Biometric security based application development and emulation framework - IEEE 802.15.4 for Intensive Care Units

The rapid convergence of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems devices (MEMS), low-power embedded processing, wireless sensor networks (WSN) and ubiquitous connectivity is emerging as an entirely new computing platform that promises to seamlessly couple the digital world with the physical world around us. Sensor networks facilitate the collection of diverse types of data at frequent intervals; even multiple times per second. This paper proposes the use of secure Wireless Sensor Networks in Hospitals. In this paper an application for Wireless Sensor networks in Intensive Care Units has been proposed. A framework for biometric authentication of medical personnel in the hospital, their authorization to enter and perform requisite procedures inside ICU as well as the ability for authorized personnel to monitor critical patient parameters has been developed. The application consists of a Biometric authorization system and a medical monitoring system. A high level Graphical User Interface (GUI) using both open (Java) and commercial (Visual Basic) software for sensing, displaying and controlling the sensed value numerically and graphically has been developed which can be used to display patient parameters either on a operating room display or on handheld devices held by medical personnel. Simulation and emulation models were developed using Exata to study the characteristics of the solution under different network topologies like ICU clusters and different sensed parameters like temperature to aid researchers in studying the dynamics of the solution.