The New Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) using Cell Phones

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   proton66posted 14 years ago

   I don't find myself admitted to hospitals vey often but the familiarity with several electronic sensor devices used to help monitor a patientÃ�¢ï¿½ï¿½s health is not an unusual sight in most rooms. The screens which typically show the patientÃ�¢ï¿½ï¿½s heart condition or level of oxygen are large enough to be seen from a distance of approximately 3 or 4 feet, and these devices do have a beeping sound audible enough to hear at distance of 10ft or more, if a patient is in trouble. 
   
   The way it works is very simple because several miniaturized Body Sensor Units (BSU) is connected to a Central Unit (CU), and that in turn generates real time data of a patient�¢ï¿½ï¿½s health. While that may be well-suited to a hospital environment, it certainly is less mobile or very pottable.
   
   For that very reason, the advancement of sensor technology has led to the idea of developing a new generation of wireless sensor technology. These physiological sensors have integrated circuits and are low powered. Widely used inter-disciplinarily, the future of medicine stands to benefit greatly as inexpensive and continuous health monitoring with real-time updates of medical records via the internet.
   
   In a typical monitoring device, sensors are attached via a wire. Interestingly, the new advanced intelligent physiological sensors can be integrated into a wearable wireless body area network but must be comfortable and not impair normal activities. Freedom to travel about makes it a very attractive device to have as these sensors are able to collect various physiological changes then transmit the data wirelessly to an external processing unit. That information is instantly relayed to doctors (all over the world), and appropriate measures are taken.
   
   It seems like a promising device as it is still in its developing stage. Of course, the question of whether or not one needs to buy a separate monitoring device often comes up. Interestingly, there is no need for a seprate gadget.
   
   With a cell phone, the WBAN uses a dongle that plugs into the SD card slot enabling the streaming of data from the sensors to the cell phone in real time, and is able to produce an IP address for the patient as well. Whether it is for monitoring one�s heart problems, or for athletic training, the WBAN is capable as a multi-functioning device. The software runs on Android OS and uses the nRF24L01+ radio wireless standard rather than Bluetooth.
   
   Personally, I think this is a great idea. The benefits are extensive yet, there is always a downside to everything. For example, inoperability; seamless data transfer to standard cell phones. Scalability and efficiency are critical factors especially when information migration requires uninterrupted connectivity.

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