wireless body monitors

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Wireless body monitors 1. Weight and body scales Nowadays electronic weight scales with inbuilt body functions (fat mass, water, muscle, body mass index, also called body scales) are commercially on the market with wireless connections such as Wifi or bluetooth in order to accommodate automated storage and trend profiling via internet or smartphone. Most of these consumer scales are in a price range of 100-200 euro's and allow weight measurement with a 100 g accuracy. This seems appropiate. The body functions are being measured via biomedical impedance. The more electrodes and frequencies that are employed, the more sophisticated and detailed the measurements become. The Wifi or Bluetooth allows connection to a PC/internet or smartphone. Only Withing has an iPhone app for downloading and viewing the internet stored data. There is however not yet a direct smartphone app that easily interacts with a weight scale directly. Some examples Brandname Weight Body Connectivity Remarks Withings 4 electrodes ± 100 g fat mass lean mass BMI Wifi 802.11g WEP/WPA/WPA2 USB PC/internet connectivity iPhone app available user recognition Tanita BC- 590BT or BC-1000 8 electrodes ± 100 g fat mass 0,1% water mass muscle mass metabolism age bone mass visceral fat BMI Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR 2.0 USB Bluetooth adapter Wireless ANT (BC- 1000) PC/internet connectivity Withings body scale with Wifi Tanita body scale with Bluetooth

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Page 1: Wireless Body Monitors

Wireless body monitors

1. Weight and body scalesNowadays electronic weight scales with inbuilt body functions (fat mass, water, muscle, body mass index, also called body scales) are commercially on the market with wireless connections such as Wifi or bluetooth in order to accommodate automated storage and trend profiling via internet or smartphone. Most of these consumer scales are in a price range of 100-200 euro's and allow weight measurement with a 100 g accuracy. This seems appropiate. The body functions are being measured via biomedical impedance. The more electrodes and frequencies that are employed, the more sophisticated and detailed the measurements become. The Wifi or Bluetooth allows connection to a PC/internet or smartphone. Only Withing has an iPhone app for downloading and viewing the internet stored data. There is however not yet a direct smartphone app that easily interacts with a weight scale directly.

Some examplesBrandname Weight Body Connectivity Remarks

Withings4 electrodes

± 100 g fat masslean massBMI

Wifi 802.11gWEP/WPA/WPA2USB

PC/internet connectivityiPhone app availableuser recognition

Tanita BC-590BTor BC-10008 electrodes

± 100 g fat mass 0,1%water massmuscle massmetabolism agebone massvisceral fatBMI

Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR2.0 USB Bluetooth adapterWireless ANT (BC-1000)

PC/internet connectivity

Omron BF-206BT8 electrodes

± 100 g body fatskeletal muscleresting metabolism visceral Fatbody age BMI

Bluetooth Ver.2.1+EDR IEEE11073-10415

PC/internet connectivitySPP/HDP Continua health alliance protocols

Withings body scale with Wifi

Tanita body scale with Bluetooth

Page 2: Wireless Body Monitors

2. Wireless blood pressure monitorsDespite many attemps, continuous blood pressure monitoring is not yet available on the market. The last known product is the BPro from HealthSTAT (a blood pressure wrist monitor in a watch) that is unfortunately suffering robustness in readings and has been withdrawn from the market last year. A new attemp is underway via the start-up Cardiosign, a spin-off from MIT using a finger-cuff.

For the present moment, we have to rely on discontinuous blood pressure monitoring working with a cuff on the upper arm. In this field a few products are on the market that provide wireless connectivity. Two leading companies in this field (Omron and A&D) are part the Continua Health Alliance in the US. This is a non-profit, open industry coalition of the finest healthcare and technology companies joining together in collaboration to improve the quality of personal healthcare. With more than 200 member companies around the world, Continua is dedicated to establishing a system of interoperable personal health solutions with the knowledge that extending those solutions into the home fosters independence, empowers individuals and provides the opportunity for truly personalized health and wellness management.

In Germany, two companies (Corscience and IEM) provide wireless options for medical devices such as a blood pressure monitor. The IEM device enables data collection through a cell phone and sends it directly to the Internet. On the online database an automated interaction between the patient and the physician is granted, in order to efficiently manage hypertension. In addition to the Bluetooth data transmission, they have an infra red communication port for downloading data to the doctors' PC.

IEM Bluegiga WT12 connects directly to a smartphone via Bluetooth

BPro continuous blood pressure watch from HealthSTAT

Omron 708-BT blood pressure monitor with Bluetooth PC/internet connectivity

Continuous blood pressure monitor MIT/Cardiosign

Boso Medicus/Corscience blood pressure with BT connectivity

Page 3: Wireless Body Monitors

Some examples of available blood pressure monitors with wireless connectivityBrandname Connectivity Remarks

Omron Blood Pressure Monitor 708-BT

systolic/diastolic pressure(irregular) heart beat detection

Bluetooth Ver.2.1+EDR IEEE11073-10407

PC/internet connectivitySPP/HDP Continua health alliance protocols

A&D medical UA-767 and Lifesource UA-851THW

systolic/diastolic pressure(irregular) heart beat detection

BluetoothActiLink USB Transceiver

PC/internet connectivitySPP/HDP Continua health alliance protocols

IEM Bluegiga WT12 systolic/diastolic pressure(irregular) heart beat detection

Bluetooth to phoneInfrared to PC

Connects directly to smartphoneInfrared data communication to PC

Boso Medicus/Corscience systolic/diastolic pressure(irregular) heart beat detection

Bluetooth to phone or PC Blood pressure monitor from Boso. Corscience developed the BT connectivity

3. Wireless ECG monitorCorscience (Germany) has developed PC ECG in the versions BT 3/6 and BT 12. The Bluetooth ECG module is a compact ECG meter which can be worn on the body and is independent of the mains. It wirelessly transmits a 3-, 6- or 12-channel ECG to a monitor (e.g., a PC or regular patient monitor) in the close range up to 10 m. The Bluetooth standard is used for transmission. A built-in display signalizes electrode contact problems, heart rate, battery status and telemetry reception. An acoustic signal is also given off synchronously with the R wave. The operating time of the 12-channel version lies at over 10 hours with two standard AA batteries and a sampling rate of 500 Hz.

Corscience also has developed an intelligent chest strap, which continuously measures and analyzes a 1-channel ECG via two hard electrodes made of stainless steel. The following rhythmic pathologies are detected: Tachycardias, VF/VT, AF and Bradycardias. Motion artefacts can be effectively suppressed with a built-in motion sensor, allowing the maximum sensitivities and specificities to be reached. The algorithm analyzes the ECG and, if an arrhythmia occurs, records a 2-minute ECG (one minute before and one minute after the arrhythmia). The memory capacity is about 20 minutes or 10 events. The recorded measurements are then read out via Bluetooth. The saved events are visualized and documented in the VM300 PC software. This is also where the belt is configured. The ECG signal is sent to an intermediate relay station, usually a cell phone, via a Bluetooth connection, and is then further transmitted to a rescue dispatch center, a clinic, treating physicians or heath care services. The chest strap can be operated with a standard AA battery (>24 hrs). It is biocompatible and has special electrode technology which requires no unpleasant gel layer or disposable articles. The belt is extremly easy to wear.

3/6 and 16 electrode wireless ECG device from Corscience

Page 4: Wireless Body Monitors

Imec's electrocardiography (ECG) necklace targets cardiac activity monitoring in every-day life situations. It measures a bipolar ECG signal between two Ag/AgCl electrodes attached to the body, and connected to the necklace using standard leadware. Low-power and high performance ECG monitoring is achieved through the use of a proprietary single channel application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for biopotential read-out. The system features a commercial low-power microcontroller and low-power radio at 2.4 GHz (similar to Bluetooth or Zigbee), providing embedded processing capabilities and wireless communication within 10 m range. The prototype ASIC using the 802.15.4a standard can transmit up to 1 Mbit/second awhile consuming a single milliwatt. The transmit power consumption is an order of magnitude less than Bluetooth or Zigbee.

Alternatively, data can be stored on a secure digital (SD) card for applications in which wireless connectivity is not required. The ECG necklace achieves 1 week autonomy on a 165 mAh Li-ion battery, while continuously streaming ECG data.

This is supposed to be the most advanced, lightweight wireless ECG monitoring system at the moment offering continous ECG-data streaming in combination with optimal comfort to the user.

The main advantages of the smart ECG necklace are its low power consumption, its embedded beat detection algorithm and the performance of its integrated bio-potential ASIC. Up-coming pilot studies will evaluate the technology for use in various applications including arrhythmia detection, stress monitoring and epilepsy monitoring.

A more simple, discontinuous system is being offered by HealthFrontier (USA) and Vignate (Italy) . Their ecg@home product features two thumb electrodes (i.e. the standard I lead) and a wireless transmission of the data out to a central server via Bluetooth, USB, or a cell phone network. This system might serve in case of an emergency when a doctor needs additional information.

Ambulatory monitoring using imec's ECG necklace.

Corbelt: wireless ECG belt strap

Page 5: Wireless Body Monitors

Other companies offer wireless (Bluetooth based) add-ons for existing ECG monitoring systems such as the Lifesync wireless ECG system, GE healthcare Apex Pro and Carecenter MD. These products are however designed for professional in-hospital use and not for continuous use at home.

ECG by fingertips, for instantanuous ECG measurement, can be send wirelessly via Bluetooth or GSM network.

GE's Apex Pro wireless connectivity system operates in both the 608 to 614 MHz and 1395 to 1400 MHz ranges of WMTS