Wireless body networks – a healthcare revolution
Body area networks are not only transforming medical patient monitoring, but also offer an interesting opportunity for electronics suppliers. At the heart of it, a body area network (BAN) is a method for collecting vital statistics about a patient.
Previously, the method of acquiring information required the patient to be in a hospital or care facility with multiple wires attached to adhesive pads all over the body. This limited the movement of the patient and increased health costs. Due to time and cost restraints, only limited information could be collected.
Today things are quite different. A BAN can now be created with a few sensors, the positions of which depend on the type of information being collected. The wires can be removed, enhancing the comfort of the patient. After the trial is completed, the data can be sent in real time instead of weeks later, expediting the diagnosis and providing potential treatment sooner.
There are many different components that are part of a BAN, so not only does the health care market benefit, but the technology used can also be applied to other segments of the economy. For example, data can be transmitted wirelessly using Bluetooth, but that same Bluetooth module could also be used in a smartphone, a remote control, or a keyboard.
Versatile individual modules will eventually have a lower overall price as economies of scale are introduced.
There are many different points to consider when creating a BAN. First and foremost is what information to collect and which sensors to use to gather the data. Second is how the data would be stored, such as on a computer database or as an application on a portable device like a smartphone.
Features of the technological improvements can include wirelessly transmitting data from the sensors to the medical team, optimising the device for lower power consumption to extend data collection time, and an intuitive user interface to simplify the process.
One BAN example, the Holter Monitor, is commonly used to measure cardiac activity. The system requires attaching three to eight electrodes to the body using wires. It can be worn for a minimum of 24 hours but is more often used for two weeks. The data is stored in a monitor worn on a belt or around the neck. After the session is finished, the monitor is sent to the doctor’s office for examination, risking shipping delays, damage, or becoming lost in transit.
Consider an alternative scenario where a patient wears just a single sensor without any wires. The sensor transmits the data to a smartphone using Bluetooth, is synched directly to the cloud, and provides an alert to medical staff when an abnormality in recording occurs.
Information is instantly available (reducing diagnosis time), thereby allowing medical staff to immediately contact the patient if irregularities are detected. It can even be a life saving device if the patient suffers a cardiac arrest during the data collection.
Aside from the medical advantages of BANs, there are also an increasing number of consumer applications. Any physical activity, including personal fitness, can generate information using a BAN. This helps people understand their physical progress and to maximize their effort to burn calories or achieve aerobic target zones.
A pedometer is one of the most basic forms of exercise tracking, but a BAN can be as simple as the Nike+ athletic shoes used with an iPod. This is a system where a sensor is placed in one shoe and is paired via Bluetooth to a compatible iOS device like an iPhone or iPod nano.
The athlete/runner enters his or her personal statistics, starts the program, and begins running. The system tracks information such as distance, time, pace, and estimated calories burned. After the run, the information is uploaded to the Nike+ website where analysis is performed.
Runners can also enhance their effectiveness by using GPS with a heart monitor to gather more information. While a pedometer is useful to estimate the distance traveled, it varies with the length of the runner’s stride. GPS, on the other hand, is much more accurate. A heart monitor would provide additional data that could be useful for reaching target objectives.
The technology available to enable these and many more applications is driven by an increased desire for good health. Due to advancing technology, combining the unique components, software, and modules together renders BANs not only possible, but a way for medical professionals and consumers alike to improve their understanding of how the body reacts in certain conditions, and to make improvements when necessary.
Greg Quirk works with Mouser Electronics