1. Introduction

Wearable devices have embedded sensors which acquire the data for which they were built. This data are then pushed to its integrated processor. The processor analyzes this data and accordingly launches commands, actuators or activates other sensors to collect more data or execute tasks according to predefined scenarios and processes. To promote device standardization and quick adaptation to a wide variety of goals and purposes, we propose a three-layer architecture: the common layer, the domain layer and the special-purpose layer. The basic layer contains common elements required for any wearable device: motherboard, power supply, processor, operating system, communication ports, a grid of sockets and adapters for sensors plugin and software applications.

With the emergence of growth in various technologies, it is predicted that soon about 50 billion new devices will be added world-wide. This raises two major issues: a huge amount of data and heterogeneous devices with severe integration issues. These concerns remain when referring to wearable technology. Typical wearable body sensor networks consist of tiny, smart, low-power and self-organized sensors to observe physiological signals of a human body. Standardization, compliance, effective coexistence and interoperability among multiple technologies are required to ensure end-to-end network routing and connectivity among wearables and external devices. M. Alam et al. [4] review multi-standard and multiple technologies based wearable wireless for inter-device communication. Coexistence and inter-operability are challenges discussed along with utilization of possible technologies for on-body, body-to-body and off-body communications. It explores several schemes to ensure effective coexist among multiple technologies and issues related to interoperability.

multiple sensor types: heart rate, body temperature, pulse oximetry, blood glucose level of different types, the number of sensors may change to capture the signals required to compute a single parameter. In some cases, it may require placing the sensors is specific locations, for example, electrocardiography for recording the electrical activity of the heart where the sensors are placed in three locations on the body. In addition, sensors should be easy for attachment and removal, or for plugging and playing, as sensors may be used at different times and changing requirements. In most cases, parallel processing is required. For example, a pilot during a flight-simulation wants to analyze his overall body reaction during the simulation action. This requires placement of several sensor types, changing locations and types during the simulation. Practically, sensors should be low cost, lightweight, adaptable to the wearer body, distributed power supply and data com-

The concept of packaging and fabrication technologies has been widely used and

M. Alam and Ben Hamida [6] propose a generic paradigm, which can serve as a platform for many existing and future applications, such as healthcare, disaster recovery, people safety and more. The key advantage is its wearable Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) capabilities, enabling remote and ad hoc deployment of networks. Envisioned applications in this context, range from the popular medical field, continue with entertainment, lifestyle, gaming and ambient intelligence. Applications, such as disaster recovery, rescue, safety, wearable technology can also play a role to protect critical and valuable assets. The network is designed in such a way that the coordinating device communicates with implanted and on-body

keeps improving with new various materials [5]. These developments enable embedding sensors, such as gyroscopes, accelerometers, camera, motion sensing, physiological and biochemical sensing, into a rigid and flexible platform, adding capabilities to wearable devices. Mobile devices have been integrated with wireless communication technology. The constant growth of broadband wireless networks opens a new era for wearable devices and sensors to continuously monitor the

munication among sensors and processes in the wearable network.

Wearable Devices and their Implementation in Various Domains

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.86066

2.2 The generic paradigm for connecting wearables

health of patients remotely.

Figure 1.

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The generic paradigm.

In this chapter, we describe the architecture and its operation in several domains, one implementation per domain. Lauren Kolodzey et al. [1] reviewed 614 articles aiming to provide an objective overview of the literature about the use of wearable technology in clinical and simulated surgery. They found that applications of wearable technology mainly focused on improving the safety and efficiency of intraoperative processes. The associated applications were wide-ranging and designed for use by a variety of care providers, thereby reflecting the interconnected relationship between intraoperative safety and the entire healthcare team. It suggests that wearable devices resolve certain human factors that negatively influence performance and safety in the operating room. For example, a display of patient variables to mitigate conflicts associated with patient care tasks and the distracting operative environment. It recommended the use of a variety of wearable devices, such as special glass for its lightweight construction, user-friendly interface and potentially for hands-free control, special camera for capturing precise anatomical details.

The rest of this chapter is composed as follows. In Section 2, we describe the platform and technology components used for developing and implementing wearable-based systems. In Section 3, we outline wearables in the healthcare domain, which is the most advanced domain and with the highest number of production implementations. In Section 4, we review several wearable implementations in several domains, such as agriculture, cconstruction and others. In Section 5, we describe in detail our original implementation of a wearable-based system assisting visually impaired people in safety walking through and avoiding obstacles. At Section 6, we conclude and outline potential directions for further advancements in this subject.
