"We're in the adolescence of the mobile and wireless revolution," White House Deputy Director for Policy in the Office of Science and Technology Tom Kalil declared during a presentation at the Mobile Future luncheon in Washington D.C. this week. Kalil explained that wireless technology could help improve (and in some cases has already improved) the U.S. education system, the U.S. healthcare system and the country's push for a carbon-neutral energy system.

"One really promising area that we all should be focusing on is the area of mobile health," Kalil said. "Researchers at the West Wireless Health Institute based in San Diego have identified potential applications in Alzheimer's (by measuring vital signs, location and activity); asthma (respiratory rate); diabetes (blood glucose and hemoglobin); hypertension (blood pressure); and sleep disorders."

Kalil said that the Administration is now trying to determine what "ambitious" but "realistic" goals we should be setting to use wireless technologies to solve national challenges, including healthcare. Kalil said that part of that discussion needs to examine legal and regulatory barriers; consider establishing prizes like the Android Developer challenge; fund research to determine the benefits of these solutions; and create fora for multi-sector collaboration, like the mHealth Alliance, which is a partnership between Vodafone Foundation, UN Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation to support wireless health initiatives in developing markets.

Kalil's presentation is available from Mobile Future and embedded below.