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Japan to set up test zone for next-generation wireless technology for seniors

TOKYO: Japan will set up an experimental high-tech wireless zone on one of its islands next year, where sensors will allow doctors to remotely monitor the health of the elderly and alert motorists to nearby pedestrians, a news report said Saturday.

Produce such as vegetables would carry IC tags that could send information such as where they were grown to shoppers' mobile phones, according to Kyodo News agency.
Sensors would monitor the movement of pedestrians and notify nearby drivers, and check the heart rate of elderly people living alone for round-the-clock monitoring by local hospitals, according to the report.

IC tags are tiny computer chips with antennas which can be used to track products.
To test the technology, the government intends to cooperate with telecom carriers, electronics manufacturers, automakers and other companies, the report said. Technology deemed successful will then be offered nationwide.

The wireless zone will likely be set up on the northern island of Hokkaido or southern island chain of Okinawa, where there is less radio wave interference, according to Kyodo. Calls to the ministry for confirmation went unanswered Saturday.

Japan is already a global leader in wireless technology.A 1 billion yen (US$8.7 million; €6.6 million) project in a central Tokyo shopping area uses 1,200 tiny computer chips embedded in lampposts, subway-station ceilings and roads to beam maps and store guides to passers-by

Source: International Herald Tribune

Phone for seniors slows down voices

NTT DoCoMo’s new mobile phone for the elderly actually looks rather appealing.

The Raku-Raku Phone Basic is the latest in a very successful line of functional, but usually dull, handsets aimed at making the senior population feel part of the mobile generation here. And at getting them to open their wallets once a month, of course.

The newcomer, which will go on sale in April for about ¥20,000, was designed by Kenya Hara, the art director of Muji and features plenty to keep granny (and some tech writers) happy.

Most unusual is the ‘Slow Voice’ feature, which – as you might guess – slows down the spoken words coming through the earpiece for easy listening. Then there’s ‘Clear Voice’ noise detection, which takes account of surrounding noise levels and adjusts the earpiece and ringtone volume to suit.

On top of that, the silver set gets an automated voice that reads out onscreen text from email or web pages and announces incoming caller identities and a pedometer that can work out daily calorie consumption.

Although there’s no camera, the Raku-Raku Phone basic weighs just 103g, has a 2.4in screen, a standby time of up to a staggering 560 hours and a certain elderly chic that guarantees success in this rapidly graying nation.

From Digital World Tokyo

Japan's Next-Gen technologies aid seniors

It makes for a jabber-filled downtown stroll -- getting deluged by chatter over earphones from some 1,200 tiny computer chips embedded in lampposts, subway-station ceilings and road cement, beaming maps, tidbits of history and store guides.
The 1 billion yen (US$8.7 million; euro6.6 million) Japanese government-backed Tokyo Ubiquitous Technology Project spans several blocks of the Ginza district, and similar experimental efforts are under way in several other spots nationwide.

University of Tokyo professor Ken Sakamura says the effort gives a glimpse into the future, when chips on objects and places will become widespread so government offices and private businesses will use them to zip information to passers-by.

"This project is to build an infrastructure for the 21st Century," Sakamura said during a demonstration tour Monday.

Reporters strolled around the Ginza shopping district, dangling from necks special portable devices with a screen and earphones but no keyboard.

Every time we passed by a computer chip, say, at a store or at a showroom, an electronic voice began narrating an explanation.

Stand in front of Mitsukoshi Department Store, and a voice runs down how the statue of a lion in front of the building has long been its trademark.

Cross the street to Nissan Motor Co.'s showroom, and the handheld has automatically switched from receiving information from the chip at the store to a chip at the showroom, and began showing a video of a woman talking.

"Welcome to Nissan Ginza gallery," she says.

Pushing some buttons on the device makes an electronic map, a photo about a landmark's history, or guide to a nearby clinic pop up on the screen.

American cities have expressed interest in the technology, Sakamura said, while refusing to disclose the names of the U.S. cities yet.

Japan is serious about such project as a rapidly aging society likely to need help to guide the elderly, the blind and the handicapped through city streets, Sakamura said.

Japan also sees potential in the service -- now available in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean -- to help foreign tourists get around, he said.

Unlike Netsurfing on laptops or mobile phones, the information that comes is automatic and requires no button-pushing, Sakamura says.

The Ginza project uses chips that relay wireless information and RFID, or radio frequency identification, chips, whose information can be bounced back and read if the portable device, which emits radio waves, is brought within inches (centimeters) of the chip.

Today's widespread RFID chips can't be updated. But the chips in Sakamura's project relay information that's constantly updated in computer servers. Next year, he hopes to expand the Ginza project to 10,000 chips.
Sakamura acknowledged the chips could be used for "Big Brother" monitoring, but denied his research had such intentions, vowing: "We do not put tags on people

From ChinaPost

Mayo Clinic goes to mobile phones

Mayo Clinic and Digital Cyclone (a subsidiary of Garmin) have collaborated to develop a software application that delivers an array of health information and tools directly to cellular phones. The Mayo Clinic InTouch wireless health program will be available next week offering wireless phone subscribers a rich health resource directly on their phone with immediate access to step-by-step first aid tips, a symptom checker that provides self-care guidelines or advises emergency care for more than 45 common symptoms in adults and children, health news videos, health alerts and drug watches.

"Mayo Clinic's mission has three elements: quality patient care, research to help cure diseases and education," says Roger Harms, M.D., a Mayo Clinic obstetrician and gynecologist and the medical editor-in-chief for MayoClinic.com. "Our education function is not limited to training the next generation of physicians and other medical providers, though. We also see providing health information to consumers as essential. Through this new project we're able to make it available to them wherever they are."

In addition, subscribers may enter their city or ZIP code to search for nearby emergency and urgent care facilities from a list of over 3,800 accredited providers. If the cell phone has global positioning system (GPS) capability, it automatically finds nearby accredited facilities without typing the city or ZIP code. The care center's information is displayed in list format and shows the facility's name, address and estimated distance.

Content for the Mayo Clinic InTouch program primarily comes from MayoClinic.com and Mayo Clinic's Medical Edge syndicated news products. Customers can subscribe to the Mayo Clinic InTouch program for US$2.99 per month. A list of wireless carriers and phones supported can be found here. http://www.digitalcyclone.com/mayo. http://www.mayoclinic.com/

From Gizmag

101 Things To Do With A Mobile Phone In Healthcare

Repost from MedGadget

In the not too distant future, doctors will be replaced by robots and patients will have advanced cell phones capable of screening for cancer, detecting MRSA, and monitoring wound healing. At least that is the opinion of the Wireless Health Care Report on the 101 medical uses of cell phones.

When sites offering medical advice first appeared on the World Wide Web few GPs believed that, within a decade, they would encounter patients who used the Internet to become specialists in a particular ailment. Before the arrival of the 'informed patient' the GP was expected to provide a diagnosis, then recommend a course of treatment. Today many patients believe they already have a diagnosis and merely wish to have it confirmed by a series of tests. The question is no longer 'Doctor what is wrong with me?' but 'Doctor when can my treatment begin?' Mobile and wireless ehealth will enhance and broaden the scope of this type of self diagnosis.

The market for ehealth technology could be approaching a tipping point. In this report we look at a number of ehealth companies that have been formed by surgeons. We feel that companies such as Intelligent Medical Systems and Xenetec, that are run by clinicians with first hand experience of clinical processes, will accelerate the take up of wireless ehealth by giving credibility to ehealth as a technology and providing reference sites within the healthcare sector itself.

Peer pressure will drive the ehealth market, especially if consultants start reaping the benefits of venture capital backing and IPOs. The report states that, in the not too distant future, the ehealth market will enter a new phase where clinicians themselves encourage the automation of clinical processes.

This is happening as a new generation of ehealth products and services, based on wireless and mobile technology, is putting diagnosis and treatment management into the hands of the patient. Companies such as Card Guard and Vitaphone are offering suites of wireless ehealth applications - which include blood pressure, heart rate and blood glucose monitoring - to patients, with or without the support of a conventional healthcare provider.

This report describes 101 examples of the use of wireless and mobile technology in healthcare. While some of the applications are speculative, for example a mobile device to detect MRSA, others, such as SMS based patient reminders, have already been deployed and are earning revenue for vendors.

10.1 Appointment Reminders (SMS)
10.2 Patient Support (SMS)
10.3 Medication Reminders (SMS)
10.4 Appointment Booking
10.5 Medical Data On SIM Card
10.6 Patient Information For Relatives
10.7 Peer Support For Patients
10.8 Post Cardiac Surgery Support
10.9 Accessing Patient Records
10.10 Access To Dietary Information
...

Some are speculative? Cell phones as endoscopes might be considered speculative . . .

Review all 100 uses at Wireless Health Care Report . . .

Access your health records from cell phones

Members of Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania will be able to check key health information from their cell phones.

Some people keep tabs on their favorite stocks using their cell phones. Soon, members of Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania will be able to check their diagnoses and other key health information in the same way: from their cell phones.

Starting at the end of March, Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania, known as BCNEPA, will begin providing 100,000 of its members--and later to all 600,000 members--secure electronic access to their own and their dependents' personal health records. The information, which includes recent diagnoses, prescribed medications, allergies, and immunization history, will be culled from the insurer's claims data as well as information that the member supplements.

Read the entire article on InformationWeek

Cell phone designed for seniors

Samsung Jitterbug. Let us know what you think of this device.

Cellphones: Now Managing Your Diabetes, Hypertension, & Asthma

Orginally posted at MedGadget

Since its conception in 2002, Think Positive Medical (hence the t+ logo) has been striving to make cellphones an integral part of the way patients monitor their health.

Diabetes
With t+Diabetes' simple technology, your mobile phone, and by linking to your own secure web page, you can gain a greater understanding of your condition, and see how your way of life affects your blood glucose levels.

With t+ Diabetes, we provide:
Instant feedback relating to the data that you input into your mobile phone - enabling you to make decisions immediately to improve your self management.

A secure web page where you can share information with your doctor or nurse without visiting their surgery

Membership of the t+ Health Club, with the reassurance of a Specialist Nurse based in Oxford available by phone or email and monthly reports summarising your results.

Blood Pressure
t+ blood pressure is a lifestyle management tool to help you manage your blood pressure more effectively and limit long term complications. Using your mobile phone and linking to your own personal secure web page, t+ blood pressure helps you to understand the factors that affect your management of blood pressure and enables you to make simple lifestyle choices to improve your self management.

Asthma
t+ asthma is a personal management tool to help you manage your asthma more effectively and limit long term complications. Using your mobile phone and linking to your own personal secure web page, t+ asthma helps you to take control of your asthma and understand the lifestyle factors that affect your self management.

Oh, and they are currently recruiting customers to participate in their Case Studies Program . . .
Would this be an interesting technology for you seniors? If so we could work with Think Positive Medical to provide field support of this technology for free. Please comment to let us know.

Wonder where you elderly parent wandered off to?

Cell phone GPS tracking could also be used to locate the whereabouts of your children and offer protection to elderly relatives should something happen and they need urgent assistance.

The development of communications technology has long since surpassed the sole ability to access others when they are mobile. Today, mobile communication devices are becoming much more technologically advanced and offer more than the ability to just carry on a conversation. Cell phone GPS tracking is one of those advances.

GPS or Global Positioning System tracks your location by interpreting the data received from 3 or more satellites. This has made GPS a popular feature in cars as a navigational aid.
All cell phones constantly broadcast a radio signal, even when not on a call. The cell phone companies have been able to estimate the location of a cell phone for many years using triangulation information from the towers receiving the signal. However, the introduction of GPS technology into cell phones has meant that cell phone GPS tracking now makes this information a lot more accurate.

With GPS technology now more commonplace in many new cell phones, this means that the location of anyone carrying a compatible cell phone can be accurately tracked at any time. Cell phone GPS tracking can therefore be a useful feature for business owners and fleet managers who need to be able to keep track of their vehicle movements.

Cell phone GPS tracking can also be a useful feature to the emergency services or police when responding to a 911 call from a GPS cell phone. For this reason, the FCC has legislated that wireless networks provide location information for 911 calls made from cell phones. These are known as E911 calls.

As technology advance even further, future features will be even more powerful. Imagine GPS cell phones used as a navigational device. Based on the cell phone GPS tracking signal, they could be used to find your way to a location, calculate your speed based on your location change over time, from this calculate your estimated arrival time, suggest an alternative route and even phone the person you are calling to see with your ETA! Of course in car GPS navigation systems can already perform many of these tasks, however it is the portability of cell phones that makes them so useful for this technology.

Originally posted in The Business News