Intel is testing products that can monitor the health of individuals remotely and send alerts over the internet to a doctor if it believes the wearer is in danger.

The project, part of its Human Activity Recognition research, is now ready to roll out in its first test phase, and will be used by 40 old people living in Washington State from early next year – rising to 100 in 2008. The iBracelet is, as the name suggests, worn around the wrist and when used in conjunction with RFID tags, can send data to health carers via a base station.

In the up-coming test, everyday products, such as milk, cups, kettles, tablet bottles, will be tagged. Every time the wearer of the iBracelet comes in contact with one of these products, it will send a signal to the bracelet. This information can then be stored on the bracelet’s 2MB of flash memory and sent once a week to a doctor, or sent immediately.

Health officials can then get a picture of what the wearer is eating or drinking, and whether they are taking their medication. Intel admits the system is not full-proof, and that just because a person picks up a pack of tea, for instance, does not mean that they made a drink.

But it monitors what other actions the person takes, and how for long. This is compared to a database of roughly how long these actions (such as making a cup of tea) should take. It also learns from how long the person usually takes to do such things.

In a carer’s or doctor’s office a touchscreen device (currently a tablet PC, but Intel said this would become a cheaper device over time) can call up details of that person, or display an alert if certain preprogrammed actions are not met – such as missing a medication time. It will also display information on a smartphone.

Also under development is a Mobile Sensing Platform, a device that clips to a belt that can be used to monitor for fitness. This acts as a pedometer, can record how long someone spends sitting, knows when they are in a lift or are brushing their teeth and when walking up or down stairs. It has, says Intel, an accuracy rate of 85 per cent.

“You can use it to track and enhance your health and fitness,” said Andrew Chien, director of Intel’s research director at the Corporate Technology Group. 

An obvious, more sinister use in the future though, is insurance companies demanding people use it for a set period before they decided on the cost of their health or life insurance.