Nrf52 BLE Medical Sensor — Biomedical Instrumentation & Clinical Sensing

Abstract — Nrf52 BLE Medical Sensor

Keywords: Bluetooth Low Energy, Computer Aided Learning, Human-Centered Design, Internet of Things, Seamful Design, Ubiquitous Computing, Urban Computing Probably no other technology in the history of mankind has caused such rapid and dramatic changes in our lives and abilities as the computer. During just the last few decades these devices have evolved from machines large as houses, used in a handful of military and research facilities, into relatively small and affordable tools present in nearly every household. Due to continuing erosion of cost and size related constraints of computing technology, mainstream consumers are today beginning to abandon traditional computers in favor of more versatile and lighter devices, such as smartphones. Consequently we are now in the process of leaving the desktop age behind us in order to embrace a more convenient paradigm in the form of mobile and wearable computing. Multiple studies are confirming this by showing that mobile platforms are starting to surpass traditional desktop computers in popularity (e.g. Büsching, Schildt & Wolf, 2012).

Sensor Interfacing & Analog Front-End Conditioning

Today the implications of this development are however beginning to be felt far beyond just the proliferation of mobile devices. The reduced cost and size of computing technology has in turn allowed it to become increasingly ubiquitous. Computational capabilities are no longer exclusive to traditional or mobile computers, but rather being implemented to enhance the functionality of a growing spectrum of tools everywhere around us ranging from self-adjusting runner shoes all the way to fridges capable of downloading and displaying recipes (Kuniavsky, 2010). Moreover, by interconnecting these smart things with each other into larger systems, a whole new range of possible uses is being enabled. Essentially any artifact equipped with an identifier and wireless connectivity can today become a part of this emerging network, sometimes referred to as the Internet of Things or consumption and a resulting short longevity have traditionally been an important limiting factor holding back the process of equipping physical items with such wireless connectivity (Kamath & Lindh, 2012). As the latest generation of Bluetooth standard, aptly called Bluetooth Low Energy (henceforth BLE), is about to make entrance, hopes are high that these limitations might to some extent be addressed. Unlike its Bluetooth predecessor, BLE has a significantly reduced power consumption, with multiple sources claiming that a BLE transmitter can operate continuously for over two years using only a single coin battery (Kamath & Lindh, 2012). In combination with its small size, these factors could very well establish BLE as the dominant technology in the practice of granting physical items wireless connection and building a functioning IoT landscape.

Bio-Signal Waveform Analysis & Simulation Findings

Although in many ways replacing traditional computers, it would be a mistake to think of modern mobile devices simply as smaller and more convenient versions of their desktop counterparts. The development of mobile cameras and sensors, such as QR readers, gyroscopes or radio signal receivers, has granted the contemporary smartphones a substantial degree of context awareness. Whereas traditional desktop computers had to rely predominantly on data contained on their hard drives, our smartphones are increasingly reliant and responsive to information retrieved directly from our physical surroundings. In the emerging IoT landscape, one could thus argue that due to their mobility, context awareness and popularity, mobile devices such as smartphones constitute perhaps the most logical interface facilitating communication between people and these networks of smart objects. With close to 70% of the British population now owning a smartphone (Styles, 2013), it comes as no surprise that software companies are engaged in a fierce competition to produce new and increasingly powerful interaction interfaces drawing full advantage of these emerging technologies. Consequently, not only are software applications becoming increasingly deeply felt in an expanding spectrum of our daily-life activities, beyond just the traditional computer habitats, but we are now also witnessing the emergence of new types of applications opening up previously unavailable ways of interacting with physical spaces.

Scope & Clinical Applications

• Real-time multi-parameter vital signs telemetry (ECG, Heart Rate, SpO2, Temperature, Respiration)
• Low-noise Analog Front-End (AFE) conditioning with active Driven Right Leg (DRL) 50 Hz cancellation
• Digital signal processing in MATLAB: Pan-Tompkins QRS detection, FIR/IIR notch, and Continuous Wavelet Transforms
• Finite element tissue bio-electromagnetics and orthopedic mechanical simulations in COMSOL & ANSYS
• Complete Arduino firmware .INO sketches, circuit schematics, and university dissertation reports