The Defense Health Agency is exploring potential applications of the Internet of Things and other smart technologies on military healthcare as part of several projects that seek to bolster soldier readiness and survivability.The Military Health System said June 29 technologies such as mobile computing and self-powered biosensors can help improve the quality and speed of delivery of health services.
“IoT has the potential to change the dynamic of healthcare itself,” said Lt. Col. Mark Mellott, execution branch chief of the health IT innovation and advanced technology development unit at DHA.
“It’s about how different devices are all connected with one another, on the battlefield and in garrison, and how we are able to better share information and make well-informed, data-driven decisions.”
DHA’s Pacific Joint Information Technology Center is looking into applications such as the automated reporting of battlefield injuries and monitoring of soldiers’ vital signs and activities, MHS noted.
It added that DHA has recently participated in events such as the Global City Teams Challenge Expo and the National Institute of Standards and Technology‘s “Remotely Caring for Vulnerable Populations during a Pandemic” project to work on the development and deployment of IoT technologies for military healthcare.
