E-tablet helps deliver healthcare to marginalised communities
Delivering reliable healthcare to very rural communities across the globe, where digital records and diagnostics are not currently available, is a significant obstacle for United Nations institutions and NGOs. So, Arm, a leading technology provider of processor IP, partnered with Be he@lthy, be mobile, a World Health Organisation initiative, to develop a tech solution.
The concept was an e-tablet, the first of its kind, which would enable healthcare workers in rural areas, to move away from unreliable paper-based systems and instead use centralised digital records. The platform also provides simple diagnostics, and with personalised alerts for individuals.
While powered communities can use an off-the-shelf product, this challenge required a bespoke solution. The design and manufacturing processes were complex and called for contracts covering a blend of intellectual property, regulatory compliance, and commercial advice to facilitate the agreements needed to bring the project to life. This combination of expertise across many aspects of the product design lifecycle sits in our firm’s sweet spot.
Our team advised pro bono on the drafting of contract between Arm and the third-party supplier, Shenzhen Herofun Bio-Tech Co, Ltd, covering the initial design and then manufacture and delivery of prototype tablets for use in the field in Bangladesh and Tanzania.
The work was led by Ewan Grist, an IP partner who also leads our firm’s Product Compliance & Liability offering. Ewan was assisted by associate James Pearson, following an introduction from Nick Aries, a partner based in our representative office in San Francisco. The team could see this project had the potential to deliver a considerable and positive impact on healthcare provision to communities in desperate need in developing countries. In addition, the commercially viable technological nature of the solution means it has greater chance of long-term impact and success.
Our firm shares a firmly held belief with Arm that technology can unlock socio-economic problems across the globe and are pleased to have partnered on a project which will have a such a crucial impact on healthcare workers, patients, and disadvantaged communities worldwide.