Artificial Intelligence of Things for Smarter Healthcare: A Survey of Advancements, Challenges, and Opportunities

Abstract

Healthcare systems are under increasing strain due to a myriad of factors, from a steadily ageing global population to the current COVID-19 pandemic. In a world where we have needed to be connected but apart, the need for enhanced remote and at-home healthcare has become clear. The Internet of Things (IoT) offers a promising solution. The IoT has created a highly connected world, with billions of devices collecting and communicating data from a range of applications, including healthcare. Due to these high volumes of data, a natural synergy with Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become apparent – big data both enables and requires AI to interpret, understand, and make decisions that provide optimal outcomes. In this extensive survey, we thoroughly explore this synergy through an examination of the field of the Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) for healthcare. This work begins by briefly establishing a unified architecture of AIoT in a healthcare context, including sensors and devices, novel communication technologies, and cross-layer AI. We then examine recent research pertaining to each component of the AIoT architecture from several key perspectives, identifying promising technologies, challenges, and opportunities that are unique to healthcare. Several examples of real-world AIoT healthcare use cases are then presented to illustrate the potential of these technologies. Lastly, this work outlines promising directions for future research in AIoT for healthcare.