Traineeship Longer lifetime of a body area network
At imec, System Integration
(Traineeship, MSc student 6-9 months)
Body sensors can be used to monitor a great deal of body functions. Examples are body acceleration, EMG, ECG, EEG, respiration, SpO2. Currently many of these sensors are bulky, power hungry and need cables to transport the measured sensor data towards a processing station. If monitoring for a longer period of time is needed or wanted wireless small sensors with a long lifetime are key.
In the Holst Centre we are working towards miniaturization and power reduction of sensor systems with the vision to create body sensors which can act completely autonomous. The developed sensors could be used in a wide range of applications that benefit from continuous monitoring. Some examples which require continuous monitoring of a patient include epileptic seizures, heart rhythmic disturbances, sleep apnea or revalidation.
A key issue is power optimization of the sensor node. Traditionally all processing is done at the more resource rich gateway, which can be a PC or PDA. This however means that a lot of data has to be communicated from the sensor node to the gateway. In order to have autonomous functioning of a body area network for the longest period of time possible it is important to understand the trade-offs between local processing with less communication to the gateway.
Assignment
The assignment is to create a Matlab simulator where the trade-off between local processing versus processing on the gateway can be investigated. The simulator should be component-based in such a way that different communication schemes, microcontrollers, DSPs and processing algorithms can be tried and tested giving an approximated overall power consumption estimate.
Candidate background
The ideal candidate has experience in Matlab and a basic understanding of low power communication standards and bio-medical signal processing. The main location to execute the assignment can be either at the TU/e or in the Holst building at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven, depending on the student’s preference.
For all inquiries, please contact:
Ms Sandra Maas, Management Assistant Human Resources.
Telephone number: +31 (0)40 40 20 500.
Application form