Web-Enabled intelligent gateways for eHealth Internet-of-Things

Abstract

The currently unfolding Internet of Things (IoT) technologies will enable health services that have higher quality and lower cost than those available today. However, the large majority of the current IoT research and development expects that the IoT “things” communicate wirelessly, leaving the question of their energy supply and communication reliability more-or-less open. The obvious alternative, wire line, has gained much less attention, perhaps since it is too well known. In this paper, we present an energy-efficient IoT architecture for healthcare applications that leverages clinical and home care scenarios, given their typically fixed, stationary nature, as the mobility of patients is in many cases confined to a room or a building. The architecture is based on intelligent, wired gateways that are power-efficient and low-cost. The gateways link wired/wireless medical sensors and hospital appliances to web services, enabling hospital automation and widespread data collection and aggregation of vital signs in a convenient, and cost-effective approach.