New platform brings mobile health one step closer

Compliant to the Continua standard, the new platform is a combination of Qualcomm's Wearable Mobile Device cellular module (pictured) and Cambridge Consultants' Vena software stack. According to Cambridge Consultants, the new platform enables the collection of data from Continua certified devices over the Continua Personal Area Network (PAN) interface, and transmits this data over the Continua Wide Area Network (WAN) interface to online health services. The Wearable Mobile Device module has dimensions of 21 x 22 x 4.5mm, enabling a Continua Application Hosting Device (AHD) to be built that provides a PAN-to-WAN bridge within a small, portable footprint. Nick Vassilakis, business development consultant at Cambridge Consultants, said: "Remote health data collection is an important part of future health services. Our Vena software stack has been built to use emerging industry standards and enable the rapid development of compact and low cost wireless health devices. By combining the Vena stack with Qualcomm's cellular modules, we can demonstrate how next generation health care services have the potential to evolve by using cellular networks." The Vena wireless healthcare software stack embeds the Bluetooth Health Device Profile (HDP) optimised for the secure transport of medical data and the IEEE 11073 standards for compatible exchange of information between health devices. The Qualcomm Wearable Mobile Device 1X, 1X EV-DO and UMTS modules support a variety of 3G networks and provide integrated GPS, an accelerometer and Bluetooth technologies. "Mobile technology will be at the core of future health care services," said Don Jones, vice president of Life Sciences at Qualcomm. "The Wearable Mobile Device cellular module provides a powerful and compact platform for the development of new health care services and devices. Our collaboration with Cambridge Consultants illustrates some of the exciting possibilities in this market."