Bluetooth v4.0 creating huge opportunities in health and wellness

Simple, secure and super-efficient Bluetooth technology powering millions of health and medical devices, with hundreds of millions more on the way

Bluetooth technology is the catalyst bringing inexpensive, simple, and secure health-monitoring devices to market, promising to help millions of people stay healthy or get well.

Some of the many Bluetooth enabled health and wellness devices already on the market include wireless blood glucose monitors, heart rate monitors, weight scales and stethoscopes. These devices are making it easier than ever to collect vital health information about people with a wide variety of medical conditions – even allowing healthcare providers to monitor patients while they're at home or on the go.

"The use of low-power wireless technologies in consumer health monitoring applications will increase from under 40 million IC shipments in 2009 to over 200 million IC shipments in 2015"

- IMS Research

Shrinking sensors to easily and securely collect health information

Bluetooth v4.0 will allow manufacturers to design wireless devices that are smaller than ever and yet last longer, by shrinking battery size and requiring less power. People will wear tiny wireless sensors that can operate for months or years with just a coin-cell battery.

Bluetooth technology allows these inexpensive and super-efficient sensors to easily and securely collect data and securely liberate the data, sending it to powerful applications that can turn it into useful and timely information.

All of these devices and sensors will be able to connect to Bluetooth enabled mobile phones, tablets, and laptops. Once health information is sent to these computerized hub devices, it can be stored and analyzed. People can view their own health information or securely share their vital signs and other medical information with their healthcare provider.

Real-time remote monitoring of vital signs with Bluetooth wireless devices

Many companies are experimenting with new uses for Bluetooth technology in healthcare devices.

For example, the proposed SmartWatch promises to help people with epilepsy by detecting abnormal movements in people prone to seizures. It will be able to send alerts to their phone and from there to their doctor.

This ability to alert your health care provider is critical. Millions of people now carry a Bluetooth enabled phone with them almost everywhere they go. Soon they'll be able to simply pair their phone with new types of Bluetooth wireless sensors that monitor everything from glucose and oxygen levels to heart rate and electrocardiogram (ECG).

Once sensors securely send this wealth of medical information to a phone with Bluetooth technology, it can be viewed by you or sent to your health care provider (or in the case of devices like the Smart Watch for people with a serious condition, to alert emergency workers.)

Fast facts about Bluetooth technology in health and wellness

• More than 40 million Bluetooth enabled health and medical devices are already in the market as of mid-2011.
• The global market for wireless patient-monitoring equipment should reach $9.3 billion by 2014, according to TechNavio.

How to profit from this market

The Bluetooth SIG can help your company benefit from opportunities in the health & wellness market. Get started by joining the Bluetooth SIG community. We have more than 15,000 member companies worldwide making everything from cars and computers to mobile phones and microchips. To learn more, visit our membership page.