PARIS, October 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Providing a framework for Body Area Networks (BAN), defining a reliable communication protocol, optimizing BAN technologies and enhancing energy efficiency of network components are the major stakes of ANR BANET (Body Area Networks and Technologies) project, which has gathered 9 French industrial and academic partners. This scientific project has been leaded by CEA-Leti and subsidized by Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR, National Research Agency) for a 30 months period. It aims at defining precise frameworks to design optimised wireless communication systems, both more efficient and miniaturised. These body area networks target a wide applications range, in the consumer electronics, medical and sport fields.

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An aimed application is thus physiological data collection (monitoring) for both medical and sport uses. In sport field, information gathered by on body sensor network will provide better gesture and effort knowledge in order to improve sport equipments. In medical field, studies will also focus on evolution of wireless communication systems for new generation implants (cardiac pacemakers).

Another BANET project aspect is the reduction of power consumption at the lowest, in order to improve usage acceptance and ease, enhance batteries lifetime, reduce nodes size, which could eventually lead to a self-sufficient network thanks to energy recovery techniques.

Defined objectives

BANET project aims at completing essential gaps and shortcomings of the body area network state-of-the-art, by providing:

- a precise knowledge of the wireless BAN propagation channel in a wide set of configurations which includes antenna design aspects ; - a thorough justification of an air interface and MAC protocol choice able to tackle essential requirements in radio link availability, bit rate, power consumption, quality of service ; - a study on coexistence of a BAN network in an environment made of other BAN networks and other wireless systems ; - a study of advantages brought by the coordination of BAN networks and by the use of diversity on the body ;

The BANET project will also take into account the regulatory rules when using radio devices around the body or as implants, which are essential in terms of radio spectrum and biological issues.

Finally, BANET objective is to disseminate the achieved results to the IEEE 802 standardisation body and towards the scientific community.

For more information on BANET project, log on: http://www.banet.fr

BANET project partners - CEA-Leti, a research institute on micro and nano technologies and their applications, particularly in wireless systems, project leader, - Decathlon (Oxylane Group), retailer and industrial company RD lab from the sport sector, - Ela Medical, a company developing implantable defibrillators, pacemakers and systems to treat heart failure, forming a part of Sorin Group. - ENSTA ParisTech, a high level public owned engineering institute, whose Laboratory of Electronics and Computer Engineering investigates radio systems, antennas and channels, - France Télécom-Orange, one of the world leading telecommunication operators, serving more than 170 million customers over the five continents, - CITI, INSA public lab, Lyon University, INRIA partner, expert in protocol study and design for sensor networks, - Movea, a spin-off from CEA-Leti developing human motion measurements micro-systems, - UPEMLV-ESYCOM, research lab working on antennas and channel characterisation, - UPMC-L2E, a research lab focused on electromagnetic simulation in complex media (modelling of implanted devices). Press contacts: Marie Vandermersch, +33-1-64-50-17-16, marie.vandermersch@cea.fr Clément Moulet, +33-4-38-78-03-26, clement.moulet@cea.fr