Google

Though Google's founders have expressed frustration with HIPAA and the current regulatory environment, that hasn't stopped the company from developing innovative technologies with health and medical applications.

While hipsters are using Google Glass as a fashion statement, forward-thinking doctors and clinicians are using the augmented reality device to perform surgeries during which they can interact with, train, and remotely monitor fellow surgeons and students. The company has also maintained a presence in the mobile health space with Google Fit (Google's answer to Apple's HealthKit), which will bring health and fitness apps to consumers via a variety of Android-compatible devices, including some forthcoming watches to be released by LG and Motorola, among others.

But what's most exciting about Google is its ability to think forward beyond even the consumer health space. In 2013, Google established a biotech R&D arm, Calico, that will focus on biotechnology and life extension. This year, the company licensed its smart contact lens technology, which can noninvasively monitor glucose levels, to Novartis, which will take up the task of commercializing the product. 

[image courtesy of GOOGLE]