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Body Area Networks

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Autonomous Sensor Networks

Part of the book series: Springer Series on Chemical Sensors and Biosensors ((SSSENSORS,volume 13))

Abstract

Body area network (BAN) technology has emerged in recent years as a subcategory of wireless sensor network technology targeted at monitoring physiological and ambient conditions surrounding human beings and animals. However, BAN technology also introduces a number of challenges seldom seen before due to the scarcity of hardware and radio communication resources and the special properties of the radio environment under which they operate. In this chapter, we review the foundations of BANs along with the most relevant aspects relating to their design and deployment. We introduce current, state-of-the-art applications of BAN, as well as the most challenging aspects concerning their adoption and gradual deployment. We also discuss issues pertaining to sensor node communications, trade-offs, and interfacing with external infrastructure, in addition to important aspects relating to wearable sensor technology, enabling software and hardware, as well as future trends and open research issues in BANs.

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Abbreviations

BAN:

Body area network

ECG:

Electrocardiogram

EEG:

Electroencephalography

EMG:

Electromyography

MCU:

Microcontroller unit

MEMS:

Microelectromechanical systems

WSN:

Wireless sensor network

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of the Canadian Government under grant STPGP 365208-08, and by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, Korea, under the Information Technology Research Center support program supervised by the NIPA National IT Industry Promotion Agency, NIPA-2010-(C1090-1011-0004).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of British Columbia, 2332 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6S 1B1

    Sergio González-Valenzuela, Xuedong Liang, Huasong Cao & Victor C. M. Leung

  2. School of Computer Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Min Chen

Authors
  1. Sergio González-Valenzuela
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  2. Xuedong Liang
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  3. Huasong Cao
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  4. Min Chen
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  5. Victor C. M. Leung
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Victor C. M. Leung .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Department of Physics, Chemistry and Bio, IFM - Linköping University, Office M314, Linköping, 58183, Sweden

    Daniel Filippini

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González-Valenzuela, S., Liang, X., Cao, H., Chen, M., Leung, V.C.M. (2012). Body Area Networks. In: Filippini, D. (eds) Autonomous Sensor Networks. Springer Series on Chemical Sensors and Biosensors, vol 13. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/5346_2012_26

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