Improving radiation oncology using a low-cost wireless accelerometer

Born on military applications, wireless sensor networks span over to different application fields, namely on e-health and medical applications. In this paper we discuss a high-precision, non-intrusive, wireless, accelerometer-based patient movement monitoring system (APMMS) in determining positional change in patients undergoing radiation treatment. Using this system a small wireless accelerometer sensor is placed on patient´s skin, broadcasting its precise position to the receiving station connected to a PC in the control area. A threshold-based algorithm is developed to identify the exact amount of patient´s movement and its direction. Our results indicate that, in spite of its low-cost and simplicity, APMMS is highly sensitive and offers accurate measurements.