Chapter 7 - Security and interference management in the cognitive-inspired Internet of Medical Things

Abstract

Recent and rapid progress in the field of computing, micro/nano/elecromechanical systems, communication, and the Internet have encouraged researchers from industry as well as academia to achieve the feasibility of Industry 4.0, which is the acronym for the fourth industrial revolution. The Internet-of-Things (IoT) is an integral and very important technique that deals with the sensing, analyzing, actuating, as well as secure and reliable communication of wireless-connected devices. This race toward Industry 4.0 also influences the medical industry and has given birth to a subdomain of the IoT that is the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), where devices/nodes are used to diagnose, monitor, and treat patients, such as electrocardiograms, pulse oximeters, dosimeters, etc. The specific part of the IoMT is wireless body area networks (WBANs), which deal with devices/nodes implanted on or inside the human body and are responsible for reliable, secure, and interference-free communication. All these nodes and devices communicate with each other and remote controlling units, for which they need spectrum/frequency channels; however, the allocated spectrum in the IEEE 802.15.6 will be inadequate in the future and will result in spectrum scarcity for WBANs. A potential solution for spectrum scarcity is cognitive radio that relies on the concept of dynamic spectrum access where the unlicensed/cognitive users are permitted to communicate on the licensed/primary users’ channel. Therefore, in this chapter, we present the potential frameworks that exploit the cognitive-inspired IoMT so that the issue of spectrum scarcity in WBANs is resolved. The potential frameworks with their pros and cons as well as major research challenges with probable solutions are discussed. As “security and interference with human body organs” is of primary concern due to direct human body involvement, further security concerns and interference management techniques are illustrated.