Human Performance Improvement @ NICTA TechFest

Next week is TechFest at NICTA - so we're off to Sydney.


We'll be showing how the human body creates havoc for a radio connection with our wireless radio jacket: it's bright green (of course) and has small radio transceivers in pockets. The transceivers are used as part of our radio modeling work for the IEEE 802.15.6 standards, but we bring them out with a demo which shows the radio strength as a bubble moving between the sensors. Dance around and watch the bubbles react.

Last year we had a similar demo (it wasn't wireless then) which used sound pitch to mimic the radio strength, but we figured this year we'd lower the noise factor.


We'll also be demo-ing the sensor glove - which is a glove with inertial sensors and a bluetooth connection. The work we do with this is related to modeling human movement, and demonstrating the data requirements for raw signal processing: we don't build micro-sensors.

For the demo we're encouraging everyone to try playing a virtual piano.

ABI report: 400m wearable wireless devices by 2014

Brian Dolan of MobiHealth news noted two interesting trend predictions from ABI research. By 2012, ABI predicts 15 million wireless heatlh devices in operation, and 400million by 2014. 15m wireless heath devices by 2012

15 million wireless devices will be in use by early 2012 to remotely monitor the well-being of elderly or at-risk people. For the next two years at least, most of these devices will consist of medical devices with cellular technology built-in.

and up to 400m, by 2014 -- a mere 2 years later.

[W]earable wireless sensors are set to grow to more than 400 million devices by 2014. Demand will come from professional healthcare, home healthcare and sports and fitness markets, but each market will develop at different speeds and support different applications. The sports and fitness market represents more than 90 percent of the wireless sensor market today.

There is a common feel to the ABI report and Brian's discussions, characterized by the Continua Alliance's move to endorse low-power bluetooth and/or ZigBee as the wireless medium of choice for these devices.

Meanwhile, the IEEE 802.15.6 standard is yet to pass judgement on the applicability of ZigBee. And low-power bluetooth not withstanding, a new MAC and PHY are likely to emerge. More information can be found at the IEEE document server.

More information can be found in the ABI press release which is abridged below.

Around the world multiple social factors are putting strain on existing healthcare operations, but a new wave of interest and investment in wireless body sensors will help healthcare providers to improve treatment as well as increase efficiency and cut costs. Key to these benefits is the development of wireless sensors to measure important body parameters and communicate the data to remote systems. These developments are examined in a new study from ABI Research.

Bluetooth Low Energy, ZigBee, 802.15.4 and proprietary offerings are all under consideration for wearable wireless sensor systems and the industry is keen to turn to standardized products wherever possible.