Intel to rev up digital healthcare landscape

"This is a new focus area for Intel. Now we are trying
to provide healthcare-specific platforms that can create market opportunities
for OEMs, ODMs and ISVs to apply information technology in order to help the
healthcare industry solve some of the basic problems," explained Doug
Busch, VP and CTO at Intel Corporation-Digital Health Group, at the recently
concluded IDF in San Francisco.

As part of this initiative, the company is engaged towards
developing an information technology-based ecosystem that can deliver mission
critical healthcare related information to the medical community as and when
required. "The global medical community has got its own specific problems
and we are trying to solve these problems with the help of IT from the chip
level to the device level of engineering," he added.

As a testimony to its efforts in this direction, Intel has
already developed a Bluetooth enabled wireless stethoscope and is working
towards developing new 'concept platform's like the showcased healthcare
tablet, targeted at the medical community. "We are working on these concept
platforms, which would be used as nodes for service providers. While we move
forward with this 'concept platform' we are taking into considerations like
mobile, hands free usage, contamination control, water-proofing, noise-free
operation, sensor integration, automation, inferencing and easy data
mining," he explained.

As part of the recently concluded IDF at San Francisco Intel
showcased its healthcare tablet. This platform is pen-enabled and drives
mobility with

integrated sensors, RFID bar code readers, a built-in camera, stethoscope and a
built in infection control system.