Healthcare Sensor Networks : Challenges Toward Practical Implementation

 Content: Sensor Networks in Healthcare: A New Paradigm for Improving Future Global Health; Daniel T. H. Lai, Braveena Santhiranayagam, Rezaul K. Begg, and Marimuthu Palaniswami  Healthcare and Accelerometry: Applications for Activity Monitoring, Recognition, and Functional Assessment; Andrea Mannini and Angelo Maria Sabatini  Intrabody Communication Using Contact Electrodes in Low-Frequency Bands; Ken Sasaki, Fukuro Koshiji, and Shudo Takenaka  The Prospect of Energy-Harvesting Technologies for Healthcare Wireless Sensor Networks; Yen Kheng Tan  Addressing Security, Privacy and Efficiency Issues in Healthcare Systems; Kalvinder Singh and Vallipuram Muthukkumarasamy  Flexible and Wearable Chemical Sensors for Noninvasive Biomonitoring; Hiroyuki Kudo and Kohji Mitsubayashi  Monitoring Walking in Health and Disease; Richard Baker  Motion Sensors in Osteoarthritis: Prospects and Issues; Tim V. Wrigley  The Challenges of Monitoring Physical Activity in Children with Wearable Sensor Technologies; Gita Pendhakar, Daniel T. H. Lai, Alistair Shilton, and Remco Polman  Ambulatory and Remote Monitoring of Parkinson's Disease Motor Symptoms; Joseph P. Giuffrida and Edward J. Rapp  Nocturnal Sensing and Intervention for Assisted Living of People with Dementia; Paul J. McCullagh, William M.A. Carswell, Maurice D. Mulvenna, Juan C. Augusto, Huiru Zheng, and W. Paul Jeffers  Experiences in Developing a Wearable Gait Assistant for Parkinson's Disease Patients; Marc Bachlin, Daniel Roggen, Meir Plotnik, Jeffrey M. Hausdorff, and Gerhard Troster  Designing Low-Cost ECG Sensor and Monitor: Practical Considerations and Measures; Ahsan H. Khandoker and Brian A. Walker  Sensors, Monitoring and Model-Based Data Analysis in Sports, Exercise and Rehabilitation; Jurgen Perl, Daniel Memmert, Arnold Baca, Stefan Endler, Andreas Grunz, Mirjam Rebel, and Andrea Schmidt  Robust Monitoring of Sport and Exercise; Andrew J. Wixted   Index
 Abstract:             Healthcare sensor networks (HSNs) now offer the possibility to continuously monitor human activity and physiological signals in a mobile environment. Such sensor networks may be able to reduce the strain on the present healthcare workforce by providing new autonomous monitoring services ranging from simple user-reminder systems to more advanced monitoring agents for preventive, diagnostic, and rehabilitative purposes. Potential services include reminding people to take their medication, providing early warning for the onset of heart attacks or epileptic seizures, and monitoring a child's physi