MedLAN: Compact mobile computing system for wireless information access in emergency hospital wards

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.As the need for faster, safer and more efficient healthcare delivery increases, medical consultants seek new ways of implementing a high quality telemedical system, using innovative technology. Until today, teleconsultation (the most common application of Telemedicine) was performed by transferring the patient from the Accidents and Emergency ward, to a specially equipped room, or by moving large and heavy machinery to the place where the patient resided. Both these solutions were unpractical, uneconomical and potentially dangerous. At the same time wireless networks became increasingly useful in point-of-care areas such as hospitals, because of their ease of use, low cost of installation and increased flexibility. This thesis presents an integrated system called MedLAN dedicated for use inside the A&E hospital wards. Its purpose is to wirelessly support high-quality live video, audio, high-resolution still images and networks support from anywhere there is WLAN coverage. It is capable of transmitting all of the above to a consultant residing either inside or outside the hospital, or even to an external place, thorough the use of the Internet. To implement that, it makes use of the existing IEEE 802.11b wireless technology. Initially, this thesis demonstrates that for specific scenarios (such as when using WLANs), DICOM specifications should be adjusted to accommodate for the reduced WLAN bandwidth. Near lossless compression has been used to send still images through the WLANs and the results have been evaluated by a number of consultants to decide whether they retain their diagnostic value. The thesis further suggests improvements on the existing 802.11b protocol. In particular, as the typical hospital environment suffers from heavy RF reflections, it suggests that an alternative method of modulation (OFDM) can be embedded in the 802.11b hardware to reduce the multipath effect, increase the throughput and thus the video quality sent by the MedLAN system. Finally, realising that the trust between a patient and a doctor is fundamental this thesis proposes a series of simple actions aiming at securing the MedLAN system. Additionally, a concrete security system is suggested, that encapsulates the existing WEP security protocol, over IPSec

D21.3 Analysis of initial results at EuWIN@CTTC

Deliverable D21.3 del projecte europeu NEWCOM#The nature of this Deliverable of WP2.1 (“Radio interfaces for next-generation wireless systems”) is mainly descriptive and its purpose is to provide a report on the status of the different Joint Research Activities (JRAs) currently ongoing, some of them being performed on the facilities that are available at EuWInPeer ReviewedPreprin

Enhancing Usability, Security, and Performance in Mobile Computing

We have witnessed the prevalence of smart devices in every aspect of human life. However, the ever-growing smart devices present significant challenges in terms of usability, security, and performance. First, we need to design new interfaces to improve the device usability which has been neglected during the rapid shift from hand-held mobile devices to wearables. Second, we need to protect smart devices with abundant private data against unauthorized users. Last, new applications with compute-intensive tasks demand the integration of emerging mobile backend infrastructure. This dissertation focuses on addressing these challenges. First, we present GlassGesture, a system that improves the usability of Google Glass through a head gesture user interface with gesture recognition and authentication. We accelerate the recognition by employing a novel similarity search scheme, and improve the authentication performance by applying new features of head movements in an ensemble learning method. as a result, GlassGesture achieves 96% gesture recognition accuracy. Furthermore, GlassGesture accepts authorized users in nearly 92% of trials, and rejects attackers in nearly 99% of trials. Next, we investigate the authentication between a smartphone and a paired smartwatch. We design and implement WearLock, a system that utilizes one\u27s smartwatch to unlock one\u27s smartphone via acoustic tones. We build an acoustic modem with sub-channel selection and adaptive modulation, which generates modulated acoustic signals to maximize the unlocking success rate against ambient noise. We leverage the motion similarities of the devices to eliminate unnecessary unlocking. We also offload heavy computation tasks from the smartwatch to the smartphone to shorten response time and save energy. The acoustic modem achieves a low bit error rate (BER) of 8%. Compared to traditional manual personal identification numbers (PINs) entry, WearLock not only automates the unlocking but also speeds it up by at least 18%. Last, we consider low-latency video analytics on mobile devices, leveraging emerging mobile backend infrastructure. We design and implement LAVEA, a system which offloads computation from mobile clients to edge nodes, to accomplish tasks with intensive computation at places closer to users in a timely manner. We formulate an optimization problem for offloading task selection and prioritize offloading requests received at the edge node to minimize the response time. We design and compare various task placement schemes for inter-edge collaboration to further improve the overall response time. Our results show that the client-edge configuration has a speedup ranging from 1.3x to 4x against running solely by the client and 1.2x to 1.7x against the client-cloud configuration

6G Wireless Systems: Vision, Requirements, Challenges, Insights, and Opportunities

Mobile communications have been undergoing a generational change every ten years or so. However, the time difference between the so-called "G's" is also decreasing. While fifth-generation (5G) systems are becoming a commercial reality, there is already significant interest in systems beyond 5G, which we refer to as the sixth-generation (6G) of wireless systems. In contrast to the already published papers on the topic, we take a top-down approach to 6G. We present a holistic discussion of 6G systems beginning with lifestyle and societal changes driving the need for next generation networks. This is followed by a discussion into the technical requirements needed to enable 6G applications, based on which we dissect key challenges, as well as possibilities for practically realizable system solutions across all layers of the Open Systems Interconnection stack. Since many of the 6G applications will need access to an order-of-magnitude more spectrum, utilization of frequencies between 100 GHz and 1 THz becomes of paramount importance. As such, the 6G eco-system will feature a diverse range of frequency bands, ranging from below 6 GHz up to 1 THz. We comprehensively characterize the limitations that must be overcome to realize working systems in these bands; and provide a unique perspective on the physical, as well as higher layer challenges relating to the design of next generation core networks, new modulation and coding methods, novel multiple access techniques, antenna arrays, wave propagation, radio-frequency transceiver design, as well as real-time signal processing. We rigorously discuss the fundamental changes required in the core networks of the future that serves as a major source of latency for time-sensitive applications. While evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of key 6G technologies, we differentiate what may be achievable over the next decade, relative to what is possible.Comment: Accepted for Publication into the Proceedings of the IEEE; 32 pages, 10 figures, 5 table

Effects of errorless learning on the acquisition of velopharyngeal movement control

Session 1pSC - Speech Communication: Cross-Linguistic Studies of Speech Sound Learning of the Languages of Hong Kong (Poster Session)The implicit motor learning literature suggests a benefit for learning if errors are minimized during practice. This study investigated whether the same principle holds for learning velopharyngeal movement control. Normal speaking participants learned to produce hypernasal speech in either an errorless learning condition (in which the possibility for errors was limited) or an errorful learning condition (in which the possibility for errors was not limited). Nasality level of the participants’ speech was measured by nasometer and reflected by nasalance scores (in %). Errorless learners practiced producing hypernasal speech with a threshold nasalance score of 10% at the beginning, which gradually increased to a threshold of 50% at the end. The same set of threshold targets were presented to errorful learners but in a reversed order. Errors were defined by the proportion of speech with a nasalance score below the threshold. The results showed that, relative to errorful learners, errorless learners displayed fewer errors (50.7% vs. 17.7%) and a higher mean nasalance score (31.3% vs. 46.7%) during the acquisition phase. Furthermore, errorless learners outperformed errorful learners in both retention and novel transfer tests. Acknowledgment: Supported by The University of Hong Kong Strategic Research Theme for Sciences of Learning © 2012 Acoustical Society of Americapublished_or_final_versio

MedLAN : compact mobile computing system for wireless information access in emergency hospital wards

As the need for faster, safer and more efficient healthcare delivery increases, medical consultants seek new ways of implementing a high quality telemedical system, using innovative technology. Until today, teleconsultation (the most common application of Telemedicine) was performed by transferring the patient from the Accidents and Emergency ward, to a specially equipped room, or by moving large and heavy machinery to the place where the patient resided. Both these solutions were unpractical, uneconomical and potentially dangerous. At the same time wireless networks became increasingly useful in point-of-care areas such as hospitals, because of their ease of use, low cost of installation and increased flexibility. This thesis presents an integrated system called MedLAN dedicated for use inside the A;E hospital wards. Its purpose is to wirelessly support high-quality live video, audio, high-resolution still images and networks support from anywhere there is WLAN coverage. It is capable of transmitting all of the above to a consultant residing either inside or outside the hospital, or even to an external place, thorough the use of the Internet. To implement that, it makes use of the existing IEEE 802.11b wireless technology. Initially, this thesis demonstrates that for specific scenarios (such as when using WLANs), DICOM specifications should be adjusted to accommodate for the reduced WLAN bandwidth. Near lossless compression has been used to send still images through the WLANs and the results have been evaluated by a number of consultants to decide whether they retain their diagnostic value. The thesis further suggests improvements on the existing 802.11b protocol. In particular, as the typical hospital environment suffers from heavy RF reflections, it suggests that an alternative method of modulation (OFDM) can be embedded in the 802.11b hardware to reduce the multipath effect, increase the throughput and thus the video quality sent by the MedLAN system. Finally, realising that the trust between a patient and a doctor is fundamental this thesis proposes a series of simple actions aiming at securing the MedLAN system. Additionally, a concrete security system is suggested, that encapsulates the existing WEP security protocol, over IPSec.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Investigation of methods for data communication and power delivery through metals

PhD ThesisThe retrieval of data from a sensor, enclosed by a metallic structure, such as a naval vessel, pipeline or nuclear flask is often very challenging. To maintain structural integrity it is not desirable to penetrate the wall of the structure, preventing any hard-wired solution. Furthermore, the conductive nature of the structure prevents the use of radio communications. Applications involving sealed containers also have a requirement for power delivery, as the periodic changing of batteries is not possible. Ultrasound has previously been identified as an attractive approach but there are two key challenges: efficient/reliable ultrasonic transduction and a method of overcoming the inherent multipath distortion resulting from boundary reflections. Previous studies have utilised piezoelectric contact transducers, however, they are impractical due to their reliance on coupling, i.e. the bond between the transducer and the metal surface, which leads to concerns over long term reliability. A non-contact transducer overcomes this key drawback, thus highlighting the electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) as a favourable alternative. This thesis presents the design and testing of an EMAT with appropriate characteristics for through-metal data communications. A low cost, low power data transmission scheme is presented for overcoming acoustic multipath based on pulse position modulation (PPM). Due to the necessary guard time, the data rate is limited to 50kbps. A second solution is presented employing continuous wave, Quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) modulation, allowing data rates in excess of 1Mbps to be achieved. Equalisation is required to avoid intersymbol interference (ISI) and a decision feedback equaliser (DFE) is shown to be adept at mitigating this effect. The relatively low efficiency of an EMAT makes it unsuitable for power delivery, consequently, an alternative non-contact approach, utilising inductive coupling, is explored. Power transfer efficiency of ≈ 4% is shown to be achievable through 20mm thick stainless steel.ICS department of BAE Systems Submarine Solutions, EPSR