LifeWatch launches world’s first medical smartphone
Israeli medical monitor developer LifeWatch AG has launched the world’s first medical smartphone, for Android-powered devices. The smartphone has built-in sensors for monitoring heart rate, pulmonary function, blood sugar levels, body temperature and more. The system can also measure blood pressure with an attached sleeve, and can analyze blood samples, Globes reported.
LifeWatch has developed a range of wireless monitoring devices for emergency rooms and medical services, as well as for personal use, but this is the first time that it has combined these capabilities on a smartphone. Chinese branded mobile phone manufacturer TechFaith Wireless Communication Technology Ltd. will manufacture the platform for LifeWatch.
Globes reported that the mobile-health interface is a hot development field in the world. There are various devices, not mobile phones, which collate and transmit medical data, and present them to users, and there are medical mobile apps for managing fitness, medication regimes, and even skin cancer diagnosis by photo analysis. There are also companies developing proprietary sensors for measuring a single medical variable, such as blood glucose levels or heartbeat, for integration with smartphones.
According to LifeWatch chairman and CEO Dr. Yacov Geva, the phone was intended firstly for “….health-conscious consumers who have already recovered from, or are suffering from a chronic medical condition. At an advanced age, we’re all suddenly liable to feel poorly in the middle of the day. With this phone, all the basic measurements are available to us. For patients, it enables effective management of their illness.”
The device is not designed to diagnose heart attacks, but can monitor irregular heartbeat.
For the full Globes article click here.
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