A Pervasive Computing Platform for Wearable Sensors

Wireless wearable sensors are collections of independent devices with computational, sensing and communication capabilities. Research in this area has been growing in the past few years given the wide range of applications that can benefit from such a technology. Wearable technology is ubiquitous to the user. Thus, it has the potential to be significantly disruptive to the user´s daily life. Miniaturized and flexible wireless sensors are easier to integrate into everyday portable personal electronic appliances with very high mechanical robustness. Continuous miniaturization of electronic components has enabled creation of smaller and flexible electrical devices which can be worn and carried at will. The extent of miniaturization is dependent on the hardware technologies utilized. The results are verified by prototype implementations. In this paper, the development of a flexible wireless platform with embedded passive components for wearable sensor is described. The focus of this paper is not only miniaturization but also a migration toward flexible system that enables greater freedom in design and application. The system incorporates a main board, sensor board, an energy source and extension sensors. Concept development, design, and non-electrical features are discussed in this paper.