ES4: Body area network: Technology, solutions, and standardization

Recently, wireless protocols related to BAN (Body Area Networks) are under standardization by the IEEE 802.15 (Personal Area Networks, PAN) committee, to enable interoperability of a wide range of applications in the areas of medical support, healthcare monitoring and con sumer wellness electronics. BAN requirements are closely related to PAN or WSN (wireless sensor network) technologies; however a major difference in BAN applications is that human body should be carefully considered not only as a possible communication medium or an obstacle to the signal transport, but also taking into account the possibility of physiological effects resulting from the chosen EM wave fre quency. This Special Evening Topic session will present the current status of Body Area Network standard development, and explore proposed solutions and applications with a strong focus on integrated circuit implementations. As an introduction, the IEEE BAN standard process will be reviewed, including its historical background and current status. Following this, further technical details including MAC and PHY layers and security protocols will be addressed. Integrated circuit solutions for BAN applications will be disclosed, and examples of BAN application requirements, especially for ambulatory patient monitoring, will be discussed.