Update

I predictably failed to keep up on this all this year. Nevertheless, I've been making progress (finally!!!).
I proposed my thesis topic at the beginning of November, and sort of passed that milestone. I say "sort of" because the idea I proposed was good, but my intended research plan lacked focus and was far too much work.... criticism with which I can agree. At least, the last two and a half years of putting that together weren't a complete waste.

I was told and have heard before that a synthesis of parts is an acceptable contribution for a Ph.D, and that I can narrow my focus down to the construction of a proof-of-concept prototype for tetherless care (side note: we moved from referring to "the tetherless patient" to "tetherless care"). The prototype must be context aware and operate despite communication challenges (think crappy WiFi and 3G/4G signals).

What lingers in my mind is the role of experimentation in this process. What needs to be tested when you're putting building blocks together.