LifeBot 5 is a relatively new telemedicine development on a low end usage. It started being used and tested for the first time in 2008. It was developed by the company LifeBot LLC, and uses an operating and database system called LifeBot Dreams which was funded by the U.S. Department of Defense through the Telemedicine and Technology Research Center (TATRC) grant of 14 million. The funding for the actual LifeBot 5 came from the grant of Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC). Although they are relatively affordable and the starting price is under $20,000, which to the average person is not affordable but if you think of these being used by the US Army, Navy, Marines, National Guard or emergency response teams they are actually relatively inexpensive for what the LifeBot 5 has to offer. The current usage of LifeBot 5 is low and is in more of a testing stage or used in war fields, remote areas and emergency situations than a wide hospital or home usage because it is made to be used in remote locations when it is the only option available. The LifeBot 5 is like a portable 15-20 pound ambulance including features of a touchscreen (much like our smart phones and tablets), live transfers of voice and video communication, as well as complete patient physiological data sending information in real time like blood pressure, heart rate, ECG, temperatures, and much more. LifeBot 5 also comes equip with an emergency defibrillator. The LifeBot 5 also has GPS connectivity and is able to tell a doctor the exact GPS coordinates of where they are located.
More importantly, the LifeBot 5 is hands-free and sends and stores information between the device and the receiving doctor or surgeon automatically without having to click a bunch of buttons which could waste valuable time. With a device like this many users would speculate about the reliability of being able to connect with the internet as in most cases LifeBot 5 would be used in remote areas.