Cell phones report data

Once a mere means of mobile communication, cell phones have taken on a suite of other social tasks, including music playing, web surfing, and now data management. Exco InTouch, a UK-based provider of interactive patient communication solutions, suggests that cell phones may be a new way to capture real-time patient data from clinical trials. The devices can also influence patient compliance and trial data quality, the company says. And with the near ubiquity of cell phones in today’s society, Exco InTouch has only had to provide phones to 646 out of some 450,000 patients.

What else could cell phones do for science? Could they be the new field tool to transmit data back to the lab for analysis in real-time? What potential, if any, do phones hold for bench work?

–Jef Akst, Associate Editor, The Scientist

http://blog.the-scientist.com/2010/0...s-report-data/