Mark Hanson — Bryan O'Rourke shares his thoughts and views on consumer, technology, business and health trends.

I had the chance to visit with Dr. Mark Hanson late last week. He was part of the team that founded BeClose; their tag line is "Where Distance Disappears". I love that and you'll soon understand why. Mark received his doctorate in electrical engineering at the University of Virginia (U.Va.) where he researched wireless health technology with John Lach in the Integrated Networked Embedded Real-Time Technologies In Applications (INERTIA) group. He's an evangelist, along with his BeClose associates, for the coming wireless revolution.

BeClose is a breakthrough remote home monitoring system that allows you to be closely connected to your parents and loved ones as they age in the comfort of their own home. The solution is yet another example of how practical wireless applications are entering the marketplace: applications that solve real and pressing problems.

Increasingly we will see these mobile monitoring devices impact our world, and BeClose is an example of the beginning of that trend. The Internet is evolving to the embedded space. Intel Vice President Doug Davis cites the IDC prediction of 15 billion intelligent, connected devices by the year 2015, that is how big its going to get. Leveraging the power of Internet connectivity to a limitless variety of embedded devices, many communicating machine-to-machine without human intervention, has more far-reaching implications than most can imagine.

Health care, including wellness and fitness, will increasingly be affected by these technology trends. Check out BeClose CEO Liddy Manson, as she shares the details behind BeClose on this video.