title: Wireless body area network node localization using small-scale spatial information.
abstract: We present a new scheme to automatically identify the locations of wearable sensor nodes in a wireless body area network (WBAN). Instantaneous atmospheric air pressure readings are compared to map nodes in physical space. This enhancement enables unassisted sensor node placement, providing a practical solution to obtain and continuously monitor node locations without anchor nodes or beacons. To validate this localization scheme, a statistical analysis is conducted on a set of air pressure sensors and a prototype WBAN to examine the performance and limitations. Based on a 60 cm separation between nodes, indicative of the expected separation between limbs and placement positions along a patient's body, the measurements consistently exceeded p -value reliability within a 95% confidence interval. We also present and experimentally demonstrate an enhancement aiming to reduce false-positive (Type I) errors in conventional accelerometer-based on-body fall detection schemes. Our statistical analysis has shown that by continuously monitoring the patient's limb positions, the WBAN would be better able to discriminate “fall-like” motions from actual falls.
authors.forename: Geoffrey
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Valenzuela
authors.forename: Victor C M
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Leung
mesh_terms: D061725:Accelerometry; D000058:Accidental Falls; D000399:Air Pressure; D003020:Clothing; D005121:Extremities / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008124:Locomotion / Q000502:physiology; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology; D058998:Remote Sensing Technology / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted