RF positioning using body-centric wireless systems

Recent trends indicate that there is a growing desire to monitor the position of a person and track that location over time, for a number of legitimate applications including assisted living and health-care. Greater accuracy in position will usually also require the target to carry, or wear, an active RF device; hence, there is a need for an understanding of the role of the body. This paper discusses a measurement campaign to be performed at Queen Mary, University of London, where a generic body-worn wireless device is investigated to determine the capabilities in an RF-positioning system. Results of the preliminary feasibility study are presented and discussed, together with the experimental design.