ABSTRACT
Wireless body area network (WBAN) is considered a special-
purpose sensor network designed to collect and transmit physi-
ological data within a short distance. Physiological sensors could
be either implanted or placed external to a human body. A
WBAN will generally operate either as a stand-alone personal area
network (PAN) or as an interconnected network in telemedicine
applications. The network configuration of a WBAN will depend
on medical applications. In a WBAN design, the MAC protocol
plays a very important role, which determines the QoS (Quality of
Service) performance, energy efficiency, and reliability of a network.
This chapter introduces the WBAN architecture, MAC protocols,
and network design techniques for medical applications. The
chapter initially introduces different network topologies followed
by fundamental description of MAC protocols and its classifications,
and then reviews several WBAN-specific MAC protocols. Following
the MAC protocol discussions, the chapter introduces energy
management techniques and patient monitoring design techniques.
Some simulation results of a WBAN are presented to analyze the
performance of a CSMA/CA MAC-based WBAN networks.
