[Oulu, Finland/ Implementations] - Ultra wideband (UWB) wireless technology has potential for short-range wireless communications for medical sensors worn by patients in a hospital environment, according to a study at the University of Oulu, Finland.
Researchers from the Centre for Wireless Communications at the University studied the performance of different UWB receivers using measurements in a hospital environment with a transceiver system based on the 2007 IEEE 802.15.4a UWB standard. This UWB standard was originally targeted at low-complexity and low-cost devices operating in wireless personal area networks (WPANs — used in close proximity to the body), which also makes it potentially suitable for wireless body area networks (WBANs). A subsequent UWB standard, IEEE 802.15.6, which is targeted directly at WBANs, is now being finalised and is likely to be published later in 2012.
Various wireless technologies including Bluetooth (also a UWB system), Zigbee, wireless-LAN and UWB could be useful in a medical environment. Each has its advantages and disadvantages — the first three use "crowded" frequencies that overlap with countless consumer and other wirelessly connected devices. Bluetooth and WLAN also tend to be heavy power consumers, which makes them less appropriate for remote and mobile sensors that cannot be conveniently connected to mains power or recharged frequently. UWB, on the other hand, uses less power and operates in a less crowded range of frequencies, although the allocated spectrum varies between countries.
The researchers evaluated the hospital environment and its influence on the signal propagation as well as the impact of the human body. They found that UWB with the so-called p-rake receivers were the most practical for application, giving a good balance of performance and complexity. UWB is appropriate for general hospital applications and is not detrimentally affected by the specifics of the environment.
“One possible medical scenario would be to have small sensors attached to the body to measure different physiological parameters," Niemelä explains. “These parameters might be, for example, body temperature, respiration rate or electrocardiograph. From a single sensor, the information is transmitted to a WBAN access point, which might even be a cell phone. If not a cell phone, there is a room access point forwarding the information from the WBAN access point to an electronic database accessed by the healthcare staff. The WBAN set-up could be established in various places, such as in a hospital room, at home or in an ambulance. The benefits of its implementation might be shorter and more efficient periods spent in hospital, lower overall healthcare costs and improved treatment procedures offering less work load for the healthcare staff.” [hw]
[Related information]
Ville Niemelä, Matti Hämäläinen, Jari Iinatti. IEEE 802.15.4a UWB receivers in medical applications. International Journal of Ultra Wideband Communications and Systems 2011, Vol. 2, No.2 pp. 73 – 82.
Information on IEEE standards: IEEE 802.15: Wireless Personal Area Networks (PANs)
