Microsoft recently announced that HealthVault will soon be connected to some ANT+ wireless devices. ANT+ is an alternative short range wireless technology (some might argue a Bluetooth competitor) that is used to connect many wellness and fitness devices, including some made by Garmin, to handheld devices. The ANT+ technology is a product of ANT Wireless, a division of Dynastream Innovations.
“Combining Microsoft’s leading software and services platform with the integrity of ANT+ devices facilitates efficient independent health and disease management,” Brian Macdonald, Director, ANT Wireless said in a press release. “Microsoft’s participation in the established ANT+ Ultra Low Power Wireless ecosystem offers personal health data tracking and storage from ANT+ devices.
According to the company “ANT+ currently enables data collection and transfer in sport, fitness and wellness with sensors ranging from heart rate and weight to bike power and speed and distance. Several new ANT+ health and wellness device profiles are currently in development to meet the requirements of ANT+ Alliance members and their customers.”
Continua Health Alliance President David Whitlinger told us during a recent interview that the ANT+ wireless protocol was under consideration as a new radio technology standard for biometric sensors that are body worn.
For more on Microsoft’s move to connect HealthVault to some ANT+ devices, read the ANT Wireless press release here.