A Study of Wearable Bio-Sensor Technologies and Applications in Healthcare

Abstract

In today’s world the rapid advancements in Micro-Electromechanical Systems (MEMS) and Nano technology have improved almost all the aspects of daily life routine with the help of different smart devices such as smart phones, compact electronic devices etc. The prime example of these emerging developments is the development of wireless sensors for healthcare procedures. One kind of these sensors is wearable bio-sensors. In this paper, the technologies of two types of bio-sensors (ECG, EMG) are investigated and also compared with traditional ECG, EMG equipment. We have taken SHIMMERTM wireless sensor platform as an example of wearable biosensors technology. We have investigated the systems developed for analysis techniques with SHIMMERTM ECG and EMG wearable bio-sensors and these biosensors are used in continuous remote monitoring. For example, applications in continuous health monitoring of elderly people, critical chronic patients and Fitness & Fatigue observations. Nevertheless, early fall detection in older adults and weak patients, treatment efficacy assessment. This study not only provides the basic concepts of wearable wireless bio-sensors networks (WBSN), but also provides basic knowledge of different sensor platforms available for patient’s remote monitoring. Also various healthcare applications by using bio-sensors are discussed and in last comparison with traditional ECG and EMG is presented.