Wearable Heart Rate Monitoring Device Communicating in 5G ISM Band for IoHT

Abstract

Advances in wearable device technology pave the way for wireless health monitoring for medical and non-medical applications. In this work, we present a wearable heart rate monitoring platform communicating in the sub-6GHz 5G ISM band. The proposed device is composed of an Aluminium Nitride (AlN) piezoelectric sensor, a patch antenna, and a custom printed circuit board (PCB) for data acquisition and transmission. The experimental results show that the presented system can acquire heart rate together with diastolic and systolic duration, which are related to heart relaxation and contraction, respectively, from the posterior tibial artery. The overall system dimension is 20 mm by 40 mm, and the total weight is 20 g, making this device suitable for daily utilization. Furthermore, the system allows the simultaneous monitoring of multiple subjects, or a single patient from multiple body locations by using only one reader. The promising results demonstrate that the proposed system is applicable to the Internet of Healthcare Things (IoHT), and particularly Integrated Clinical Environment (ICE) applications.

Monitoring Cardiovascular Physiology Using Bio-Compatible AlN Piezoelectric Skin Sensors

“…To solve the EMI problem envisioned in [28], Natta et al proposed an electromagnetic shielding solution reducing the noise induced by capacitive coupling by adding two additional layers to the sensor's heterostructure [32], [33]. Marasco et al [34] employed the AlN skin sensor introduced by [32], [33] to monitor heart rate by placing the device on the ankle, i.e., above the posterior tibial artery. The work in [34] presents a wearable device communicating in the sub-6GHz 5G ISM band for Internet of Healthcare Things (IoHT) applications.…”

“…Marasco et al [34] employed the AlN skin sensor introduced by [32], [33] to monitor heart rate by placing the device on the ankle, i.e., above the posterior tibial artery. The work in [34] presents a wearable device communicating in the sub-6GHz 5G ISM band for Internet of Healthcare Things (IoHT) applications. Using the defined communication protocol, the simultaneous monitoring of the pulse waves from the six volunteers comprising females and males between 25 and 29 was achieved.…”

“…Using the defined communication protocol, the simultaneous monitoring of the pulse waves from the six volunteers comprising females and males between 25 and 29 was achieved. The work described in [34] superficially demonstrates using AlN thin films to monitor heart rate. The paper mainly focuses on the communication protocol and does not characterize the measured signals nor reveal the sensor's full multipurpose capabilities as will be described in this work.…”

Smart Devices for Health and Wellness Applied to Tele-Exercise: An Overview of New Trends and Technologies Such as IoT and AI

“…In the context of tele-exercise, IoT devices can include smartwatches, activity trackers, smart scales, and environmental sensors. These devices allow users to monitor various parameters, such as heart rate, sleep quality, and posture, providing real-time feedback and enabling users to optimize their training and lifestyle [ 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 ]. Direito et al, through their analytical work, offer a systematic review of the latest developments in emerging technologies for tele-exercise.…”

Compact Flexible Planar Antennas for Biomedical Applications: Insight into Materials and Systems Design

“…LWAs possess a wide bandwidth and high directivity, which improves the signal-to-noise ratio and coverage in indoor environments. Figure 7 depicts an industrial scientific and medical (ISM) sub-6 GHz wearable sensor device for heart rate monitoring [56]. This frequency range provides the best trade-off in terms of the footprint, bandwidth, and communication range of all the bands that are currently available worldwide.…”