An Internet-based Tele-homecare System with Trinomial Protocol.

Since the population-aging problem is increasingly affecting the society, health monitoring at home with interactive teleoperation is of interest to researchers and healthcare practitioners. Thus, we develop a low-cost and platform-independent telecare system to support the aged and disable people for long-term health care online monitoring. A trinomial protocol and multi-modal human-machine interfaces are designed to decrease the influence of time delay in human interface of teleoperation and give the operator a robust and safe control of the robot. Experimental results show that the system can provide stable and reliable homecare service between physicians, nurses and patients.

Design of sensor node platform for wireless biomedical sensor networks.

Design of low-cost, miniature, lightweight, ultra low-power, flexible sensor platform capable of customization and seamless integration into a wireless biomedical sensor network(WBSN) for health monitoring applications presents one of the most challenging tasks. In this paper, we propose a WBSN node platform featuring an ultra low-power microcontroller, an IEEE 802.15.4 compatible transceiver, and a flexible expansion connector. The proposed solution promises a cost-effective, flexible platform that allows easy customization, energy-efficient computation and communication. The development of a common platform for multiple physical sensors will increase reuse and alleviate costs of transition to a new generation of sensors. As a case study, we present an implementation of an ECG (Electrocardiogram) sensor.

Efficient linear algorithm for magnetic localization and orientation in capsule endoscopy.

To build a new wireless robotic capsule endoscope with external guidance for controllable GI tract examination, a sensing system is required for tracking the capsule's 3D location and 2D orientation. An appropriate sensing approach is to enclose a small permanent magnet in the capsule so as to establish a static magnetic field around. With the magnetic sensors outside the patient's body, some parameters related to this magnetic field can be detected, and the capsule's location and orientation can be calculated using an appropriate algorithm. In this paper, a linear algorithm is proposed to provide faster, more reliable computation, compared to the nonlinear algorithms. The results of simulation and real experiment show that satisfactory localization and orientation accuracy can be achieved using a sensor array with enough number of 3-axis sensors.

Experimental Study of Radiation Efficiency from an Ingested Source inside a Human Body Model*.

The attenuation of human body trunk at frequency range of 100MHz to 6GHz from an internal source was estimated using a simplified experimental model. Antennas were placed in the model which was filled with distilled water, 0.9% NaCl saline solution, and porcine body tissue alternately to determine the attenuation of the system. Saline has greater attenuation than water due to its higher conductivity, while porcine body tissue has attenuation bounded by saline solution and water. Estimated attenuation at the four ISM bands, 434MHz, 915MHz, 2.45GHz and 5.8GHz were given and all of these bands satisfied the safety and sensitivity requirements of a biomedical telemetry system. 915MHz and 2.45GHz are good choices for the wireless link because of their relatively larger electrical size of RF components such as antenna. In addition, with the growth in wireless LAN and Bluetooth technology, miniaturized antennas, camera modules, and other RF devices have been developed which can be employed in biomedical ingested or implanted devices. This paper gives a reference of attenuation values of a human body trunk of average size. It should be noted that the attenuation values can be different for different body size and different body composition, and therefore the values in this paper serves as a reference only.

Physiological factors of the small intestine in design of active capsule endoscopy.

Wireless capsule endoscope is a device used to examine the diseases in the small intestine. At present, the capsule endoscope moves through the gastrointestinal tract by natural propulsion of peristalsis. In order to achieve real-time diagnosis and treatment-related procedure, the capsule endoscope is required to be self-actuated and controlled. Different from soild environment, the small intestine is an extremely flexible tube. The unique structure and tissue cause many challenges for the capsule actuation. In this paper, the features, motility, and frictional force of the small intestine are analyzed for determining the design strategy. In-vitro experiment results show the power of magnetic force needed for driving the capsule and the factors that affect the magnitude of the driving force as well. Based on the analysis of the small intestime, a scheme of magnetically-actuated active endoscopy is proposed in the end.