IBM researchers have linked a heart monitor with portable devices like cell phones. Their goal is to save your life if your heart rate rises above a specified limit or even stops.
Jonathan B. Cox reports from Research Triangle Park.
A new technology developed by the world's biggest seller of computers and services would automatically notify family members or medical professionals if a user fell ill from overexertion. The device, known as the Peace of Mind, wirelessly links a small heart monitor with a cell phone or other mobile device to function, and IBM says it could save lives.
It seems a little bit awkward to operate. You'll need to attach a heart-rate measuring patch to your chest and a relay device to work with the monitor.
The relay device sends a signal using Bluetooth,an increasingly popular wireless transmission standard, to a cell phone or personal digital assistant loaded with IBM software that the user must carry. The phone is programmed to call or send a text message to specific contacts in emergencies to initiate a rescue.
IBM doesn't say when these devices will be available. But it already has competition.
Digital Angel in South St. Paul, Minn., has a wristwatch-size health-monitoring device that automatically summons assistance using a satellite chip to pinpoint the location of those who are ill. And Medtronic, the world's biggest pacemaker manufacturer, sells implantable heart-monitoring devices.
Source: Jonathan B. Cox, The News & Observer, January 8, 2003
12:03:11 PM
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