Wearable and Autonomous Biomedical Devices and Systems for Smart Environment (eBook)

Title Page 1
Guest Editorial 4
Contents 8
Design and Integration of Fall and Mobility Monitors in Health Monitoring Platforms 11
Introduction 11
Methods of Fall Detection 12
Fall Detection Algorithms 12
Sensor Location 15
Sensor Attachment 16
Fall Sensor Hardware 17
Microprocessor 17
Freescale Accelerometers 18
Bluetooth Module 18
Power Requirements 19
Communication 19
Fall Sensor Software 20
Embedded Software 20
A Generic Sensor Interface Architecture 20
General Overview 22
ByteSources 24
MessageVerifier 24
SensorHeader 25
SensorMessage 25
SensorRecords 25
The DataStore 26
Records 26
ConfigDB 27
Agents 28
Graphical Interfaces 28
Case Study: The CAALYX Project 29
Project Description 29
Phase 1 Trials Description 29
Phase 2 Trials Description 33
Clinical Trials in Ancona 36
Conclusions 37
References 37
Smart Nano-systems for Tumour Cellular Diagnoses and Therapies 40
Introduction 40
Cellular Imaging of Tumours 43
Nanoparticle Contrast Agents 43
Non-ionizing Imaging Modalities and Methods 45
Preliminary Experimental Results on Silica Nanoparticles for Ultrasound Molecular Imaging 47
New Therapeutic Approaches for Tumour Management 49
Site-Targeted Drug Delivery 50
Gold Nanoparticles for Laser Hyperthermia of Tumours 52
Improved Employment of Ultrasound Power 54
Conclusion and Future Perspectives 55
References 56
Miniature Differential Mobility Spectrometry (DMS) Advances towards Portable Autonomous Health Diagnostic Systems 64
Introduction to Miniature Differential Mobility Spectrometry (DMS) 64
Mathematical Models of DMS 65
Miniature DMS for Chemical and Biological Sensing Applications 67
Clinical Applications for DMS 68
Advanced Data Analysis Methods 71
Simple Peak Detection and Interpretation 71
Pattern Recognition, Machine Learning, and Advanced Statistical Analysis Methods 71
Dispersion Plots for Chemical Identification 76
Applications of Signal Processing Methods 76
Future Trends 77
Conclusions 78
References 79
A Distributed Telemedical System for Monitoring of the Respiratory Mechanics by Enhanced Interrupter Technique 83
Introduction 83
Airflow Interrupter Techniques 84
Architecture of Telemedical System 91
Home-Based Patient Unit 92
Base Unit System 95
Example Results 98
Conclusion 100
References 100
Nonlinear Dynamics, Materials and Integrated Devices for Energy Harvesting in Wearable Sensors 104
Introduction to Devices for Energy Harvesting 104
Advanced and Innovative Solutions for Energy Harvesting 106
Introduction 106
Physical Modeling and Simulations 107
A Miniaturized Energy Harvester: Design and Experiments 111
Experimental Results on Macroscale Devices 111
A MEMS Energy Harvester: Design and Experiments 116
Simulations of the Device Behavior 118
Some Experimental Results 118
References 119
Wearable Sensors for Foetal Movement Monitoring in Low Risk Pregnancies 121
Introduction 122
Smart-Clothing 122
Field of Study 123
Experimental Apparatus 125
Experimental Results 134
Conclusions 140
References 141
An Embedded System for EEG Acquisition and Processing for Brain Computer Interface Applications 143
Introduction 144
State-of-the-Art in BCI Technology 145
Characteristics of EEG Signals 147
Electrode Placement: The International 10-20 System 148
Spatial Enhancement of EEG-Data 149
Fundamentals of the ICA Technique 149
The Design and Implementation of an Embedded System for BCI Applications 152
Compact-RIO Architecture 153
A Compact RIO-Based System for EEG Acquisition and Processing for BCI Applications 155
Conclusions 157
References 157
Micro Systems for the Mechanical Characterization of Isolated Biological Cells: State-of-the-Art 161
Introduction 161
Actuation Means of MEMS Used for the Mechanical Characterization of Isolated Cells 163
Measurement Techniques Associated to MEMS Devices for Extracting the Mechanical Properties of Isolated Cells 170
MEMS Devices for the Mechanical Characterization of Biological Cells: Strengths and Limitations 177
References 178
On-Body Chemical Sensors for Monitoring Sweat 182
Introduction 182
Sweat Analysis 184
Sensor Design and Development 186
Textile Patch 186
Micro-fluidic Device 190
Discussion 194
Conclusions 196
References 196
A Wearable Measurement System for the Risk Assessment Due to Physical Agents: Whole Body Mechanical Vibration Injuries 199
Introduction 199
Whole Body Vibration 201
The Measurement System 202
Experimental Results 208
Conclusion 209
References 209
A Measurement System Design Technique for Improving Performances and Reliability of Smart and Fault-Tolerant Biomedical Systems 211
Introduction 212
The Decision-Making Approach 213
Smart and Patient-Adaptive Systems 216
The Design of an ECG Measurement System 218
Conclusion 220
References 221
A Self-controlled Master-Slave Robot and Its Application for Upper Limb Rehabilitation 222
Introduction 222
System Description 224
Overview of the System 224
Operational Principle 224
Experiments Study 227
System Equipments 227
Control Method 228
Experimental Purpose and Methods 230
Experiment Results 232
Representative Results of One Subject 232
Torque Comparison in Different Operating Modes 233
Comparison of the Motion Performances in Different Operating Modes 234
Discussion 235
Conclusion 237
References 237
Advanced Wearable Sensors and Systems Enabling Personal Applications 239
Introduction 239
Wearable Systems: Users' Requirements 241
Sensors and Bioelectrodes for Wearable Systems 242
Body Worn Sensors 242
e-Textiles Based Sensors 244
Wearable Bioelectrodes 245
Current R& D and Expected Results
State of the Art 247
A Concrete Example of IWS: Protective Textiles Systems for Emergency Disaster Wear 249
Challenges and Future R& D
References 256
Fall Detection of Patients Using 3-Axis Accelerometer System 260
Introduction 260
Accelerometers 264
Fall Detection Using Two Accelerometers 266
ZSTAR Accelerometer Board Applications for Fall Detection 273
Conclusion 274
References 275
Unobtrusive and Non-invasive Sensing Solutions for On-Line Physiological Parameters Monitoring 277
Electronic Health Records Based on ECG/BCG for Homeostasis and Allostasis Monitoring in e-Health Context 278
Non-contact Electrocardiography 281
Unobtrusive Solution for Biopotential Measurement Using Dry Electrodes with Conductive Contact 282
Unobtrusive Solution for Bio-potential Measurement Using Capacitive Electrodes 284
Ballistocardiography: Historical Note: An Appraisal of Technical and Physiological Principles 291
BCG Classification 293
Some Contributions from the Authors to Ballistocardiography 294
Non-contact Ballistocardiography 299
Conclusion 308
References 309
The Method of Increasing the Accuracy of Mean Opinion Score Estimation in Subjective Quality Evaluation 315
Introduction 315
Subjects Selection 316
Scores Accuracy Examination 317
Between-Laboratory Tests 317
A Subject as a Laboratory 319
Proposed Method Verification 319
Processing and Filtration Method 320
Conclusions 328
References 328
Wearable Assistive Devices for the Blind 330
Introduction 330
Target Population 330
Dimension of the Problem 331
Assistive Technology 331
Wearable and Portable Devices 332
Wearable Technologies for the Blind 332
Considerations on Hearing and Touch 332
Assistive Devices Worn on Fingers and Hands 336
Assistive Devices Worn on the Wrist and Forearm 338
Assistive Devices Worn on the Tongue 338
Head-Mounted Assistive Devices 339
Vests and Belts 342
Assistive Devices Worn on the Feet 344
Synthesis and Conclusions 345
References 346
Intrabody Communication in Biotelemetry 349
Introduction 349
Regulations 350
Wireless Biotelemetry Systems 352
Dielectric Properties of Human Tissues 354
Human Body as a Signal Transmission Medium 355
Capacitive Signal Coupling 355
Galvanic Signal Coupling 357
IBC Technology Overview 358
Conclusion 363
References 363
SPINE-HRV: A BSN-Based Toolkit for Heart Rate Variability Analysis in the Time-Domain 367
Introduction 367
Background and Related Work 369
The SPINE Framework 374
Spine HRV Toolkit 377
Hardware 378
Software 379
Stress Analysis Engine 380
An Experimentation for Stress Detection 381
Conclusion 385
References 385
Measuring Finger Movement in Arthritic Patients Using Wearable Glove Technology 388
Introduction 388
Related Work 389
Tests 394
Measurement Glove Prototype 397
Conclusion 402
References 402
Author Index 404