21st Century Technology: Bluetooth

Wires are such a bother. Nobody has time to navigate through metal and plastic lines that most of the time act as a hinderance in not only aesthetic appeal, but functional appeal. That is why the technology of Bluetooth - wireless connection between devices - was invented. However, it would not exist without the inventions that cam before it - namely radio. “Bluetooth uses what is now known as short-link radio technology. It operates at the unlicensed (but regulated) 2.4 to 2.485 GHz band and it uses radios to communicate and establish connections between two or more devices” (Pothitos). Without the radio, we would not have the all-so-valuable Bluetooth that at this point is almost a requirement on any new electronic device that comes out for consumers. 

“It was 1999 when we launched the entire Bluetooth system to the world. And then we had the internet bubble [crash] in 2000, 2001, so it really didn't catch on until 2003, 2004” (Hardawar). Though the rollout of Bluetooth happened right before the turn of the century, it was not utilized until the following year. That said, radio had been around for roughly 100 years before the completion of bluetooth technology - but wavelengths and frequencies have been around as long as the Earth has. Frequencies are found in nature - bird calls, the wind, waves crashing - and in humans - talking and physical activities. The sounds that exist around us were transformed in such a way that radio - with predecessors such as the telegraph - utilized those wavelengths and frequencies. At the very core of all these inventions is the theme of communication. Communication is something to be strived for in any relationship - no matter human or electronic. The more efficient and clear communication can be, the better. When it comes to human relationships, communication is about transparency; when it comes to electronic relationships, communication is about ease of use. Bluetooth accomplished both. 

To note the impact of Bluetooth technology, this stat does it justice - “Starting with only five companies (Ericsson, Intel, Nokia, IBM, and Toshiba), SIG (Special Interest Group) added more and more members throughout the years.  By the end of the first year alone, SIG had more than 400 members. Today, it has more than 30,000” (Pothitos). More than 30,000 companies have implemented bluetooth technology in their products - that goes to show that bluetooth didn’t necessarily change the world, but the world would be worse off without it now. 

However, bluetooth technology has only been focused on electronic devices of entertainment and communication purposes - smart phones, stereos, laptops, etc. - I think there will be a shift to utilizing the technology in the medical field. I don’t believe bluetooth technology will create something wholly new and groundbreaking for medicine; but, I believe it will make things a bit more seamless and easier. Something like heart monitors and blood sugar monitors will be the biggest benefactors of the technology. Rather than having the wires attached to your body, which is not only a nuisance with clothing, but is also bothersome having to navigate with day-to-day activities - bluetooth will be implemented to solve that. I think there will be bluetooth versions of those devices in the near future to not only help with the patients that will wear it every day, but their health providers also. A bluetooth heart monitor/pacemaker could just send all of the information to the doctor’s laptop when a patient goes in for a check up rather than having to rely on journaling or the patient’s perception. Along with that, bluetooth thermometers that sync with an app on your phone for parents of newborns/children is a possibility for bluetooth future. The possibilities are not endless; they are inevitable. 

Works Cited 

Hardawar, Devindra. “The Inventor of Bluetooth On Where Wireless is Going Next.” Engadget, https://www.engadget.com/2016/12/09/bluetooth-inventor-jaap-haartsen-interview/. Accessed 27 February 2018.

Pothitos, Adam. “The History of Bluetooth.” Mobile Industry Review, http:// www.mobileindustryreview.com/2017/08/the-history-of-bluetooth.html. Accessed 27 February 2018.