ABSTRACT
To develop applications based on wireless body area networks
(WBANs), either low-level or high-level programming approaches
can be adopted. Low-level approaches are based on low-level
APIs (application programming interfaces) offered by sensor
platforms, whereas high-level approaches are based on high-level
programming models and frameworks that facilitate programming
and increase productivity. This chapter proposes a high-level
approach based on the agent-oriented programming model to
flexibly design and efficiently implement signal processing in-
node environments supporting WBAN applications. The approach
is exemplified through a case study concerning a real-time human
activity monitoring system, which is developed through two
different agent-based frameworks:MAPS (Mobile Agent Platform for
Sun SPOT) and AFME (Agent Factory Micro Edition). A comparison
of the effectiveness and efficiency of the developed systems is finally
presented.