Bluetooth 4.0 Adds Special Support for Medical Devices

The newest Bluetooth communications standard, Bluetooth 4.0, features lower power and higher speed transmission while supporting older Bluetooth services.

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) (Kirkland, WA, USA) has announced that the new technology standard will support the Health Thermometer Profile (HTP) and Heart Rate Profile (HRP) built on Bluetooth 4.0, and expects the development to open the door for a new generation of wireless devices for monitoring health and fitness. Both profiles were built to enable the wireless monitoring of body functions; one potential use for the HTP involves a thermometer patch that can send temperature measurements to a mobile phone every half hour, thus enabling a parent to monitor closely the fever of a sick child without disturbing them.

The new devices using these profiles will join the over 40 million Bluetooth enabled health and medical devices already in market. The main driver of mobile health's growth is the increasing adoption of smartphones during the past few years; according to a recent report, at the end of 2009, smartphone penetration was around 21% and is expected to be 50% by the end of 2011. Further, over 72% of physicians are smartphone users, and mobile health applications embedded in smartphones are a main reason for this increased usage.

"These two profiles are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the new devices and uses Bluetooth technology is driving," said Michael Foley, PhD, executive director of the Bluetooth SIG. "With several new profiles on the cusp of adoption, we expect to see a rolling wave of Bluetooth products in a variety of new markets from today forward."

"Securely connecting these new devices to the exploding Bluetooth installed base gives manufacturers a way to add value to formerly commoditized products, and create a tighter bond with their customers through applications that can turn the data transmitted from these devices into valuable information for the end-user, as well as their primary care provider. It's a win-win," added Suke Jawanda, chief marketing officer of Bluetooth SIG. "When manufacturers look at that market size, and couple it with the massive installed base of Bluetooth devices they can connect to, it's obvious to see why global medical manufacturers like Omron, A&D, 3M, and Nonin choose Bluetooth technology."

Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances, from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks (PANs) with high levels of security. Bluetooth thus enables simple connectivity for a broad range of electronic devices, creating application opportunities for products within the mobile phone, consumer electronics, PC, automotive, health & fitness, and smart energy industries. Over 14,000 SIG member companies collaborate, innovate, and guide Bluetooth wireless technology, manufacturing nearly two billion devices annually.

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Bluetooth Special Interest Group