Advances and challenges of wireless body area networks for healthcare applications

The term wireless body area network (WBAN) is used to describe a network of devices connected wirelessly for communication on, in and near the body. In this paper, we survey the current state of various aspects of WBAN technologies that are being used in healthcare applications. In particular, we examine the following areas: monitoring and sensing, power efficient protocols, system architectures, routing, and security. We conclude by discussing open research issues, their potential solutions and future trends.