Subhas Chandra Mukhopadhyay

Wearable Sensors for Human Activity Monitoring: A Review

An increase in world population along with a significant aging portion is forcing rapid rises in healthcare costs. The healthcare system is going through a transformation in which continuous monitoring of inhabitants is possible even without hospitalization. The advancement of sensing technologies, embedded systems, wireless communication technologies, nano technologies, and miniaturization makes it possible to develop smart systems to monitor activities of human beings continuously. Wearable sensors detect abnormal and/or unforeseen situations by monitoring physiological parameters along with other symptoms. Therefore, necessary help can be provided in times of dire need. This paper reviews the latest reported systems on activity monitoring of humans based on wearable sensors and issues to be addressed to tackle the challenges.

Towards the Implementation of IoT for Environmental Condition Monitoring in Homes

In this paper, we have reported an effective implementation for Internet of Things used for monitoring regular domestic conditions by means of low cost ubiquitous sensing system. The description about the integrated network architecture and the interconnecting mechanisms for the reliable measurement of parameters by smart sensors and transmission of data via internet is being presented. The longitudinal learning system was able to provide a self-control mechanism for better operation of the devices in monitoring stage. The framework of the monitoring system is based on a combination of pervasive distributed sensing units, information system for data aggregation, and reasoning and context awareness. Results are encouraging as the reliability of sensing information transmission through the proposed integrated network architecture is 97%. The prototype was tested to generate real-time graphical information rather than a test bed scenario.

Wireless Sensor Network Based Home Monitoring System for Wellness Determination of Elderly

Wireless-sensor-network-based home monitoring system for elderly activity behavior involves functional assessment of daily activities. In this paper, we reported a mechanism for estimation of elderly well-being condition based on usage of house-hold appliances connected through various sensing units. We defined two new wellness functions to determine the status of the elderly on performing essential daily activities. The developed system for monitoring and evaluation of essential daily activities was tested at the homes of four different elderly persons living alone and the results are encouraging in determining wellness of the elderly.

A Zigbee-Based Wearable Physiological Parameters Monitoring System

The design and development of a Zigbee smart noninvasive wearable physiological parameters monitoring device has been developed and reported in this paper. The system can be used to monitor physiological parameters, such as temperature and heart rate, of a human subject. The system consists of an electronic device which is worn on the wrist and finger, by an at-risk person. Using several sensors to measure different vital signs, the person is wirelessly monitored within his own home. An impact sensor has been used to detect falls. The device detects if a person is medically distressed and sends an alarm to a receiver unit that is connected to a computer. This sets off an alarm, allowing help to be provided to the user. The device is battery powered for use outdoors. The device can be easily adapted to monitor athletes and infants. The low cost of the device will help to lower the cost of home monitoring of patients recovering from illness. A prototype of the device has been fabricated and extensively tested with very good results.

Forecasting the behavior of an elderly using wireless sensors data in a smart home

In this paper, the ability to determine the wellness of an elderly living alone in a smart home using a low-cost, robust, flexible and data driven intelligent system is presented. A framework integrating temporal and spatial contextual information for determining the wellness of an elderly has been modeled. A novel behavior detection process based on the observed sensor data in performing essential daily activities has been designed and developed. The developed prototype is used to forecast the behavior and wellness of the elderly by monitoring the daily usages of appliances in a smart home. Wellness models are tested at various elderly houses, and the experimental results are encouraging. The wellness models are updated based on the time series analysis.

WSN-Based Smart Sensors and Actuator for Power Management in Intelligent Buildings

The design and development of a smart monitoring and controlling system for household electrical appliances in real time has been reported in this paper. The system principally monitors electrical parameters of household appliances such as voltage and current and subsequently calculates the power consumed. The novelty of this system is the implementation of the controlling mechanism of appliances in different ways. The developed system is a low-cost and flexible in operation and thus can save electricity expense of the consumers. The prototype has been extensively tested in real-life situations and experimental results are very encouraging.

WSN- and IOT-Based Smart Homes and Their Extension to Smart Buildings

Our research approach is to design and develop reliable, efficient, flexible, economical, real-time and realistic wellness sensor networks for smart home systems. The heterogeneous sensor and actuator nodes based on wireless networking technologies are deployed into the home environment. These nodes generate real-time data related to the object usage and movement inside the home, to forecast the wellness of an individual. Here, wellness stands for how efficiently someone stays fit in the home environment and performs his or her daily routine in order to live a long and healthy life. We initiate the research with the development of the smart home approach and implement it in different home conditions (different houses) to monitor the activity of an inhabitant for wellness detection. Additionally, our research extends the smart home system to smart buildings and models the design issues related to the smart building environment; these design issues are linked with system performance and reliability. This research paper also discusses and illustrates the possible mitigation to handle the ISM band interference and attenuation losses without compromising optimum system performance.

Elder Care Based on Cognitive Sensor Network

The advancement of semiconductor fabrication technology and smart algorithms has allowed us to design and develop intelligent sensors with cognitive ability. Statistics reveal that in recent times the number of elderly people is increasing rapidly around the world and the situation is not going to ease in the foreseeable future. In this paper, we report a novel home monitoring system which is based on cognitive sensor network and is intended for elder-care application. The smart system consists of an optimum number of cognitive wireless sensors which are used to detect usage of electrical devices, bed usage pattern, flow of water, etc., and also incorporates a panic button. The cognitive sensors provide information that can be used for monitoring the elderly by detecting any abnormality pattern in their daily activities around the house. The system will generate and send an early warning message to the care giver, when an unforeseen abnormal condition occurs.

A Novel Planar-Type Biosensor for Noninvasive Meat Inspection

A novel biosensor for inspection of meat in a noninvasive and nondestructive way has been fabricated and developed. The sensor has the planar interdigital structure and the consecutive fingers are connected to positive and negative electrodes, respectively. A novel sensor has been fabricated which provides improved results. The experimental results show the sensors have a great potential to estimate the fat content of meat in a noninvasive and nondestructive way.

Investigation of Printed Wiring Board Testing By Using Planar Coil Type ECT Probe

A new application of eddy current testing techniques for investigating trace defects on printed circuit boards is proposed. A test probe consisting of a meander type exciting coil is used to induce eddy currents. The following three experiments are conducted: measuring the induced signal when a circuit trace is cut; measuring the induced signal for a number of traces placed in parallel and with a cut in the centre trace; measuring the induced signal for two back to back right angle traces. The experimental results reveal that it is possible to clearly detect defects and that the signal response obtained is strongly associated with a particular defect pattern. The signals obtained from a high density patterned board have a complicated signal signature and are therefore difficult to interpret. This complexity can be avoided by comparing the signal signature of a known good board with a defective board. The difference signal gives a clear indication of a trace defect.