Evaluating Bluetooth Radio for Physiological Monitoring

Abstract: Globally, population numbers are growing, and the lifespan of the elderly is increasing. Therefore, this phenomenon requires that society commit more money, facilities, and staff for health care. The Internet of Things (IoT) can be employed to cover the financial shortfall in healthcare resources by using sensors for remote health monitoring such as the Shimmer device. The Shimmer physiological sensor is a Bluetooth-enabled radio device designed and used for monitoring various human health conditions. Using a sufficient number of the Shimmer devices with proper sampling rate can affect the provision of health and related information in realtime. Moreover, this type of sensor can sometimes be attached to the human body, which can create an inference between the sensors and the human body. The high-noise environment may also impact the sensor. This thesis reviews and analyses several scenarios in which Shimmer devices can be used by medical practitioners to offer reliable physiological measurements, such as ECG and movement. This study found that the Shimmers device can provide reliable data by using a specific configuration when the maximum number of sensors participate in a piconet network.