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Medical implants are getting too complicated for their own good, says Sun
Microsystems. If an implant has to monitor vital signs as well as administering
drugs, it is more likely to go wrong. So Sun turns the patient into a wireless
computer network (EP 1022035). Implants and other devices dotted around the body
monitor life signs and transmit their readings by radio to a central processor
worn by the patient. The processor displays diagnoses in real time and uses the
wireless network to activate drug pump implants at the most appropriate points
in the body. The processor can be interrogated by phone, radio or satellite link
for remote diagnosis.