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SPW-1: A Low-Maintenance Wearable Activity Tracker for Residential Monitoring and Healthcare Applications

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eHealth 360°

Abstract

In this paper, we present SPW-1; a low-profile versatile wearable activity tracker that employs two ultra-low-power accelerometers and relies on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) for wireless communication. Aiming for a low maintenance system, SPW-1 is able to offer a battery lifetime of multiple months. Measurements on its wireless performance in a real residential environment with thick brick walls, demonstrate that SPW-1 can fully cover a room and - in most cases - the adjacent room, as well. SPW-1 is a research platform that is aimed to be used both as a data collecting tool for health-oriented studies outside the laboratory, but also for research on wearable technologies and body-centric communications. As a result, SPW-1 incorporates versatile features, such as external sensor support, various powering options, and accelerometer configuration options that can support a wide range applications from kinematics to long-term activity recognition.

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Acknowledgment

This work was performed under the SPHERE (a Sensor Platform for Healthcare in a Residential Environment) IRC funded by EPSRC, Grant EP/K031910/1. We would also like to thank Altium Ltd and Premier EDA Solutions Ltd for sponsoring Altium Designer licenses, and Simtek EMS Ltd for partially sponsoring and performing PCB and prototype production services.

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Correspondence to Xenofon Fafoutis .

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© 2017 ICST Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering

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Fafoutis, X. et al. (2017). SPW-1: A Low-Maintenance Wearable Activity Tracker for Residential Monitoring and Healthcare Applications. In: Giokas, K., Bokor, L., Hopfgartner, F. (eds) eHealth 360°. Lecture Notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering, vol 181. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49655-9_37

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49655-9_37

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