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Independa is at it again.
The San Diego-based developer of "independent living solutions" for the elderly and those in need of assistance has added to its ever-growing line of tools and technology with an agreement to incorporate IDEAL LIFE's wireless health monitoring products. The deal adds IDEAL LIFE's scales, glucometers, pulse oximeters, blood pressure cuffs, medication dispensers and other plug-and-play devices, as well as its wireless hub, to Independa's Artemis platform.
IDEAL LIFE's plug-and-play connectivity is seen as an important enhancement to the Artemis platform, because it allows seniors and other users to simply take the device out of its box and plug it into a power outlet, after which the device itself will power up and communicate with the network.
"Technology is a means to achieve longer and better independent living, more cost-effective care and peace of mind," said Independa CEO Kian Saneii in a press release. "Through our relationship with IDEAL LIFE, technology will fade into the background the moment caregivers and the older adults open the box. In the process, our companies are setting the standard for integrated, cloud-based telecare and eliminating a major barrier to adoption."
"Many IDEAL LIFE and Independa customers were searching for such a complete and plug-and-play solution, urging our companies to work together," added Jason Goldberg, president of Toronto-based IDEAL LIFE, in the relase. "The integration of IDEAL LIFE solutions into Artemis creates an innovative platform that meets this need by providing a turnkey experience allowing caregivers to focus on what they do best."
Artemis, which will be made available to the general public this fall, was unveiled last December as a platform that would incorporate its Angela social engagement platform, the Independa Caregiver Web App and a host of sensors and mobile home-monitoring tools. Since then, the company has signed deals with Boston Life Labs, Telcare, LG, GreatCall and Qualcomm Life to integrate tools and technology.
"Trillions of dollars of infrastructure development in the U.S. would be required to build and equip facilities to house the tsunami of seniors who are reaching the age of fragility and dependence," said Robert B. McCray, president and CEO of the San Diego-based Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA), in a release last year announcing the launch of Artemis. "Staffing those facilities is an additional expense, and seniors want to live independently as long as possible. Fortunately, the smart combination of technology and applications in Independa's platform will enable fragile seniors to extend their period of independent living and caregivers to extend their services to a greater number of clients."
The company's Artemis platform was boosted considerably through its integration in June with Qualcomm Life's 2net Platform, a cloud-based service that enables the wireless transfer, storage and display of data from home-based medical devices through a wide variety of resources, including Bluetooth, 2G and 3G cellular, Wi-Fi and ANT+ local area radio protocols.
"We are happy to be working with Independa to help it enhance and expand the reach of its best-of-breed monitoring solutions," said Rick Valencia, vice president and general manager of Qualcomm Life, in announcing the deal. "Collaborating with Independa also will strengthen Qualcomm Life's ability to serve the rapidly growing independent living and senior care segments."
IDEAL LIFE has been making news of its own this year. In January, the company unveiled a cellular pod that uses machine-to-machine (M2M) communications to share information over Sprint's wireless network. The pod is expected to help individuals manage their own healthcare as well as connect with physicians and other caregivers to keep them in the loop.
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