The state of sensors: not yet elegant, but getting there

Donna Cusano

The must-read for the weekend is Dr. Joseph Kvedar’s essay on the heart of much of telecare and telehealth–sensors. The reality is that eHealth systems depend on multiple wired and wireless sensors of different types that measure vital signs and motion/pressure, aggregate the data and send it via the internet (or wireless) to servers that interpret it. There are multiple points of potential fragility (a term from my telecare days), error and user difficulty that generate unreliability. Dr. Kvedar’s point is that we are starting to move past this, with sensors that have mobile chips built in and devices that automatically connect to broadband and wireless networks. We also have devices that can more easily detect more bits of behavioral information through facial, voice and physical activity. Advances in Connected Health Sensor Technologies Enable an Exciting Vision