ABSTRACT
Wireless body area networks (WBANs) differ from other types of wireless networks in some important aspects, related to, for example, dynamics and energy constraints. This chapter focuses on communication of sensor nodes deployed on or in a human body with a particular wireless device on the body to deliver the sensed data. It discusses architectures and protocols for such communication, considering the requirements, constraints, and challenges associated with these networks. Several types of biosensors may be used in a WBAN, based on the application requirements and the conditions of the person wearing the WBAN. Different sensors are likely to have different data sampling rates and precisions. Literature on WBANs describes several medium access control and data propagation protocols for communication within WBANs. The quality of wireless links in WBANs changes due to the movements of the human body. In particular, the link quality between some nodes on the body fluctuates periodically in some postures.
