Bluetooth Special Interest Group

Bluetooth SIG Innovation World Cup Finalists Named

Today the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) announced the finalists of the 3rd Annual Bluetooth Innovation World Cup (IWC). The nine finalists, one of whom will be named Bluetooth Innovator of the Year, include developers and entrepreneurs who submitted market ready products and concepts for applications and devices using the low energy feature of Bluetooth v4.0.

The 2011 Bluetooth Innovation World Cup focuses on three categories including sports & fitness, which were selected from more than 330 international submissions by a global panel of experts. The selected finalists in the sports & fitness category transform the sporting experience making training more efficient and wirelessly enabling a more complete athletic solution. Continue reading Bluetooth SIG Innovation World Cup Finalists Named

Bluetooth World Cup Kicks Off

Time for the world cup, but it isn’t football or rugby. It will however, likely change the playing field of technology, as it is the Innovation World Cup.

This week the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) announced that it is once again looking for ideas and prototypes in the areas of health care, sports and fitness, automotive, entertainment, and more, that use Bluetooth technology version 4.0, for this year’s edition of the Innovation World Cup (IWC). This competition is now in its third year, as the trade organization contest calls on developers, entrepreneurs and students to submit concepts for applications making use of the low energy feature of Bluetooth v4.0. Continue reading Bluetooth World Cup Kicks Off

Get Arm(band)ed to Monitor Your Calorie Intake

There is an old saying about wearing your heart on your sleeve, which is to say to openly show your emotions. Today people can wear many things, and while it won’t display emotion, it can help users monitor their fitness levels.

This is exactly the concept behind the BodyMedia FIT Armband BW from BodyMedia, which is avialble through the company’s website as well as Amazon.com. It allows users to monitor calorie intake and output in real-time. The BodyMedia FIT Armband BW transmits information to a smartphone via Bluetooth, where users can track caloric burn data and physical activity levels.

“The BodyMedia FIT Armband BW is a great example of how consumers can monitor and track their fitness levels with the help of Bluetooth wireless technology – and once you start to track your health, you have the power to change your health,” said Michael Foley, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). “By allowing near real-time monitoring on a mobile phone via Bluetooth technology, the BodyMedia FIT Armband BW lets users take the wheel on the road to a more active lifestyle. This innovative device brings to life what we have been projecting for Bluetooth wireless technology in the health and fitness market.”

The BodyMedia FIT Armband BW is designed to integrate body monitoring data with smartphones including the Apple iPhone and Android mobile devices.

BodyMedia FIT Official Website

Bluetooth SIG Announces World Cup 2010 Finalists

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group has announced the finalized for the Bluetooth Innovation World Cup (IWC). These include applications that make use of the new Bluetooth low energy wireless technology feature, with an emphasis on applications for sports & fitness, health care and home automation. The nine best ideas out of all 270 international submissions have been selected by an international panel of experts.

In the low energy technology for health care are an ear worn sensor for activity recognition developed by Louis Atallah from Great Britain. It measures balance, body posture or heart rate and seamlessly transmits that information to a medical help desk. Furthermore, Ahang Baghschomali from Germany submitted an ambient assisted sensing system which combines Classic Bluetooth technology with Bluetooth low energy technology and makes life easier for people with hearing problems as it gives instructions through the hearing aid. The Oxygen Flow Controller by Jimmy Vincent from India describes an innovative way to optimize the monitoring of blood oxygen with automatic adjustment of the oxygen supply for the patient.

The Bluetooth Innovation World Cup 2010 is sponsored by Anritsu (Preferred Technology Partner), Nordic Semiconductor, STMicroelectronics, Suunto and Texas Instruments.

Bluetooth Special Interest Group Official Website

New Bluetooth Spec Announced

While Wi-Fi and WiMAX get all the big hype, there is another popular wireless protocol that is still going strong. That of course is Bluetooth, the PLAN (or personal local area network) protocol. And now the technology is getting a Dick Tracy worthy makeover ala watches. These have been around for a while, but soon could be replacing other wireless technologies for broadcasting short distances.

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has announced that the forthcoming Bluetooth Core Specification Version 4.0 will feature powerful low energy mode that could have new applications for health, sports and fitness as well as for security and home entertainment. This could mean that Bluetooth technology could be used for heart rate monitors, cycle computers, running computers and other devices that currently work on RF protocols. The benefit of Bluetooth is that it could send the information up to 200 feet, rather than just a few dozen inches. It could also work to transfer information from a monitor to a computer after a workout.

It could also be more reliable than RF, and for anyone that’s tried to get a heart rate monitor or cycle computer to sync right without interference knows how that can help make a work out all the more enjoyable.