Date: 03/01/2011

Nordic chip in ANT+ telemedical remote monitoring system from Spantec

Nordic Semiconductor's nRF24AP2 8-channel 2.4GHz ANT transceiver chip is used in Spantec's ANT+ telemedical remote monitoring system called I-Residence.

The i-Residence uses an ANT+ ULP wireless network to detect medical emergencies in nursing homes, hospitals, and private households (particularly for the elderly). The network employs ANT+ compatible devices and a series of wireless relay bridges (typically one per room or ward) that connect to an ANT+ hub located in a GSM-based (cell phone network) modem.

Emergencies are detected and classified in rising levels of escalation with various application-dependent measurement options. These include automatic fall detection using a wireless hip worn device developed by Spantec (currently undergoing full clinical trials in one of Austria's largest hospitals) that measures movement and motion (and is able to store data for scientific research as well); automatic alert to rescue center control desks, relatives or neighbors by phone, Short Message Service (SMS or text message), or visual interface; and full compatibility with any third party ANT+ medical, health or fitness device (such as monitors for blood pressure, blood glucose, mobile electrocardiogram (ECG), weight, or heart rate).

Nordic's nRF24AP2 2.4GHz 8-channel Single-Chip are designed to be very power efficient and are immune to interference from other 2.4GHz wireless sources (such at Bluetooth wireless technology and Wi-Fi).

"Governments and healthcare providers desperately need a product like this in order to meet spiraling healthcare costs that are fast reaching unsustainable levels - particularly in the current economic climate," comments Armin Blaha, owner and Chief Executive Officer at Spantec. "This is mainly due to social factors such as aging populations and an explosion in lifestyle-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes that need to be carefully monitored and managed if life threatening complications are to be avoided.

ABI Research estimates the market for wireless body area network (BAN) sensors will reach 400 million shipments by 2014 and shift from the sports and fitness sector (which accounts for around 9 in 10 wireless sensors shipping today) to include a growing professional healthcare and home healthcare market. Another related study by Juniper Research finds public and private healthcare providers in developed countries could save up to US$5.8 billion in healthcare costs by 2014 through the use of remote patient monitoring technology linked to cell phone networks.