The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) announced the acceptance of Bluetooth low energy wireless technology yesterday. The new standard is a power efficient technology that provides a wireless connection for mobile devices and small, battery powered gadgets, the likes of wristwatches and health or fitness sensors. 

According to the SIG this new low energy technology will see companies adopting the new standard because of their need for low cost and low power wireless connectivity. A hypothetical example of this would be a company within the sports and fitness industry, which can create a gadget to examine your pulse, temperature, speed and steps while working out. These measurements can then be sent wirelessly to your laptop or smartphone to be logged as well as to your watch to enable you to monitor them during your workout session.

“With today’s announcement the race is on for product designers to be the first to market,” said Michael Foley, executive director of Bluetooth SIG. “Bluetooth low energy modules for all sorts of new products may now be qualified – this is an important step towards our goal of enabling new markets with Bluetooth wireless technology.”    

Bluetooth low energy wireless technology’s benefits include ultra-low power utilisation, the capacity to operate for years on standard coin-cell batteries, low costs and a better operating range (more than 100 m). This new technology can also be effortlessly integrated with existing Bluetooth standards. 

What this means is that our lives will now be made a little bit easier as pet owners, for example, can get tags with small, wireless collar sensors using this technology to track down lost pets. A watch company and cellphone maker can collaborate to create a watch that links to your mobile phone in order to display notifications if you accidentally leave your mobile on your desk on your way out of the office. The possibilities and applicability are seemingly endless.