Apple Research Kit sees iPhone users take part in medical research

Apple Research Kit will enable iPhone users to participate in potentially life-saving medical research.

A software framework that can be used by developers to create medical apps, Research Kit will be used to aid research for illnesses including Parkinson's Disease, diabetes, asthma, breast cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Users of the iPhone will be able to carry out small tests such as voice tests and screen tapping-based tests, as well as answering survey questions and making using of location data to identity triggers for certain illnesses such as asthma.

The potentially game-changing software opens up a new world of crowd-sourced medical research. With Apple announcing that it has now sold 700 million iPhones, the research base could be enourmous.

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Obviously, privacy is a big concern when it comes to personal medical data. Apple states that users will decide whether to participate in the research and also decide how the data is shared. Apple will not see the data.

Research Kit will be launching in April 2015, with the first five launch apps available today.