Why choose
Aachen
for the location of BSN 2007?
Aachen
is already a hub for research into Body Sensor Networks, and we both have a significant professional interest in the subject. Thomas Falck had attended all the prior BSN workshops in
London
(2004, 2005) and
Boston
(2006). We were inspired by the atmosphere and high-level of work presented, and wanted to hold the workshop in
Aachen
, with an eye towards inspiring future work in the field locally. There is a strong history of relevant technical research in the region. Investigating and investing in personal healthcare technology is a very big issue for future biomedical research, given the increasing numbers of elderly populations in
Europe
, and meeting the healthcare requirements of older patients, with limited resources.
What did you both feel were the key areas of interest in 2007?
All areas presented high quality work. There are so many aspects to be considered that it’s impossible to pinpoint just one area! Some of the more novel approaches, such as the presentation given by Bob Peurs from K.U. Leuven on swallowable capsules for internal monitoring, stimulated a lot of enthusiasm. There has been remarkable progress in all fields over the last 4 years. Fuel and power scavenging techniques are yielding great promise for further BSN research. One of the main strengths of the BSN workshop is in showcasing many different areas of work such as communication, sensor distribution, and in-vitro and in-vivo sensors. Integrating sensors with textiles has come a long way in the last few years. In addition, communications via body tissue is stimulating a lot of research interest.
Where are the key challenges that still remain largely unaddressed? Certainly in the area of standards, like the work being done by Continua Alliance and other similar groups. Whilst most of these initiatives are relatively new, they are addressing very important questions, the outcomes of which will have an affect on bringing technologies to market and to a much wider usership outside the academic and research communities.
Which areas of BSN research seem to show the greatest progress? Activity classification and monitoring is showing great strength in terms of validated methods and technologies. Not much has changed in terms of monitoring ECG over the past year, but this is a very prevalent area of research, taken on by numerous research institutes, medical device manufacturers and SMEs. There has been a definite improvement in the range of techniques investigating body channel communications, but more research is required into chip-sets and approval in this application (e.g. Zimmerman dissertation 1995 – proposed an alternative technique to using wireless along with wearables – e.g. using fabrics and wearables to provide communication channels)
Any lasting impressions from BSN 2007?
There is definitely a sense that this is not only an established workshop, but part of a growing research community. It is encouraging to see that the workshop is attracting more industrial attention, and is providing industry AND researchers with a more holistic view in terms of progress and future work into BSNs.
What does the future hold for BSN Workshops?
Despite the strength of the workshop, we wouldn’t it to be ‘absorbed’ into any larger conferences. The level of focus is currently very good and we wouldn’t want to detract from that by diluting with other areas of work, which may be relevant, but could distract from the work that is being done specifically into BSN research. It will be interesting to see the results of some of the projects that were just starting at the first and second BSN workshops, as these close and see what progress has been made, lessons learned etc. In terms of future forecasts for BSN and healthcare, more business models need to be developed for these kinds of technologies. This is a very important area that is lacking at the moment, as we can only make estimates in terms of impact and cost-saving. Future BSN workshops should try to encourage the attendance of more insurers and stakeholders, so they get a better feel for the research that is being done and can bring their experiences to the table. |