MindTree intros Bluetooth health device solution on Android platform

BANGALORE, KARNATAKA: MindTree Ltd today announced the launch of its Bluetooth health device solution on the Android platform.

The solution, which was successfully demonstrated on the Google G1 Android Phone at the Continua Health Alliance Fall Summit held in Boston from October 5-9, 2009, is designed to provide seamless interoperability among personal healthcare devices, thereby empowering individuals to connect with their healthcare administrators real-time.

The Continua device solution consists of MindTree’s qualified Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR stack including eL2CAP, Multi-Channel Adaptation Protocol (MCAP) and Health Device Profile (HDP), integrated with IEEE – 11073 layers ported onto the Android platform on a Google G1 developer phone.

In the demonstration, the health device solution on Google G1 Android Phone interoperated with a Continua-Certified pulse oximeter from Nonin Medical. The oxygen saturation levels and heart beat readings gathered by the pulse oximeter are transferred wirelessly over Bluetooth to the G1 mobile phone which then displays these readings. The readings can be stored for future reference or as a further application can be uploaded onto the Internet to an Electronic Health Record (EHR).

Today’s demographic trends indicate busy lifestyles that leave little time or motivation for fitness and weight management; a rise in chronic diseases; an aging population that requires escalating levels of supervision and medical intervention.

These, combined with the rising cost of healthcare, necessitate the need for a system where in people are seamlessly connected to their healthcare providers. This also brings about the need for improved interoperability among health devices.
MindTree’s solution on the Android platform not only enables connectivity but also demonstrates the interoperability between such devices.

“Continua Health Alliance is encouraged by the launch of MindTree’s implementation of the Continua Version One Bluetooth device interface,” said Continua Health Alliance President and Chairman of the board of directors, Rick Cnossen. “The MindTree technology will foster and accelerate the development of Continua standards-based mobile solutions available to consumers.”

“MindTree’s new solution, successfully demonstrated at a premier event such as the Continua Health Alliance Summit, further strengthens our leadership position in the Bluetooth technology space,” said MindTree President and CEO – R&D Services, Vinod Deshmukh.

“As Bluetooth continues to penetrate into newer markets such as healthcare, we will have newer requirements to address. We are conscious of this changing trend, and will continue to proactively invest in building the next generation of Bluetooth-based solutions that will effectively address the market requirements of tomorrow.”

MindTree’s Bluetooth stack and profiles are qualified for 2.1+EDR and have been proven in multiple products for interoperability and robustness by world-leading companies like NEC Corporation, GN Netcom and Logitech. The products include headsets, handsets and automotive infotainment platforms.

MindTree was also the first independent stack provider to qualify the Bluetooth health device profile. MindTree’s Bluetooth stack is written in ANSI C with well designed abstraction layer which enables easy portability across various platforms.