Send Critical Health Sensing Data to Your Mobile Phone
October 6, 2010 by Randy Frank
Filed under Featured, Mobile, Wireless
Imec and Holst Centre, together with TASS software professionals have developed a mobile heart monitoring system that allows electrocardiogram data to be displayed on an Android mobile phone. Wireless sensor nodes that continuously monitor physical and vital parameters comprise a Body Area Networks (BAN). Getting the processed sensor data in such health measurements as cardiac performance (ECG), brain activity (EEG), muscle activity (EMG), and more requires a low-power interface that transmits signals from a wireless ECG (electrocardiogram or heart monitoring)-sensor system to the mobile phone.
The newly-developed low-power interface wirelessly transmits bio-signals retrieved by imec and Holst Centre’s Human++ BAN sensor nodes to an Android mobile phone where the data are collected, stored, processed, and sent over the internet to make them available for authorized users such as a physician. The interface is based on a standard Secure Digital Input Output (SDIO) interface on Android mobile phones to avoid disclosing personal heath data. Additional available sensor data includes GPS to track user location.
For more information about the mobile heart monitoring system, click here.
To see a video of the system in action, click here.
Wireless Sensor Checks Temperature Of Your BBQ Meats
May 6, 2010 by admin
Filed under Featured, Temperature
The NI Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) platform gave BMF Cooks another tool in the BBQ pit when they went to competition at the 2010 Austin Rodeo. By monitoring the temperature of the various meats as they cooked in addition to providing temperature gradient information inside the pits, NI WSN measurement nodes enabled the cooks to supply rodeogoers with delicious, perfectly-cooked BBQ that was worthy of second place in the 29th annual Austin Rodeo BBQ competition.
BMF Cooks is a collection of NI Employees that have turned their love of BBQ into a non-profit organization benefiting an Austin-based youth scholarship fund. This is their 5th year competing at the Austin rodeo, and their highest finish so far in the competition.
The LabVIEW-powered application used a combination of WSN-3212 thermocouple measurement nodes and WSN-3291 outdoor enclosures to monitor eight temperature channels on each of the two BBQ pits. A conveniently-placed computer monitor allowed hungry patrons to view cooking temperatures and pit temperatures while they were served their dishes. The newly-released NI 9792 Programmable WSN Gateway used an integrated web server to publish the temperature data to the web, so that patrons could monitor the status of the meats on their smart phones while roaming the fairgrounds, alerting them when the freshest round of BBQ was ready to be served.
Wireless Sensor Network Platform has Graphical Programming
National Instruments (UK) has announced the NI wireless sensor network (WSN) platform, a complete remote monitoring solution that consists of NI LabVIEW graphical programming software and new reliable, low-power wireless measurement nodes. The adoption of wireless technology for remote monitoring applications is growing, yet engineers and scientists struggle to find an integrated solution that can provide the
required measurement quality, power management and reliable hardware for longterm, remote deployments. The NI WSN platform takes advantage of more than 30 years of NI data acquisition system leadership to deliver an easy-to-use solution that provides high-quality measurement data, the flexibility to manage power consumption and the ability to customise wireless hardware for added functionality. A key differentiator of the platform is LabVIEW software, which integrates seamlessly with the new battery powered, industrial-rated NI WSN measurement nodes that can be deployed in rugged conditions for long periods of time.
Engineers and scientists worldwide are adopting wireless technology to meet distributed and portable measurement applications challenges, such as structural health and environmental monitoring, where wiring is
difficult or cost-prohibitive. With the flexibility of LabVIEW, the NI WSN platform simplifies and accelerates the development of these applications by delivering a drag-and-drop programming environment for configuring
wireless systems, extracting measurements, performing analysis and presenting data. LabVIEW also offers native Web connectivity for remote interaction with wireless systems.
