The 5G digital health innovation project funded by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has launched a prototype health monitoring wristwatch for the elderly, aiming to bridge the digital access gap for seniors and promote preventive healthcare systems.
The NBTC's Broadcasting and Telecommunications Research and Development Fund for Public Interest previously allocated 15 million baht last year to Khon Kaen University for project development.
The project is a collaboration with many state organisations, including ministries and provincial administration organisations, to support welfare access for the elderly, paving the way for their cooperation to create a "smart living lab" in the future, said Trairat Viriyasirikul, acting secretary-general of the NBTC.
Mr Trairat said the research project increases the potential for the elderly to access social welfare and use digital technology to improve their quality of life.
The NBTC also aims to create a pilot system of social welfare services based on digital tech suitable for seniors, he said.
Mr Trairat said the project produced 100 health monitoring wristwatch prototypes that will be managed and distributed to targeted areas in four provinces for testing by the elderly and their families.
The four provinces comprise Lampang, Khon Kaen, Ayutthaya and Songkhla.
Watch functions cover basic health monitoring including pulse rate, blood sugar level, blood pressure and oxygenation rate.
The data will be linked to outside medical units or agencies to monitor and study, he said.
"The watch prototype requires further support and development to ensure its effectiveness as a digital heath monitoring system," Mr Trairat said.
Seniors attend a seminar at InterCare Asia.
He said cooperation among all relevant agencies is critical for development.
The first phase of the 5G digital health innovation project spans 2023 to mid-2024.
Rina Patramanon, lecturer at the Faculty of Sciences at Khon Kaen University and head of the project's research, said the project developed from a simulation model of digital services based on Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G technology using cooperation from five agencies.
There are 2,000 elderly people participating in the test of medical IoT in this project.
The cooperating organisations may be involved with the distribution of the watches and the information monitoring systems with the testers, she said.
However, the implementation of a nationwide health monitoring system requires a larger scale of development and active cooperation among agencies and all related players in the project, said Ms Rina.
Kitkamon Maitree, chief executive of Tely 360, the company that developed the platform and operating system of the prototype watch, said the company designed the watch's components and functions, then hired a Chinese factory to produce the devices on an original equipment manufacturer basis, totalling 100 watches for the prototype phase.
The first batch of watches still need a nano SIM card to link the information in the original development, he said.
Tely 360 aims to develop the function using an eSIM in the future, said Mr Kitkamon.
Mr Trairat shows a prototype of a health monitoring wristwatch.