apresentaÇÃo do inesc porto · •oxygen saturation in blood •skin properties (moisture, …)...

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© 2008

OECD Meeting

8-9 June 2009

© 2008 22

Health and Elderly Care

Context

• Aging Population

• Health Costs (Social Security Sustainability)

• Quality of Life

• Home-Treatment and Monitoring

The Concept of

Personal Health Systems

Late 1990s

Incubation of the Awareness of

the Social Challenge

Science and Technology Drive

(Yet in a Mostly Latent Basis)

Involves:

• Sensors (Fundamental Science)


A complex Problem

• Sensor Networks

• Signal Processing

• Communications (Wireless)

• Information Systems

Multidisciplinary Approach

• Powering

© 2008 3

Sensors

Two Types

Physical

• Electrocardiogram (ECG)

• Heart Rate

• Respiratory Rate

• Movement

• Electroencephalogram (EEG)

• Blood Pressure

Biochemical

• Oxygen Saturation in Blood

• Skin Properties (Moisture, …)

• Body Fluid Analytes

(sweat, glucose, lactate, …)

More ComplexSensor Issue

• Sensitivity to a Specific Measurand


.....

(The Sensor Core Detects

a Physical Parameter)

(In general Requires a

Biochemical/Physical

Interface)

.....

• Cross-Sensitivity/Environment

• Telemetry Channel

• Powering

• Signal Processing (Remote/Local)

© 2008 4


Multiple Sensors (Equal/Different)

The Notable Example of the Smart Vest Approach

Wiring (Signal, Powering)

Wiring (Signal, Powering) Can be Shared

Between Different Sensors?Wireless to Each Sensor (?)

What Sensing Technologies?Most of the Developments in this Area

are Based in MEMs/Microelectronics

Evolution to Nanosystems

Electric/Electromechanic

Based Approaches


© 2008 5

The Interesting Case of the Optical Fibre

The Backbone of the Communications Revolution

But Also an Excellent Sensing Element• Phase

• Intensity

• Wavelength

• Polarization

• Wavelength

Several Degrees of Freedom

Optical Fibre Sensing Technology

The Crucial Point:

The Fibre is Simultaneously Sensor and Communication Channel

No Telemetry Channel is Required Intrinsic Potential for Sensor Multiplexing


© 2008 6

Single-point sensor

Multi-point (quasi-distributed) sensorSensing element

Fiber

Multiple sensing pointsDistributed sensor

Continuous sensing element

Hotate et al, Optics Letters,31, 2006

Health and Elderly Care Fibre Optic Sensors

Distributed Measurement

© 2008 7

Optical Source

+

Optoelectronic

Conditioning

Optical

Amplification

11outV

Detection and

Optoelectronics

Processing

11S

12S

1mS

21S

22S

2 mS

1iS

2iS

imS

1nS

2nS

nmS

Agressive

Environment

12outV

imoutV

nmoutV

Circulator

Fibre CouplerFibre Coupler

Fibre Coupler

O ptical F ibre

Electrical W ire

Health and Elderly Care Fibre Optic Sensors

Many Topologies and Addressing Possibilities

Multiplexing of Point Sensors (One or Several Measurands)

• Dense Networking of Sensors

• No Telemetry Channel Limitations • Distance

• Bandwidth

….

Important Points

© 2008 8

Personal Health SystemsOptical Fibre Sensing

Wireless Out-Body Communication

An Almost (?) Ideal Combination

Why Not More Developed?

Optical fibre Sensing

R&D Community Strong Link to the Optical

Communication R&D Community

Deficient Awareness of the Personal

Health Systems Problematic (Community)?


+

The Other Way

Around

© 2008 10

Why are Sensor Networks not Yet Broadly Deployed?

• Recent perception of the future fundamental importance of personal

health systems; somehow, yet in a Latency Stage (the citizens are not yet

fully aware of the relevance of the personal health system concept)

• This “perception” is doing its path in the policy makers channels

• The technical complexity of the problem

Disperse technologies, interdisciplinarity, need of a drive force (like that

present in telecommunications or in the portable computer markets)

There are niches of mature technology in some areas of the Health

Sensing Network Sector (communications, information systems), but

not in others (sensors, networking, powering).


© 2008 11

Deployment (Drivers and Obstacles)

• Market


There is a Perception of a Huge Market – But Not Close By

• Other Actual Political Priorities (?)

• Elderly People Tends to Be “Low-Profile” (?)

• Sensor Networks for Health and Elderly Care is a Recent Possibility

• Technological Constraints

• Security and Regularity Framework

Technically Feasible Nowadays

© 2008 12

Deployment (Drivers and Obstacles)

• Interoperability


A Critical Issue

• Need for Standards at the Sensor and Networking Levels

• Regulation (Standards) for Integration of Information Systems

• Time and Space Availability of Operational Information

• The Need of Political Drive

• At the R&D Level

• At the Regulation Level

• At the Deployment Level (in the First Phases)

apresentaÇÃo do inesc porto · •oxygen saturation in blood •skin properties (moisture, …)...

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