Technologies for an Autonomous Wireless Home Healthcare System

Abstract

We present a design study highlighting our recent technological developments that will enable the implementation of autonomous wireless sensor networks for home healthcare monitoring systems. We outline the power requirements for a commercially available implantable glucose sensor which transmits measurements to an external wireless sensor node embedded in the home. A network of these sensor nodes will relay the data to a base station, such as a computer with internet connection, which will record and report this data to the user. We explore the feasibility of powering these sensors using energy scavenging from both body temperature gradients and vibrations in the home, and discuss our developments in energy storage and low power consuming hardware.