OT Philips developing wearable medical monitoring system
By Junko Yoshida
EE Times
October 8, 2003 (12:13 p.m. ET)
PARIS — Philips Research has developed biomedical clothing designed as a wireless healthcare monitoring system.
Philips demonstrated its prototype Wednesday (Oct. 8) at a fire brigade emergency center in Hamburg, Germany. Scientists at Philips Research in Aachen, Germany, claimed the new technology, designed for continuous healthcare monitoring and automatic online diagnostics, can be built into clothing.
Although there are other “wearable” healthcare monitoring systems capable of tracking patients or triggering event recorders, Philips's wearable system is unique “because it can interpret the data and provide automatic online diagnostics — continuously,” said Josef Lauter, principal scientist at Philips Research.
The system is designed to receive input signals from two sources: sensors, woven into clothing, to pick up electrocardiogram signals; and accelerometers to detect motion. Once signals are received, electronics incorporated in an ultra-slim module — measuring 10 cm in length by 2 cm in width and 2 mm high — kicks in for signal conditioning.
Incorporated into the electronics are: an ultra-low power DSP for running a signal-analysis algorithm and interpreting the data; flash memory for storing records; a flexible battery; and a wireless link.
The monitoring system can warn patients of problems, assist clinicians in diagnoses and automatically alert emergency services when necessary. When a serious health condition is detected, the system can trigger local alarms or wirelessly link with cellular or telephone networks to call for help, according to Philips Research.
The system's technology platform allows the use of “any wireless technology -- including ISM, Bluetooth, DECT or GSM,” said Lauter, “depending on a precise end application.”
Sensitivity, low power and convenience were the three biggest hurdles researchers had to clear before completing the prototype, according to Lauter. “Our goal was to develop something that people can wear and forget. Finding the right technology combination and developing a methodology to make the system truly convenient has been the hardest challenge for us.”
Philips' prototype is designed to function continuously for three months before the battery must be recharged. The prototype uses 64 MBytes of internal memory to store up to three months of patient data.
Lauter predicted it would take two to four years before the prototype becomes available commercially.
