Software Defined Networking (SDN) has focused enormous attractiveness in changing conventional network by means of offering flexible and dynamic network management. It has drawn important concentration of the researchers from together academia and industries. Mainly, integrating SDN in Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) applications specifies capable results in terms of handling with the issues like traffic management, security, energy efficiency etc. Recent improvements in miniaturization and energy efficient physiological sensor designs in SDN based Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) paved the way for health monitoring systems for collection and processing the real-time physiological data. The collection of signals from different sensor allows reliable diagnosis in heterogeneous than in homogeneous WBANs. Inspired by the evolutions of heterogeneous WBANs, a study on Wireless Electroencephalography Sensor Networks (WESNs) is carried out under distributed signal processing. The distributed WESNs are designed under two different hierarchy i.e. Hierarchical Fully-Connected Topology (HFCT) and Ad-Hoc Nearest-Neighbor Topology (ANNT) to improve the energy-efficiency using distributed Multi-channel Weighted Weiner Filter design (MW2F). Here, each module transmits linear combination of local channels with other modules. The power efficiency is improved Journal Pre-proof in MW2F signal processing algorithm by avoiding centralization of EEG data. A case study is carried out to test the reduced energy consumption after the removal of eye blink artifacts and it is tested with centralized counterparts. The MW2F is evaluated in both topologies against centralized environments and significant reduction of eye blink artifacts improves the energy efficiency in HFCT than other topologies.

Introduction

The energy efficient and miniaturization is the most hot research area in health monitoring systems, where the body is placed with several sensor nodes. These nodes can collect the EEG data and process it in real time and measures are considered to improve the energy efficiency. This system is called as Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) [1], and it offers higher demand in the area of physiological monitoring in hospital environment. The WBAN system is composed of several nodes with physiological sensors, wireless communication devices and a signal processing unit. These nodes can communicate with other sensor nodes placed over the body or it can be connected to a fusion center or a storage device. The signals collected from various resources are analyzed jointly in heterogeneous WBANs in real time environment for medical diagnosis.

Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) concept is one of the most promising technologies for healthcare applications. In WBANs, sensor nodes are capable of sensing, gathering the human body signs and sending them to the HUB; the communication between nodes and HUB is called as intra-WBAN communications. Inter-WBAN communication manages all HUBs for communications of various WBANs. WBANs have inherently heterogeneous structures and limited energy sources, and also, installation/configuration network management processes are increasingly quite complex. New approaches are required to implement WBANs in order to overcome these challenges. We propose the Software Defined Networking (SDN) approach aims at constructing a flexible and manageable structure for inter-WBAN communications. Therefore, a new SDN-enabled WBAN architecture with HUBsFlow interface protocol is proposed in this paper. The proposed architecture provides a flexible, manageable, and an energy sensitive structure. Hence, a controller that is a key component for SDN undertakes all management and control processes about network. HUBsFlow interface protocol is utilized on the controller that provides the communications among the controller and HUBs in inter-WBAN communications. All components, protocols, and algorithms of the proposed architecture are developed and simulated using Riverbed Modeler software. Throughput, delay, packet loss ratio, bit error rate, and energy consumption parameters are taken into account for performance evaluation of the proposed architecture. The results show that the proposed architecture outperforms when comparing with traditional WBAN architecture and satisfies IEEE/ISO 11073 service quality requirements.

Introduction

WBAN has a heterogeneous network architecture consisting of many sensor nodes, and each node has different tasks and functions. The sensor nodes collect, process and transmit the data to the HUB. HUB is a central node or coordinator in WBAN that manages several sensor nodes. The data usually can be the vital signs and some environment variables [1,2]. The most significant shortage of WBAN is the complexity of the network management functions resulting from the limited resources and physical environments that they have [3,4]. Various data traffic from heterogeneous sensor nodes are transmitted to the target at different sampling times, so the heterogeneity of the network traffic flow makes the service quality requirements and network management more complex. SDN is a new network approach that has been put forward to ensure that the control and the data planes existing together in the traditional network infrastructure are abstracted from each other. With the SDN approach, the control and the management processes logically converge at a central point, and the network control and the management processes become more flexible and easier [5–8]. One of the popular topics for solving the network complexity is thought to be the solution of the SDN approach to the WBAN architecture. As a result of the SDN approach, the WBAN architecture (SD-WBAN) in this study allows the entire network to be managed via a controller [9]. By the way, a new energy-sensitive interface protocol (HUBsFlow) is developed with the SDN approach, instead of a distributed protocol that causes too much energy consumption among inter-WBAN communications. The control and the management operations on the HUBs are transferred to the controller and the energy consumption of the HUB is reduced dramatically. In addition, with the help of the controller, the network control, and the management operations are carried out from a central point for providing dynamic, effective and efficient resource allocation.

Abstract

As Internet of Things (IoT) devices and other remote patient monitoring systems increase in popularity, security concerns about the transfer and logging of data transactions arise. In order to handle the protected health information (PHI) generated by these devices, we propose utilizing blockchain-based smart contracts to facilitate secure analysis and management of medical sensors. Using a private blockchain based on the Ethereum protocol, we created a system where the sensors communicate with a smart device that calls smart contracts and writes records of all events on the blockchain. This smart contract system would support real-time patient monitoring and medical interventions by sending notifications to patients and medical professionals, while also maintaining a secure record of who has initiated these activities. This would resolve many security vulnerabilities associated with remote patient monitoring and automate the delivery of notifications to all involved parties in a HIPAA compliant manner.

Introduction

The rapid growth of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and wearable technology has opened up new possibilities in the realm of medical sensors, particularly for remote patient monitoring. One subset of this IoT healthcare trend is This article is part of the Topical Collection on Mobile & Wireless Health Thaier Hayajneh thayajneh@fordham.edu Kristen N. Griggs kgriggs2@fordham.edu Olya Ossipova oossipova@fordham.edu Christopher P. Kohlios ckohlios@fordham.edu Alessandro N. Baccarini abaccarini@fordham.edu Emily A. Howson ehowson@fordham.edu 1 Fordham Center for Cybersecurity, Fordham University, New York, USA Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs). In a WBAN, a patient is equipped with various wearable or implanted medical devices that take real-time measurements of vital indicators, such as heart rates or glucose levels. Other devices may act as actuators, which can provide automated treatments based on the measurements taken by the sensors. All of the patient’s WBAN devices report to a master device (typically a mobile phone) which transmits the collected data to healthcare providers and provides an interactive interface for the user. This remote monitoring reduces the need for time-consuming doctor’s appointments and allows patients to go about their daily lives more freely [3].

Internet of Things (IOT) is advanced area which includes embedded technology, wireless sensor network, artificial intelligence and machine learning etc. to intercommunicate things. IOT improves user convenience and also enhances data collection. It optimizes various technologies in single area called IOT. IOT has applications across different fields like industries, engineering and medical. To improve existing medical systems IOT is applicable. In medical IOT, Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) is key concept which is network of autonomous medical sensors which are deployed inside or outside of the patient body for health monitoring. In WBAN, deployed wearable sensors senses health conditions like pulse rate, heart beats, blood pressure, temperature etc. using IOT exploited devices. Data from multiple sensor nodes is collected to sink called data fusion and it is transmitted to analyser. In wireless sensor networks, data is passes through communication from one end to another end. Information can be travel hop by hop or multihop manner in the sensor network [5]. But for reliable data delivery over the network, faster data transmission is necessary during communication. So, different types of routing protocols are used by researchers. Routing protocols are helps to search minimum distance path between sources and sink node [6] [7]. Energy efficiency is important factor in wireless sensor networks. Heavily congested network will be consuming more energy in the network. So, different MAC and routing protocols are used for to increase the energy efficiency of the node [8]. Some hybrid protocols also designed for reduce power consumption by the nodes. Clustering technique is a better solution for achieve energy efficiency over the network communication [9] [10]. Energy parameter effected due to the collision of packets during packets travel from one node another node. In case of large application, multiple nodes can send packet at a same time to the receiver end [11] [12]. So collision event will be generating near the receiver end. Hybrid MAC protocols are designed and developed for solve congestion and collision problem in wireless sensor networks [13][14]. Routing as well as MAC protocols are necessary for reliable data delivery in the network.[15] In case of intermediate node failure, routing protocols should be select alternative path for packets delivery over the network [16] [17].

The improvements in the wireless networking technologies and the integrated electronic circuits have allowed the advancement in the Wireless Body Area Network. WBAN offers many applications in remote health monitoring and medicine. IEEE 802.15.4j and IEEE 802.15.6 are standards for the medical WBAN. It allows the integration of intelligent and miniaturized sensor nodes in or on a human body to monitor the human body functions. It has great potential to make a huge transformation in the future of medical industry. The WBAN concept provides plentiful new innovative ideas to enhance the health care systems. The paper presents a wireless monitoring system for patients who need continuous monitoring, using WBAN concept. This wireless monitoring system contains sensor network and remote monitoring application. It contributes to collection of the vital information of the patients such as temperature, pulse rate, ECG (electrocardiogram), oxygen saturation and blood pressure. Moreover, the system also provides management of information collected from the sensors, alert the administration in severe condition of the patients. The design and implementation of system are discussed in this paper.