Health IT, Devices & Diagnostics

Verily joins the scrum of companies developing ways to collect, transmit medical data without WiFi

The Connectivity Bridge is designed to be used with a 3G signal and medical devices such as a blood glucose monitor.

connectivity bridge bottom fcc websiteEven as Verily operates under the radar on digital health product development, hints at its interests and priorities in healthcare and life sciences occasionally bubble to the surface. An FCC filing for a Verily device the regulator approved in September last year indicates that making medical data collection and transmission possible for people and institutions that lack WiFi is a priority.

The Connectivity Bridge is designed to be used with a 3G signal. In that regard, the device is similar to what other companies have developed such as Qualcomm Life’s 2net hub and Telefónica‘s smart m2m solution. The overall goal of these hubs is to make medical data collection and transmission easier, particularly for medical devices that that rely on frequent updates such as a heart monitor or glucose monitor, any one of which could trigger a healthcare intervention.

Business Insider noted that the device fits into the myriad healthcare challenges Verily seeks to confront from human longevity to multiple sclerosis and its Study Kit includes a suite of apps and devices to collect health data. This could be the hub to make collecting that data easier.

From what I could gather there was no readily identifiable time-table to commercialization.

It is an interesting development in the evolution of Verily and offers a strong indication that we can expect to see partnerships that support the sharing and transmission of data. But what will be worth noting is just how much, if at all, Google can distinguish its approach from others.

Photo: FCC filing from Google