JPL's Wireless Communication Reference Website

Chapter: Network Concepts and Standards

Body Sensor Networks


Technology for sensing the human body has many applications. The markets of body sensing range from Intensive Care patient monitoring to consumer baby phones. While up to now we see many physiological body sensors, measuring emotions (i.e., psycho-physiological parameters) can lead to many new applications.

The underlying technologies of human sensing include sensors, wireless connectivity, signal acquisition and processing, data interpretation and security. Research challenges include new convenient ways of sensing, power management, scalable networking, privacy, and access control to sensitive data.

For many applications, convenience is a key driver and highly determines in the change of acceptance. Power consumption appears to be a critical factor. Measuring body parameters from some distance, e.g. embedded in clothing is a much more acceptable concept than sensors in plasters, but yields noisy signals.

While large scale networks have been studied for some time, a major challenge may be in maintaining reliable networking in the presence of interference from others systems, or if multiple uncoordinated networks operate in each others vicinity, for instance at the bingo party for elderly all carrying their own vital sign monitoring BAN network.


Body Sensor Networks - Research Challenges and Applications, Prof. Guang-Zhong Yang, Imperial College.

pdfProf Yang’s department has a broad scope ranging from medical sensors (e.g. SpO2), data fusion and processing techniques, security, wireless image processing devices, and wireless sensor platforms. In his overview talk, he describes on how all technical challenges fit together for body sensor networking. He will particularly focus on combining ambient sensing with wearable sensing for elderly care applications.

Professor Guang-Zhong is Director and Founder of the Royal Society/Wolfson Medical Image Computing Laboratory at Imperial, co-founder of the Wolfson Surgical Technology Laboratory at Imperial, and Chairman of the Imperial College Imaging Sciences Centre (ISC). He received several major international awards including the I.I. Rabi Award from the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) and is holder of the Royal Society Research Merit Award in Medical Image Computing.


Body Sensor Networks as part of a Control System, Prof. Daniel Berckmans, K.U. Leuven.

pdfProf. Daniel Berckmans and his team study real-time signal analysis of humans, animals and plants, in order to monitor and control Complex, Individual and Time varying Dynamic (CITD) living organisms. Their research ambition is to integrate the dynamic responses of living organisms in the monitoring and control of bio-environmental processes. Examples are predictive models for intensive care patients & athletes. His technology was for instance used to train the A.C. Milan soccer team, but also to analyze bio-response signals for monitoring driver sleepiness, to anticipate and avoid accidents. Moreover he has worked on the evaluation of animal welfare and process control in livestock. In this presentation he will elaborate on his experiences in using body sensor networks. Professor Berckmans is heading the Division M3-Biores, Department of Biosystems, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. The group counts over 30 researchers working toward their PhD.


The case for wireless, medical grade connectivity, by Rob J Mulder, CTO Office Philips Healthcare.

In many cases the wireless exchange of patient information (vital signs, data or images) inside hospitals is a mission critical application. However, designing dedicated medical application specific solutions to guarantee fail safe performance in critical situations is usually not an option. The cost effectiveness of a medical specific solution is a major issue to start with, even harder to address is the absence of dedicated spectrum. The presentation addresses the issue of deploying non-medical application specific technology and networks to transfer medical information of varying levels of “mission criticality”.

As a member of the Philips Healthcare Chief Technology Office (CTO) Rob Mulder is responsible for the PMS-wide technology planning & strategy of Wireless Connectivity solutions, overseeing associated R&D, standardization and technology partnering initiatives.

contents

JPL's Wireless Communication Reference Website © 1993, 1995, 1999, 2008