The Medical Devices Working Group is made up of 19 member companies including IBM, Intel, Motorola, Nonin Medical, Philips Electronics and Welch Allyn.

By working together the group aims to ratify a Bluetooth Medical Device Profile that will expand the use of Bluetooth technology into the medical, health and fitness markets.

The new profile will promote interoperability between health-related devices and personal consumer electronics products such as mobile phones, PCs and PDAs where Bluetooth technology is already common.

Chairman of the new group and senior wireless standard architect at Intel's digital health group, Robert Hughes, said the creation of a new standard will allow devices such as weight scales, blood pressure monitors and exercise equipment to send information wirelessly to Bluetooth-enabled PCs or mobile phones so that users can monitor their health information or share it with a doctor or fitness coach anywhere in the world.

"The working group believes it can make a difference in the lives of people, especially those with chronic conditions; it also represents a powerful business opportunity for companies creating Bluetooth-enabled devices in a large and growing market segment," Hughes said.