Data Communication and Network Routing in Body-Area-Networking

This article discusses the architecture, system requirements, security requirements, technologies, merits, demerits, and applications of Body-Area-Networking in Data Communication and Network Routing. It also highlights the various wireless technologies that may be adopted in the wireless body area network. The article is relevant for students pursuing courses in computer science, information technology, and biomedical engineering.

Data Communication and Network Routing
Body-Area-Networking

Introduction
Body area network is a network technology that is growing rapidly in the world of computers. It
plays a very important role especially in the field of health. It aids in monitoring crucial signs of
patients as well as monitoring the history of the patient in the routine activities of life to offer the
patients with proper and accurate treatment and medication. The main aim of the technology is
reduction in the hospital loads and offer adequate facility of healthcare remotely through the use
of MICS (medical implant communication system) as well as WMTS (wireless medical
telemetry system). Monitoring patients as carried out using WBAN (wireless body area network)
because it is not practical to observe the patients using sensors or devices that are connected
through a wire in the patient’s natural environment. WBAN is used to perform the daily routine
through contented and unobtrusive way. The technology offers cheap, easy and quick respondent
history of the patient.
Architecture
Wireless body area network’s design comprises of unique purpose sensor which can freely link
with several appliances and sensors found outside as well as inside the human body.
The figure below illustrates a simple wireless body area network architecture whereby it
comprises of various sections.
Figure 1.
In the figure above, the infrastructure of the network is categorized into four sections. The first
category comprises of the wireless body area network section which includes of a number of

sensor nodes. The nodes uses nodes of low-power and are also cheap and contain physiological
and inertial sensors strategically located on the body of the human. The sensors are used for
monitoring the movement, crucial factors like the blood pressure, ECG, the rate of the heart and
the surrounding environment continuously. There is a large number of systems of monitoring
that are already in use based on connections that area wireless. Use of wired connections in
monitoring systems could be hectic as when a person wears the connection as it would limit the
person’s mobility. Therefore, use of wireless body area network would be very effective in the
system of healthcare in situations whereby continuous monitoring is required as well as mobility.
The section that follows comprises of the node of coordination whereby all the sensor nodes are
connected directly with a node of coordination referred to as Central Control Unit, CCU. The
CCU collects all the data contained in the sensor nodes and delivers it to the subsequent section.
However, when it comes to monitoring the activities of the human body, no such technology that
is wireless, is fixed for targeting wireless body area network. Majority of the wireless
technologies that are used for systems of medical monitoring are WiFi, 3G, WLAN, GSM,
WPAN (ZigBee, Bluetooth) and 4G (Khan and Tuce, 2010). The listed technologies are mainly
cover the communication in short distances apart from the Cellular network standard.
The third part comprises of the wireless body area network communication that acts as a gateway
for transferring data to the destination. For a remote station to transfer information to a cellular
network, a mobile node may be used as a gateway and send the message through the use of
GSM/3G/4G. On the other hand, a PC or a router may be used as the remote node to
communicate through email or other services using Ethernet as illustrated in the figure below.
The final part is comprised of a control center that comprises of the end node devices like the pc
used in monitoring, mobile phone for messaging and server and email used in storing
information in the database.

Figure 2.
System Requirements
There are several requirements that must be met to set up the body area network. They include:
 Devices
 Sensor node
They collect data on physical stimuli
 Personal Device
It collects the information acquired by the sensor nodes and notifies the user.
 Monitoring server
Comprises of the database for storing data, processing and software analysis.
 Energy
The energy is required in three domains. They include; sensing, communication and data
processing.
 Data rates
The success rate of the body area network depends on the rates of the data (Otto el al.,
2009).

Security requirements
The following requirements should be met to ensure that security of the data in the network.
 Storage of the data
 Assurance of data integrity
 Confidentiality
 Dependability
 Access of the data
 Non-repudiation
 Accountability
 Access control
 Other requirements
 Availability
 Authentication (Li, Lou and Ren, 2010)
Technologies
A number of short range wireless technologies are involved in body area network. They include:
 Bluetooth
This is a short range standard wireless communication (Adibi, 2015). It creates a network that
has security and low consumption of power. A basic network of Bluetooth creates a Piconet
whereby a device with Bluetooth acts as the master while 7 other devices enabled with Bluetooth
act as slaves. This enables the devices to simultaneously communicate. A number of Piconets
can be used to form another Bluetooth network referred to as Scatternet. Here, a Piconet node
(slave or master) connects with a slave in a different Piconet. In wireless body area network,
Bluetooth can be used to send data in applications like between a PC and the area network or
between the area network and servers.
 ZigBee
The network topology of ZigBee comprises of devices like the router, coordinator and end
device. In every network of ZigBee, there is one coordinator. The coordinator is responsible for
starting the network and handling management roles and functions of data routing. ZigBee
consumes low power hence the end devices used are battery empowered. The end devices used

are sensors configured for that function and are linked to the network via the routers. The routers
enable information transmission through multi-hop ZigBee networks. However, for the network
which is point to multipoint and point to point, routers are not used (Liu et al., 2013).
 WiFi
WiFi has four standards that runs in ISM band 2.4 and 5GHz and covers about 100 meters. It
enables transferring of data at a speed of the broadband after connecting to an access point or in
the mode of ad hoc. It is best suitable for transferring large amounts of data with a connectivity
of high speed that enables voice calls, video conferencing and streaming.
Merits
 It is used in detecting chronic diseases
 Its applied in the military for the purposes of security
 It also aids the connection between machines and individuals.
Demerits
 Wired connections restrict body movements.
 Multi devices that share channel experience interference
 Inadequate integration sensors.
Applications
A number of applications have been developed through this technology which have helped in a
number of functions. They include:
 Assisted Living
Body area network offers medical sensors that can be worn and used at the patient’s
homes. They measure physiological data of the patient’s body, store or transmit the data
in a specific server of the medical center or unit of control in a regular interval. This
enables the patient to remain at home instead of hospital and get the support needed. If
an emergency occurs, emergency sensors located on the body raise an alarm and notify
the nearest medical center.

 Remote Healthcare Monitoring
Here, remote monitoring is enabled as the vital organs of a patient can be done
automatically. Sensors located on the patient’s body are capable of sending the status of
the organs like the blood pressure, heart activity and temperature movement among
others to observe the movement of the patient. The information gathered is monitored and
stored remotely or from the unit of control (Poon, Zhang and Bao, 2014).
 Telemedicine
Wireless body area network enables patients to receive health care services over long
distances whereby a patient can consult a doctor through video calling, medical reports
can also be transmitted online among others. Through WBAN, patients can receive
treatment and monitoring from anywhere (Vallejos de Schatz et al., 2012).
 Life Style and Entertainment
WBAN has also made an impact in the sector of entertainment and life style. It offers
help in navigation while driving or walking, playback of videos and audios, exploration
of new cities, making video calls among others (Chen et al., 2011)
 Sports
The BAN enabled devices that can be worn enable effective monitoring of physiological
activities of the people wearing them such as the respiration rate, blood pressure among
others of the athlete in sports (Jovanov et al., 2015).
 Military
Wireless body area network can be applied in the battlefield by the soldiers while
communicating and transmit their roles such as running, retreating, attacking among
others to the base commander. The sensors implanted on the uniform of the military can
be used to observe location, health condition, hydration levels and temperature of the
soldiers (Monton et al., 2016).

Conclusion
Wireless body area network is a technology that is growing rapidly and is expected to have a
huge effect in our society and also in the medical field and fields that are not medical as well.
The report above has provided an insight on body area network whereby its architecture,
technology, deployment, merits and merits have been discussed. A number of short range
wireless technology of communication which may be adopted in the wireless body area network
have also been highlighted.
Finally, apart from the above issues discussed, there is a number of factors that are non-technical
that would largely impact the success rate of the advancement of the wireless body area network
which include legal, ethical and regulatory issues, affordability, comfort, user friendliness and
acceptance.

References
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