NSF/FDA SIR: A Proposal to Characterize the RF channel for Wireless Communication between Medical Devices and Mobile Phones

University Of Colorado At Boulder, Boulder CO

Investigators

Abstract

Abstract #1229929 Newman, Kimberly Through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Scholar in Residence program, they propose to conduct a study of the characteristics of the wireless communication channel used by commercially available medical devices to transmit data to medical monitoring services. Characterization of the wireless communication links is needed for FDA regulatory review of medical devices integrated with smart phones. The purpose of the project is to establish a testing procedure for evaluating mobile communication required for transport of medical information, using a range of wireless devices from simple 3G cellular phones to leading smart phone platforms. The research is conducted in two phases, the first one in an anechoic chamber where statistical measures of connectivity from a medical device to the phone are performed. In the second phase, a set of test procedures in specific natural environments that incorporate base station communication are generated.