Bell Canada filed patents in the U.S. and Canada to detail how its low power consumption wearable technology could benefit the monitoring of seniors and inmates, for example.
According to a report from The Logic published on The Financial Post, Bell patents tout wearable tech that’s better than Apple Watch and Fitbit, specifically battery life and cellular connectivity:
The telecom’s patent application claims its technology is superior to the Apple Watch, Fitbit and Life Alert, due to its longer battery life and direct connection with a cellular network.
“The usefulness of some wearable devices may be inhibited by a short battery life, particularly for long-term monitoring situations such as those involving the elderly, where the wearable device may have to be recharged every few days,” reads the application.
Bell told The Logic it is no longer interested in making its own wearable hardware, but rather hoping other companies integrate its technology to use on their low-power LTE-M network, made for Internet of Things (IoT) applications.
“We aren’t building a new device, but rather network technology toolkits for application developers and third-party device manufacturers to use in providing direct cellular connections for their devices, and specifically for providing connectivity to Bell’s LTE-M network,” said a Bell spokesperson.
Patents detail smart bracelets for prison inmates, for example, to monitor location and heart rate, to determine whether any illegal substances may be used. Wearable hardware may include just LEDs and a “simple user interface” for low power consumption and longer battery life before needing to be recharged.
Smart devices for diabetics, for example, would be able to monitor blood sugar, explains the patents. Bell said its proposed wearable tech, “in the case of medical monitoring solutions for seniors, can provide life-saving alerts for a variety of conditions.”
Bell’s patents were filed back in December 2018 but were made public in June.
