variety of items that can't be tracked by HealthKit, such as memory, response time, etc. Aside from the active tasks, traditional survey questions are also likely to be a big part of any study as well.

Thanks @rsanchezsaez for getting the word out about ORK 1.1.

Bruce for someone with no app development experience whatsever - how do I get started with making Research Kit surveys for example ? And is there any developers forum specifically for Research Kit ?

 

[rtonev]

Bruce for someone with no app development experience whatsever - how do I get started with making Research Kit surveys for example ? And is there any developers forum specifically for Research Kit ?

Stanford has a nice free iTunes course for iOS App Development. You can check that one out. Lynda.com also has nice videos. After you get familiar with apple stuff, you can take a look at Apple's github page for research kit:

https://github.com/researchkit/researchkit

They have examples there, including how to make surveys.