May/June 2026 Paper 12

A health monitor attaches to a person’s arm and measures key health information, for example heart rate. The monitor transmits data to the user’s smartphone. The results are analysed by the phone, which displays information to the user about their health. Explain the reasons why the health monitor is an example of an embedded system.

Identify whether the health monitor is an example of a monitoring system or a control system, and justify your choice. State your choice (monitoring or control) and then give the reasons that support it; no mark is given for the choice itself — only for the justification.

The health monitor contains Random Access Memory (RAM) and Read Only Memory (ROM). Describe two differences between RAM and ROM.

The data from the health monitor is transmitted to the smartphone and stored in the cloud. Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of storing the data from the health monitor in the cloud.