Implantable Blood Pressure Sensor data could be collected and retransmitted by Cellphone

http://www.physorg.comjavascript:void(0)/news150393796.html

Digestible electronic vital signs sensors that could communicate with your cell

An electronic medical record for each person permanently located in the US in conjunction updated frequently with data from health vital sign electronic personal sensors (such as implantable blood pressure sensors) is a necessary technology if, as a society, we are to improve the delivery of universal medical care at an affordable price. I envision that computer algorithms will continuous scan the new sensor data in all electronic medical records for indications of disease and alert owners that deviations from optimum readings are been detected and that further analysis is indicated...an early warning system. I imagine that such a computer-based system can also follow up such warnings via e-mails and text messages or phone calls until the individual takes action..such as visiting a clinic. If this trikes you as too invasive, I'm confident that we as a society can agree on safeguards that balance individual privacy and rights with societal needs to reduce the costs of providing universal health care. A personal sensor will need a means of collecting and retransmitting its data. The most obvious device ... more and more carried by every person and which has the capacity to perform this task... is the cell phone. And the Proteus Company may have invented the perfect sensor. Read about this fascinating technology.

Mobile phones in Malawi battle malnutrition

Health workers in Africa will no longer need to fill out long forms to monitor nutrition levels in the community, instead they can now use a mobile phone to text in the data, allowing government and aid agencies to rapidly intervene if the information shows a health crisis is developing.

Edible Chips ...its outputs might be monitored and collected and retransmitted to an Internet web site by a cell phone

Grandma's pillbox with the days of the week neatly marked is set to go high tech. Tiny edible chips will replace the organizer, tracking when patients take their pills (or don't) and monitoring the effects of the drugs they're taking. Proteus, a Redwood City, California, company, has created tiny chips out of silicon grains that, once swallowed, activate in the stomach. The chips send a signal to an external patch that monitors vital parameters such as heart rate, temperature, state of wakefulness or body angle. The data is then sent to an online repository or a cellphone for the physician and the patient to track. Proteus says its chips can keep score of how patients are responding to the medication. That may be just the beginning, as the chips could improve drug delivery and even insert other kinds of health monitors inside the body. Now doctors may have a better answer to a common patient complaint — they will know exactly how it feels. Outlook: If proven in clinical trials, edible chips could let physicians look into a patient's system in a way that could change how medicine is prescribed and how we take the drugs.

Scientists Hack Cellphone to Analyze Blood, Detect Disease, Help Developing Nations

http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/multimedia/2008/12/gallery_microscope_phone?slide=2&slideView=2

Although not primarily a cellphone-based application its exciting

http://www.privier.com/ While this money transfer service requires ATMs and or online banking, this service is facilitated by the widespread availability of cellphones that enable the required coordination between individuals one of whom doesn't have a bank account .

A perfect example of a standalone digital device that can be duplicated in a cellphone form factor

I love this application. But it obviously is implemented in a manner to create revenue for the company that conceived of it as a service based on the Internet. But the technology and service can just as easily be incorporated into a cell phone and the service offered by the cellphone company. Now you may argue...why would I want to protect my car by leaving in it my expensive cell phone as a means to detect when my car has been stolen. Well, obviously, you would not want to...but can you imagine a very cheap version of this technology being incorporated into a throw away cell phone supported by a minimum voice plan. Well obviously this notion is not perfect...but lets just assume that we could describe a service that would be wonderful, useful, great...without regard of the manner that cellphone operators would choose to implement it. Heh!..there is a reasonable conflict between those who offer services for profit and those who pay for the service in order to acquire its benefits...no idea is therefore 'out of bounds' when it comes to balance between consumer and provider...its the essence of the 'market'. therefore 'Snitch' is a great idea...but I can imagine a better implementation...and I'm sure that the entrepreneurs out there can think of a way to make money from this service while providing me the consumer with a great service at a price less than offered here. http://gps-snitch.com/marketing/moreAbout.html