A Ring Topology Approach: Efficient Communication in Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs)

The ongoing developments in Beyond 5G (B5G) and Sixth Generation (6G) wireless systems are shifting the human factor increasingly back into focus, with a particular emphasis on Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs). Therefore, in this work, a new Printed Circuit Board (PCB) around the ESP32-S3 microcontroller as well as an innovative protocol based on ESP-NOW optimized for reliability and low latency are proposed. The developed PCB is designed as a modular, flexible sensor carrier for biometric applications. In addition to the multi-hop and token-based approach to reduce the computing load and the communication volume, the core of the development is the implementation of a ring network topology, as well as the increase in efficiency and reduction of energy consumption. The results of the work prove a reduced overall latency of approximately 50 % in combination with a 36 % lower power consumption compared to traditional star network topologies on the same hardware. Therefore the protocol not only shows an increase in efficiency for state-of-the-art systems but also proposes a flexible sensor carrier board for biometric data acquisition while reducing the overall amount of communication needed.