Any person attempting to live a healthier life style may soon share their health automatically information with family, personal trainers, or even doctors. It is because that their blood pressure monitors, weight scales and perhaps even for running shoes can send information to the network their smartphones wireless enabled by the Internet and mobile computers.
But the swarm interconnected monitors diabetes and exercise gadgets can become reality only if devices can talk to one another. All these connection devices are the objective of the Continua Health Alliance, an umbrella non-profit which aims to establish universal standards for technology, medical devices and health industry leaders.
"In an ideal world, a device has the ability to interact with multiple resources," says Chuck Parker, Executive Director of the Continua Health Alliance. "It is not just stand-alone systems such as what we have today."
This ideal future world seems still a ways off, given that the gadgets of today operate only with specific systems or platforms. Accessories Wii Fit from Nintendo to monitor performance in exercise games work only on the Wii console. Accelerometer Nike + for runner footwear only transfers data to Apple iPod or iPhone.
Yet the Continua Health Alliance has brought together an impressive list of partners to achieve its vision of connected. It includes tech giants who want to see a future world of smart cities and smart homes, such as IBM, Cisco and Microsoft. Novartis and Roche medical device manufacturers have joined the alliance along with providers of health care as a St. Jude Medical and of Ascension health.
Game of long life
But do health sensors and monitors that can connect with all smartphones, computers or even TVs is just half the battle for the health data to good use. Ordinary consumers must also want to use such devices, and this is where the game comes into play.
Nintendo's Wii gaming devices already use sensors for health objectives in the short term, as the binding of the target heart rate. But Parker sees a chance for the games keep people committed to deal with rehabilitation in a State or a chronic disease in those months or years. He spoke recently at the games for Health Conference in Boston on May 17.
"Games a show very promising to motivate them and engaging in the long term," Parker said InnovationNewsDaily.
The data collected during the games may simply make a return to the personal user. But the Continua Health Alliance wishes that people be able to store the data in a cloud-based online service, or perhaps to update their health records online for health care providers.
Find partners for health
Some games focused on the health existence, but Parker has yet to see medical devices that make good use of the games. Still, some concepts exist, and countries such as the Japan have moved along more by pushing such devices.
For the future, the Continua Health Alliance released two sets of guidelines over the past five years, and has a third game ready to go in the summer. He also certified devices more than 40 that target health care providers and patients.
"What we've done is create standardized mechanisms to plug in the data, the collection of data and in him passing along," said Parker.
The great reward for all this work could happen when devices for consumers are beginning to deploy within 18 months, said Parker. Best Buy has discussed these devices in its stores in storage. And Google aims to make smartphones Android compatible with these devices at the end of the summer.
Of all the major players, only Apple a place off the agreeing to make its aircraft compatible with universal standards proposed by the Continua Health Alliance. But Parker is still hoping that some devices can be made compatible with Apple products.
"Should their at the table." Not necessarily, "Parker says. "It would be easier." "Yes."
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