The Intel Health Guide PHS6000 looks like a mini-desktop computer and collects patient data such as blood pressure, weight and blood-glucose levels. Blood-pressure-measuring devices; weight scales; a spirometer, which measures the amount of air going into and out of lungs; a pulse oximeter, which measures oxygen saturation in the blood; and blood-glucose monitors can be connected to it.

Designed mostly for elderly patients, the device provides access to doctors through videoconferencing over a secured wired-broadband connection. Health care providers also receive data collected by the device via the connection so that they can monitor how patients are doing. That could reduce the number of patient visits to a hospital, said Louis Burns, vice president of Intel's Digital Health Group at a press conference Thursday

The device maintains a history of the medical-data readings to help in triage and early disease detection. Intel has teamed with health-services organizations such as Aetna so that patients have access to nurses and doctors who are on call throughout the day.

Using the readings it receives from patients, the device's Health Care Management Suite software also displays educational videos. For example, during a demonstration of the device when it detected high blood pressure in one patient, it asked further questions and then told the patient that he possibly had hypertension, after which a video explained what that means.

To provide such medical information to patients, Intel has licensed content from organizations including the Mayo Clinic and the American Heart Association.