Meera Azad
Independent Researcher
India
Abstract
Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) have emerged as a critical enabler for continuous health monitoring, wearable computing, and human–machine interfaces. This manuscript surveys the principal challenges—such as energy efficiency, channel modeling, security, and interoperability—and examines key applications in medical monitoring, sports performance, and telemedicine. We present illustrative case studies of IEEE 802.15.6 deployments in cardiac monitoring and EEG signal acquisition, identify research gaps in adaptive MAC protocols and lightweight security schemes, and describe a mixed‐method evaluation methodology combining simulation and experimental testbed results. Our findings reveal that while current WBAN platforms meet basic reliability and latency requirements, they struggle with long‐term energy autonomy and robust data privacy. We conclude with recommendations for cross‐layer optimization and standardized security frameworks suitable for the technology landscape up to 2015.
Keywords
Wireless Body Area Networks, IEEE 802.15.6, energy efficiency, security, medical monitoring
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