Bluetooth: More Innovations Coming

Bluetooth has enabled many wireless technologies by allowing devices within a short range to communicate with each other through microwaves. It has helped in eliminating wires running between devices and greatly improved mobility. Today Bluetooth is commonly used in laptops, desktops, cell phones, printers, PDAs, computer peripherals like keyboard and mouse, headsets and other plug-ins.

The technology is easy to configure in devices, requires minimal power consumption and is cheap enough to be deployed in mass scale for various applications beyond the consumer market. Many new innovations using Bluetooth have been happening in the medical field in the recent years. One example is an FDA approved system from Stryker Endoscopy where Bluetooth is used to connect OR equipment to a central controlling system without wires. This enables users to send scans and imaging data to be sent wirelessly to printers or high-resolution screens in the OR. Thus it has greatly helped deployment and management of OR equipment with ease.

Health problems that may need continuous monitoring make good use of Bluetooth. Nonin Medical Inc. makes pulse oximetry devices that are used for constant pulse and oxygen saturation monitoring remotely via Bluetooth. There are also Bluetooth enabled blood-pressure, blood sugar monitors that directly connect to a computer and log their readings.

Many mobile medical camps in the third world countries and developing countries use this technology because the devices are easy to pack, transport and reconnect.

Bluetooth also competes with other wireless technologies like RFID for applications in retail and e-commerce. Bluetooth enabled ID cards could be used at stores to make payments, to keep a record of purchases, etc. could be used to keep stick of inventory in aisles when a product needs to be restocked, it would wirelessly communicate this to a central inventory management system.

A Bluetooth-enabled ID may also find applications for checking into a hotel, requesting access to services like internet access, etc.

Home networking is already a big application of the technology and this segment is continuing to grow. Now GPS systems are available with Bluetooth so you can easily connect to a cell phone or a laptop and exchange data. Many devices can be connected to form one network with Bluetooth then one device like your cell phone could be used as a remote control to operate other devices.

When Bluetooth has just emerged and its potentials were extolled, one fanciful idea in the telecommunications industry was to deploy in system hooked-up to the refrigerator. When you exhaust your food stuff, the device would automatically detect and place orders via your computer! Today this seems quite possible.