A wireless wellness monitor for personal weight management

Despite increasing possibilities for the citizen to play a more active role in personal health management, use of Internet-based health applications remains limited. Poor usability, limited personalization, and problems with security and accessibility often frustrate a continued use. This paper presents a possible solution by actively using wireless communications and ad-hoc networking techniques to minimize the user's efforts in using the application. Overweight is a widespread and increasing problem in western countries. There are indications that self-monitoring combined with guidelines provide a good basis for personal weight management. The wireless wellness monitor implements a self-monitoring and guidance system using Bluetooth- and Jini-based networking. A scale, heart rate monitor, mobile terminal (personal digital assistant or WAP-enabled digital cellular phone), and home server communicate locally via Bluetooth. Internet-based communications take care of remote use. The set-up allows us to investigate the behavior and use cases based on equipment and protocols that are expected to be in general use in the coming years. Thus, the system provides a useful testbed for evaluating new techniques that may bring personal health management to a new level.