Personal Health Monitoring with Bluetooth Sensors and Android Smartphones

Abstract

The objective of this research project is to utilize a multi-modal biosensor platform incorporating multiple MEMS sensors for continuous vital signs monitoring, and integrate it with a smartphone unit for cellular network connectivity and communication.Using Bluetooth interface, sensor data is transferred to smartphone devices equipped with Android operating system. This enables real time data analysis with smartphone devices. Smartphones are used for displaying incoming sensor data and performing signal processing. With the use of internet enabled smartphones, patients and doctors can be more in touch, and doctors can monitor/keep track of their patients’ health status. The miniature size of the sensors allows them to be practical and convenient to be carried around in everyday activities. Since most patients already carry personal smartphones, health monitoring technology can be deemed affordable, requiring only Bluetooth enabled sensors and an application software.Although several patient health monitoring applications exist, these solutions typically have a separate device to process the data and send it wirelessly. The goal of this research is to replace this extra hardware device with the patient’s personal phone to do the processing and the sharing of the data. The proposed solution makes it easier for the patients to carry the device around, since it is comprised of only the sensors and an application software running on the host smartphone platform that we all carry in our daily lives.