Obviously, the majority of the companies we have on the show are either product companies or research and development firms. One exhibitor type that we don't often get to talk with is consultancies. These companies are often integral to the process of bringing a new product to the market. They can help with early-stage design, funding, marketing, and more. This year, we got the opportunity to speak with Jaquie Finn from Cambridge Consultants about the company's work in the industry.
Consultancies like Cambridge Consultants are the unsung heroes of the product world, often living behind the scenes, creating products for others, or spinning off divisions as they are created. While you may never hear their name, you might very well know their products. In the case of Cambridge Consultants, they have been involved in products ranging from the first wireless pacemaker to the Bluetooth stack in most devices, which became part of Qualcomm, from air traffic control systems to the push-to-talk satellite technology for Iridium, they've done it all.
At CES this year, the company was talking about the evolution of personal sensor technology. Today, most monitoring is done with wearable technologies - from smartwatches to headbands. But, wearable technologies have limitations that prevent proper compliance. There are gaps in the data because of device charging or swapping of hardware. There are communication glitches because of interference and middle technologies, like phones. And, there are inconsistencies between brands and models.
In a design for a hospital of the future, Cambridge Consultants ran a three-month test of a contactless monitoring solution aimed at helping to eliminate some of these issues. The test got data on heart rate, temperature, respiration, and consciousness simply through cameras, with no need for wearable technologies. In a hospital, this would make monitoring easier, with no wearables to clean, no batteries to charge. Nurses could focus on the results as opposed to the technology.
For more information about the projects that Cambridge has done, check out the company's website.
Interview by Marlo Anderson of The Tech Ranch and Daniele Mendez of The New Product Launchpad.
Daniele is a student at Florida Polytechnic University who is studying Computer Science with a concentration in Cyber Security. In High School, she was introduced to the science and technology world through the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), a robotics foundation where students of varying ages can compete through tasks that their robots perform. With help from mentors she met through FIRST, she became interested in programming and developing. Today, Daniele is a special events host for F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and PLuGHiTz Live Special Events and a co-host for both The New Product Launchpad and FIRST Looks.
Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.
