We at the Electrical and Computer Engineering in Medicine Group (ECEM) at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, plan to make pulse oximetry available to resource poor countries by designing a low-cost, battery-powered pulse oximeter device consisting of a low-cost pulse oximeter sensor connected to a cell phone. The use of cell phones as patient monitors is appealing as they are widely available in many developing countries. Utilizing battery power, cell phones do not rely on a continuous source of electricity. This is essential, as most low-resource settings lack adequate infrastructure and thus cannot provide the uninterrupted power supply required for conventional patient monitoring. Furthermore, a cell phone has the efficiency, integrated display, and processing power required to analyze and store the raw data derived from the pulse oximeter sensors. Data from the pulse oximeter can be transmitted to referral centers for diagnostic and advisory purposes where cellular and networking services permit.