Wireless Wearable and Implantable Devices and

their Communication Systems

by N S Gehlot, FACITECH, Campina Grande

                World-wide aging population demands better quality of life without being restricted to a hospital or clinic for the treatment of chronic diseases. Recent advances in Wireless Communication Networks, Microelectronics and Biomaterials have enabled sensor miniaturization, ultra low-power ASIC design and improved biocompatibility of the Body Area Networks (BAN) leading to launching of a plethora of wearable and implantable devices. From a system perspective, the multidisciplinary concept of BAN moves beyond the mere wireless sensor connectivity to address R & D on Distributed on-Node Processing, Data Mining, Integrated Sensor Microsystems, RF Power Sourcing or MEMS-based power scavenging and miniature adaptive antennas. In this tutorial, the following topics are reviewed:

1. Secure Body Sensor Networks – IEEE 802.15.6, BAN Protocol Stack, Logical Communication Channel, Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol and MAC Frame Format. A typical design implementation by Zigbee.

2. Design of Integrated MEMS-based Micro-Sensors and ultra low-power ASIC chip. RF Power Sourcing and MEMS-based power scavenging.

3. Micro-miniature Antennas: Typical design examples of Antennas for implantable devices.

4. Next, the tutorial deals with the applications of Wireless Sensor Networks in Healthcare, Wearable ECG Monitoring, Wearable Robotics. Implantable medical devices for Cardiovascular, Diabetic, Retinal & Neurological Implants and their telemetry communication systems.

Key Words: Wireless Body Sensor Networks, IEEE 802.15.6 Protocol, Zigbee, Micro-Sensors, Ultra low-power ASIC, MEMS-based power Scavenging, Wearable & Implantable Devices.

 

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Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia