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Bluetooth SIG Names Innovator of the Year 2011 at ISPO Munich [Professional Services Close - Up](Professional Services Close - Up Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has announced Guilherme de Paula from Pancreum as the Bluetooth Innovator of the Year for 2011. In a release, the group said that Pancreum's CoreMD design was selected by an expert panel based on the most innovative use of Bluetooth low energy technology and the company was awarded US $5,000 prize money, a Bluetooth Qualification Program voucher worth up to US $10,000, and the dual-mode Bluetooth protocol analyzer from Ellisys, valued at US $40,000. The CoreMD was chosen from over 330 entries submitted into this year's Bluetooth Innovation World Cup. According to the group, the Bluetooth enabled CoreMD provides a wireless communication and power infrastructure for replaceable, wearable medical devices that can sense body conditions like temperature, heart rate, or interstitial glucose, alert the user that a certain threshold has been reached, or even administer drugs such as insulin, glucagon, or amylin. The CoreMD is used in the Pancreum Genesis, an artificial pancreas system that acts as an insulin pump, continuous glucose monitor, and glucagon pump. Using Bluetooth technology to securely link the CoreMD to a simple application on the user's smartphone transforms their daily experience. Gone are the constant needs to test levels, monitor data changes over time, and manually administer injections. Instead, the smartphone app puts real-time integrated health information at the user's fingertips and enables them to control their Pancreum Genesis with a few taps on their phone's screen. "With the CoreMD from Pancreum, we see the power of Bluetooth Smart devices, which use our low energy technology to improve the lives of users in ways that weren't possible just a few years ago. The sheer number, variety, and quality of Bluetooth low energy entries we received this year shows the transformative nature of this technology and its appeal in the market," said Michael Foley, Ph.D., Executive Director, Bluetooth SIG. "Everything from consumer electronics, to fitness equipment, to medical devices are better with Bluetooth technology by making it easy to give users better information and more control through applications that run on familiar devices like smartphones or tablets." "As the 2011 Bluetooth Innovation World Cup comes to a close, we congratulate Pancreum and all contest finalists who echo the ways in which Bluetooth technology v4.0 will greatly improve people's lives," said Volker Prueller, marketing manager, Low-Power RF, Texas Instruments Inc. (TI). "For the third year in a row, TI is proud to be the title sponsor of the Bluetooth IWC and hopes to see these products on the market to further grow the Bluetooth Smart device space." In addition to Pancreum, two runners up were selected from the nine finalists. Michael Setton's Senspods were selected in the "Automotive, Entertainment & More" category and Diesel Dogs' Smart Weights was chosen in the "Sports & Fitness" category. All three winners won a trip to the Nordic headquarters in Trondheim, Norway, for a special Bluetooth training sponsored by Nordic Semiconductor. All nine finalists received development kits from Nordic Semiconductor and from Bluegiga Technologies. All contestants who finalize a prototype will also be eligible to purchase a specially discounted Ellisys BEX400LE protocol analyzer. Bluetooth wireless technology is the global wireless standard enabling simple connectivity for a broad range of electronic devices. Version 4.0 featuring Bluetooth low energy technology creates new application opportunities for products within the mobile phone, consumer electronics, PC, automotive, health & wellness, sports & fitness and smart home industries. ((Comments on this story may be sent to [email protected])) (c) 2012 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved. |