ACM TechNews

Putting a Virtual Doctor in the Ambulance

ICT Results (07/29/08)

The European Union-funded WEIRD project has developed a new communications system that uses WiMax to relay data from a moving ambulance to a hospital, helping medical teams collect vital data and detailed information about the patient's condition to advise the ambulance team as they drive to the hospital. WEIRD researcher Enrico Angori says it is very important to maintain data integrity when transmitting it in high quality, and WiMax can deliver the best quality of service in addition to being the cheapest channel available. The WEIRD project worked to extend the resilience and flexibility of WiMax technology, and created software that hides the complexity of the configuration of the end-to-end communication channel, no matter what equipment or different versions of WiMax is used. The software will allow a paramedic in an ambulance to quickly establish an end-to-end communication path without specialist training, allowing the crew to concentrate on the patient. One of the most important features of the ambulance communication system is its ability to create end-to-end links between two points by seamlessly integrating the WiMax signal with other wireless communication technologies, such as mobile telephony.

http://cordis.europa.eu/ictresults/index.cfm/section/news/tpl/article/
BrowsingType/Features/ID/89932

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