Using near field communication technology to achieve near-zero-configuration of sensors

Numerous companies and educational institutions have begun research into pervasive healthcare systems to address the growing need for caretaking and out-of-hospital monitoring. These systems allow for automatic and distributed monitoring of patients, but inherently require installation and maintenance configuration of the sensor network and communication platform. To avoid burdening caretaking staff and relatives with installing and configuring system software and hardware, a research project at the Engineering College of Aarhus, Pervasive Healthcare lab, has been trying to achieve a zero-configuration solution, removing most handling while at the users home. Achieving a true zero-configuration strategy has proven hard to implement especially with regards to the coupling of the individual wireless sensors to a specific patient. This paper describes a prototype solution designed to overcome these problems using near field communication technology, which appears to be a promising solution.