Vital sign monitoring by using UWB Body Area Networks in hospital and home environments

We investigated advantages and drawbacks of wireless BAN (Body Area Network) systems using UWB (Ultra Wide Band) wireless technology that are expected robustness against interference, low power consumption, and little interference to a body for healthcare. Two types of low and high bands of radio frequency for UWB were examined using various sensors in hospital and home environments. The high band UWB BAN system with TDMA protocol in MAC worked well to prevent interference. The most serious drawbacks was shadowing problem due to a body. We verified most suitable routing to avoid the shadowing problem on the bed.