Remote physiological monitoring
[Image:Bra with ice ble watch.jpg|thumb|Photo of a NuMetrex sports bra with fabric heart sensors]]
Remote monitoring of people is now a possibility due to remote wireless technology and devices getting smaller. Also the advent of "smart fabrics" in recent years has allowed people to stay attached to monitoring devices without the issues of discomfort, large bulky technology or skin break down associated with sticky patches.
The field of remote sensing a persons vital signs have come a long way in recent years. Polar from Finland has defined the consumer sports market for the last 20 years using a conductive plastic strap that communicates to a watch using a oscillating magnetic field or recently a digital radio interface. Watches or "wrist tops" by Polar and Suunto among others have been getting more and more complex in recent years with training programs and weight loss calorie counters. Still Bluetooth, the internet and the expectation of connectedness has moved the bar for what people expect. Actigraph a company from Florida USA has pioneered the used of solid state accelerometers to measure the types of movement make. Vivometric has found limited success with its LifeShirt concept. The Lifeshirt looks like a waste coat, connects with a cable to a PDA on the persons belt and measures heart rate, breathing rate, and movement.
Until recently there was no product that allowed a person to have a sensor that was comfortable, unobtrusive, cost effective and put multiple parameters together to enable automatic measuring of fitness, fatigue, distress and condition. The BioHarness (Zephyr Technology) allows a user (or remote person) to view vital signs and status such as if someone has fallen over. The Bluetooth radio built in allows the BioHarness to communicate with VHF radios for soldiers and police officers or firefighters and also to mobile phones for local applications or internet connectivity such as remote patient monitoring by doctors.
Other technologies that allow patients to be monitored include Bluetooth enabled blood pressure cuffs, bathroom scales and glucose meters.