Next Wave Wireless – Meds
Reed: The first generation of wireless devices was about coverage. It was about cellphones. It was about voice. And towards the end of the first generation, we saw internet access and smartphones.
What does the future of wireless technology hold in store? Well, taking any medication may never be quite the same. I’m Jim Metzner and this is the Pulse of the Planet.
Reed: he second generation of wireless access is going to be marked by new applications that will change our daily lives.
Jeff Reed is a Professor in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech.
Reed: I’m particularly excited about the role of wireless healthcare and new ways of monitoring people and monitoring treatments. For instance, we have developed a medicine bottle here at Virginia Tech, which is very simple, very inexpensive, and it lets you know if you have missed your medication. It is also capable of letting you know if you’re about ready to double dose on your medication. If you open the medicine bottle, the cellphone may give you a message.
Recorded Voice: This open bottle is detected. Have you already had your pills?
This medicine bottle has a passive radio frequency ID tag. It’s got squiggly lines that look like metal around them, and this passive tag resides both on the lid and on the bottle itself. What happens is that the way that the radio waves reflect off this bottle will differ from when it is closed from when it is open.
Recorded Voice: Warning. This opened bottle is detected again since 1 minute 32 seconds ago. Have you had your pills twice?
We’ll hear more on the next wave of wireless technology in future programs. I’m Jim Metzner and this is the Pulse of the Planet.