From: Eugene Leitl <eugene.leitl@lrz.uni-muenchen.de>
>Instead of pushing the finicky implant design, how much easier it
>would seem to merely wear a wristwatch with added functionality:
>short-range biotelemetry to an immobile modem-equipped device in
>a flat, or a belt-worn biotracker with cellular modem and GPS
>outdoors, periodically linking up to a tracking server cluster.
>Using Li-cell driven (power good for a month at least) contactless
>sensors like MEMS accelerometers, photophlethysmography and
>photooxytometry etc.signals evaluated by a low power embedded,
>periodically bursting data via a cellular modem to a
>high-availability Linux system cluster with a GIS (all open
>source, of course) you can prototype such a design within months.
>Personal/pet trackers using GPS have been already disclosed,
>adding biotelemetry would seem just an afterthought. Actually I am
>surprised such designs have not entered the marketplace a few
>years ago, as they would have vast commercial potential, geriatric
>structure trend of the developed societies considered.
A couple of thoughts:
Animal researchers have had a device like this for a while, it was called a "Mortality Transmitter" it was designed to send a signal if the device didn't move for so many hours. They were tagging young moose and elk as I recall and discovered that black bears were significantly more advanced predators than previously thought.
Even now the RBOC's are putting systems in place to locate cell phones by triangulation (big brother mandate), add a few sensors and viola!
I remember reading an article, I believe it was in WIRED, about an Australian who was promoting data transmission of small packets to low earth orbiting satelites for cattle tracking, remote monitoring of water levels at remote sites, etc.
From: Hara Ra <harara@shamanics.com>
>I read a book about 15 years on design of radio telemetry devices
>you put into gelatin sized capsules which pass through the
>digestive system. No, I don't recall the title, but "biotelemetry"
>is a good word to search for.
I read, and some fellow classmates and I experimented with devices like this when we were in high school. We got the idea from an article in Scientific American's Amateur Scientist's column. It was a how-to complete with drawings and schematics. I very distinctly remember the warning to let the epoxy coating cure thoroughly to prevent gastrointestinal irritation ;) . This article would have appeared in 1975 or earlier.
Brian
Member, Extropy Institute
www.extropy.org