Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 1
Differences between a WBAN and a WSN
Property
WBAN
WSN
Sensor position
Located in or on a human
body or at a close proximity
to a human body
Deployed over a large area
Topology
Typically comprises of
multiple sensor nodes and
one central receiving node
(gateway node). All the
sensor nodes will
communicate directly with
the gateway node forming a
star topology
Sensors are connected based
on mesh topology, where
multiple hops are supported.
Each sensor in a WSN can
act as a router node
Nature of data
Data from physiological
signals is periodic and
signals are transmitted at a
fixed interval. For example,
the transmission frequency
of a temperature sensor is
once every minute [
3
]
The nature of data depends on
the application. The
transmission interval for
WSN is irregular
Redundancy
Because of the limited space
and limited sensor locations
for measuring the
physiological signals on the
human body, only one
sensor exists for measuring
each physiological signal.
There is no redundancy that
allows for node failure in
WBAN
More than one sensor can be
deployed in WSN to allow
for redundancy, especially
in areas where data is
critical or where sensors are
inaccessible
Mobility
Human body movement is
unpredictable. Body
movements such as bending
down or swinging arms will
affect the channel condition
of the nodes. The
interference level for
WBAN systems is also
unpredictable due to
mobility. The level of
interference will increase,
when two or more users
move towards each other
Nodes for WSN are typically
stationary, making channel
conditions more predictable
Data collection
Multiple receivers (e.g. PDAs
carried by doctors and
nurses) are used in WBAN
systems to collect the data
from sensor nodes
Focuses on best-effort data
collection at the central
database
WBAN
wireless body area network,
WSN
wireless sensor network,
PDA
personal digital assistant
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