The US army starts a field test of a wearable health-status monitoring system for its soldiers. Via Technology Review.

Sensors in the chest belt, watch, canteen, and pill collect six categories of data: vital signs and body orientation, hydration, sleep status, body temperature, and whether the soldier has been shot.

The system weigh about 720 grams and woud cost - manufactured in bulk - around 600 US$.

For the designer of you here is the colour code:
A medic or commander can also view the information on a battlefield map that shows the location of each soldier and his or her health status: green (okay), yellow (look), red (look now), blue (unknown), or grey (absence of life signs for over five minutes).

The system can be used in the public sector too for example to monitor patients who left the hospital.

Image courtesy of U.S. Army
Copyright Technology Review 2006