OSAKA -- Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. has developed a next-generation first-aid kit for people who live in remote locations where there are no medical facilities.

The kit, the Electric Health Checker, is equipped with a variety of medical appliances, such as a thermometer and equipment to measure pulse and blood-sugar level.

With the new first-aid kit, people will be able to consult doctors from home by using an attached camera, monitor and microphone, the company said.

Data and images of the affected part of the body could also be sent to a hospital via a telephone line.

The company expects demand for the first-aid kit to grow as more elderly people choose to remain in their own homes as a result of the public nursing care system that is to be introduced next April.

In September, Matsushita began trial runs of the system in Iizuka, Fukuoka Prefecture, with the cooperation of local doctors and hospitals.

The firm will also test the product in Kyoto next year. It plans to promote the system in the United States and to market it globally.

"If the system is used for daily health care purposes, it will help prevent adult diseases and keep costly medical fees low," a Matsushita official said.

The firm is also developing other medical care products, including equipment that automatically measures a person's weight and percentage of body fat when the user sits on a toilet seat.