International Journal of Advancements in Research & Technology, Volume 2, Issue4, April‐2013 322 ISSN 2278‐7763 Wireless sensor networks to monitor Glucose level in blood
Author Name: Dr .S. Padmapriya (Guide) (per 1st) Affiliation ,
Authors Name/s 1.V.Abhishek Chowdary ,2.V.S.Dinesh (per 2nd) Affiliation
1
(1st Affiliation) HOD-Information Technology,Prathyusha Institute Of Technology And Management,Thiruvallur,Tamil Nadu,INDIA;
(2nd Affiliation)Students of Information Technology,Prathyusha Institute Of Technology And Management,Thiruvallur,Tamil Nadu,INDIA;
2
Email: padmapriya.sha@gmail.com, abi18152@gmail.com, dineshvs10192@gmail.com .
ABSTRACT
With advancements in Sensor Technology, the Wireless Sensor networks (WAN) offer attractive solutions to many problems in process
monitoring systems. The WSN has abundant applications in continuous or discrete monitoring systems irrespective of the field. The Biocompatible wearable sensors allow vast amounts of data to be collected and mined for clinical trials, reducing the cost and inconvenience of
regular visits to the physician. Implying this concept, our project is used to track diabetes using a wireless sensor network as an implant to
continuously monitor the patient’s blood glucose level. The sensor implanted in the body identifies the level of glucose in blood. The level
thus measured needs to be monitored.
The most conveniently used method to monitor the implant would be to use a detector to telemeter the collected sugar concentration to an
external receiver. In the case of our project, we aim to replace the detector by transmitting the monitored data as a message to the patient’s
cell phone itself. This is a simple and an efficient way to make the process less strain full for the patient and also relatively cheaper.
Thus the sensor can effectively monitor the glucose level and can also send a notification message to the patient, thereby reducing the need of
tedious physical processes by the use of smart futuristic technology.
Keywords: Diabetic, Tissue Layer, Wireless sensor, Electromagnetic Frequency, TransImpedance Amplifier, Reactive Electrode Introduction:


Advances in wireless sensor networking have
opened up new opportunities in healthcare systems. The future will
see the integration of the abundance of existing specialized medical
technology with pervasive, wireless networks. They will co-exist
with the installed infrastructure, augmenting data collection and
real-time response. Unobtrusive, wearable sensors will allow vast
amounts of data to be collected and mined for next-generation
clinical trials. Data will be collected and reported automatically,
reducing the cost and inconvenience of regular visits to the
physician.
Therefore, many more study participants may be enrolled, benefiting
biological, pharmaceutical, and medical-applications research.
The aim of our project is to monitor one of the most widespread
diseases, the diabetes using a wireless sensor network as an implant
to continuously monitor the patient’s blood sugar level and update it
as a message to the patient’s cell phone.
Customary diabetic testing:Control and outcomes of both types 1
and 2 diabetes may be improved by patients using home glucose
meters to regularly measure their glucose levels. Glucose monitoring
is both expensive (largely due to the cost of the consumable test
strips) and requires significant commitment on the part of the patient.
The effort and expense may be worthwhile for patients when they
use the values to sensibly adjust food, exercise, and oral medications
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or insulin. These adjustments are generally made by the patients
themselves following training by a clinician.
Regular blood testing, especially in type 1 diabetes, is
helpful to keep adequate control of glucose levels and to reduce the
chance of long term side effects of the disease. There are many (at
least 20+) different types of blood monitoring devices available on
the market today; not every meter suits all patients and it is a specific
matter of choice for the patient, in consultation with a physician or
other experienced professional, to find a meter that they personally
find comfortable to use. [1]The principle of the devices is virtually
the same: a small blood sample is collected and measured. In one
type of meter, the electrochemical, a small blood sample is produced
by the patient using a lancet (a sterile pointed needle). The blood
droplet is usually collected at the bottom of a test strip, while the
other end is inserted in the glucose meter. This test strip contains
various chemicals so that when the blood is applied, a small
electrical charge is created between two contacts. This charge will
vary depending on the glucose levels within the blood. In older
glucose meters, the drop of blood is placed on top of a strip.[1-2] A
chemical reaction occurs and the strip changes color. The meter then
measures the color of the strip optically.
International Journal of Advancements in Research & Technology, Volume 2, Issue4, April‐2013 323 ISSN 2278‐7763 Fig.1: Customary glucose level measurement using test strips

A Wireless implanted glucose monitoring sensor:
As a replacement to the conventional diabetic testing, new
techniques for monitoring blood glucose levels, includes an


implantable glucose sensor. The analog output current is proportional
to the glucose concentration of the body fluid electrolyte and is
therefore directly indicative of the blood glucose level.
On the whole, the glucose monitoring system is divided
into two units:

The Sensor unit which consists of the
components that are responsible for measuring the blood glucose
level and generating corresponding analog signals.

The Transmitting unit which has the components
for converting the received analog signals into digital data and
transmitting them to a base station attached to the patient’s cell
phone.
 Sensor unit:

Structure of the sensor:The glucose monitoring sensor has a
sensing system- glucose dependent oxygen measuring sensors and
base level oxygen measuring sensor. These sensors are arranged on
an alumina disc. The sensor unit includes a titanium encased battery
and microprocessor, a silicone-sheathed platinum electrode, and a
glucose oxidase enzyme system enclosed in a semi permeable
cellulose acetate membrane. [3][6]This unit is placed inside a
container of dimensions 1.3 X 0.6 inches. Biocompatible Titanium,
being inert to human fluid, is used as material for the container. This
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sensor unit is implanted in the subcutaneous tissue layer of the body,
with the sensor surface facing inwards.
Working Principle of the sensor: EQUATIONS
When a sensor is implanted in the body, the foreign body invasion
doesn’t go unnoticed. The environment around the sensor changes
after initial implantation of the sensor. The body remodels the cells
and moves the blood vessels around the device. The sensor relies on
the chemical reaction in which glucose, oxygen, and water, when
exposed to an enzyme that catalyzes (speeds up) the reaction, are
recomposed into gluconic acid
C6H12O6 + H2O+ O2
C6H12O7 + H2O2
(Glucose)
(Gluconic acid)
The sensors focus on the amount of oxygen consumed for
the chemical reaction. The hydrogen peroxide produced in the above
reaction breaks down into oxygen atom and water.
1/2
H2O2
O2 + H2O
Therefore the net reaction can be given as:
gluconic acid
Glucose + 1/2O2
Here, two glucose oxidase enzymes with platinum
electrodes are employed to act as catalysts – one to speed up the
reaction of glucose with oxygen and the other to speed up the
breaking down of hydrogen peroxide into oxygen and water. [3]The
enzyme electrodes are covered with a semi permeable cellulose
acetate membrane to prevent its reaction with unwanted molecules of
the body fluid. Now, any oxygen that is left over is measured.
Intern
national Journal o
of Advancementss in Research & T
Technology, Volu
ume 2, Issue4, Ap
pril‐2013 324 ISSN 22278‐7763 Fig.22: Overall sttructure of Glucose
G
Bio
osensor
Fig.3:
F
2 Dim
mensional str
tructure of th
he sensing unit
[3]Thhe above diagraam shows a 2 dimensional
d
im
mage of the oxy
ygen
sensor unit. The coree of the sensing unit is the oxyg
gen sensor.
The sensor has a processo
or that would provide the ratio
o of
b
glucose. But there can be
b variation in the
left ovver oxygen to blood
levelss of oxygen produced due to various factors
f
like bo
ody
tempeerature, lack off sleep, inadeq
quate food intak
ke, remodeling
g of
surrouunding tissue, etc.
e To overcom
me that, the mon
nitoring sensor has
another sensor attach
hed to it which
h keeps track of
o the base oxy
ygen
level in the implanteed area. The chaange in the base levels of oxy
ygen
can be subtracted ou
ut of the changee in levels of ox
xygen found in the
glucose-dependent reaction,
r
and on
nly the changee in oxygen lev
vels

that iss unique to the glucose-depend
dent reaction is used to determ
mine
how m
much the levels of glucose hav
ve changed.

So, whenev
ver there is a ch
hange in the oxy
ygen levels, it will
w
be reeflected in the measurement of both the sensors.
s
Thus the

implaant is successfullly able to deterrmine the amoun
nt of sugar leveel in
bloodd without any ph
hysical strain to
o the patient.


Tran
nsmitting Unit:
U
The mo
ost conveniently
y used method
d to

monittor the implantt would be to use a detectorr to telemeter the
colleccted sugar conceentration to an external
e
receiveer.

[4][6]In the case of our project, we aim to replace the
detecttor by the patieent’s cell phon
ne itself. This is a simple and
d an
efficieent way to maake the processs less tedious and
a also relativ
vely

cheapper considering the money aspeect.
Practical Impllementation: This is made practical by
attachhing an integratted base station
n to the user’s cell phone. [6]For
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S
wireless communicatioon inside the huuman body, thee tissue medium
m
a
acts as a channel thhrough which the informatiion is sent as
magnetic (EM) rradio frequencyy (RF). [4-5]So,, the information
n
electrom
is transsmitted as eleectromagnetic (EM) radio ffrequency (RF
F)
waves.T
The MICS bannd (Medical im
mplant communnication service
band) rranging betweeen 400 MHz and 406 MHz, meant fo
or
communnication in meddical implants is allocated fo
for data transfe
er
betweenn the glucose ssensor and the base station.T
The transmission
n
unit of thhe glucose senssor has the folloowing componeents:
[4][5][6]]Flash memoryy of 8 kb to sttore abnormallyy high and low
w
values too notify the user under such coondition.
EEPROM
M of 64 kB to sstore the measuured value till traansmission.
Real tim
me clock.
A transs impedance amplifier thatt converts thee current from
m
electrodees into voltage and conditions the signal.
8 bit A
ADC(analog to digital converrtor) that convverts the analog
signals ffrom the ampliffier into digital ssignal.
8 bit DA
AC (digital to analog converttor) that conveerts the received
digital siignals into anallog signal.
Operatioonal amplifier LM611 actinng as a com
mparator whose
referenc e voltages are preset dependinng on the abnoormally low and
high valuues.
An integgrated antenna to transmit siggnals at radio ffrequencies. The
MICS b and, having a ffrequency rangge of 401 MHz to 406 MHz, is
i
allocatedd for data transffer between thee base station.
Intern
national Journal o
of Advancementss in Research & T
Technology, Volu
ume 2, Issue4, Ap
pril‐2013 325 ISSN 22278‐7763 Fig.4: Scheematic diagrram of Microocontroller
The Transceiv
ver is chosen k
keeping in min
nd the followin
ng factors: size
requirement, impedance matching b
between the sending and
d
d, low power consumption..[5] [6]The transmission and
d
receiving end
reception inv olves radio frrequency rang
ge. An approp
priate software
hich allows the
application iss installed in tthe user’s smart phone wh
received data to be sent as a notification tto the cell pho
one.
The eentire represen
ntation of the system
s
can be expressed by the followingg diagram:
Conclusion: Thus, our approachh monitors the blood
b
glucose leevel
continnuously and seend message ov
ver period by using a real tiime
clock. This approaach also notifiies when the glucose levell is
abnorrmally low orr high. This technology prrovides affordaable
solutionss for continuoous glucose moonitoring. The sensor implan
nt
keeps thhe diabetic updaated with the bllood glucose leevel and reduce
es
the burdden of frequent vvisit to the physsician.
Refeerences:
[1]:Guang-Zhong Yaang, Body Senssor Networks, London:
L
Springeer 2006
Guang-Zhong Yang,
Y
Body Senssor Networks, London:
L
Spring
ger 2006 for cheemical reaction onGlucoseDeteection
[2]: G
[3]:H. Baldus, K. Klabunde and G. Müsch, Reliablle Set-Up of Meedical Body-Sennsor Networks,, New York: Sppringer-Verlag
[4]:L. Gu and J. Sta
ankovic, t‐kern
nel: Providing Reliable OS Su
upport to Wirreless Sensor N
Networks n and Multidisciiplinary Aspectts of Wireless S
Sensor Networks, New York: S
Springer 2011
[5]:LiiljanaGavrilovska, Application
[6]:D
David D Cunningham, C
Julia A. Stenken, In
n vivo glu
ucose sensin
ng, Hoboken
n, N.J. : Wiley 2010
0. Wireless Sensor Network Prot
N
ocols. Mark A. A Perillo and
d Wendi B. H
Heinzelman. D
Department o
of Electrical aand Compute
er Engin
neering. Univeersity of Rocheester ... Copy
yright © 2013 SciResPub.
S
International Journal of Advancements in Research & Technology, Volume 2, Issue4, April‐2013 326 ISSN 2278‐7763 AUTHOR’S Guide: Dr. S. Padmapriya Mrs.S.Padma Priya received her BE (Electronics and Communication ) from Madras University in
the year 1991. and M.Tech (Information Technology ) from Punjab University and M.E.(Embeded
Systems) from Anna University, and Ph.d (Computer Science) from Berhampur University . She
has been the member for evaluation committee for projects and served has Resource coordinator
for Bharathdasan University and IGNOU. She has published papers in many national level
conferences on Embedded systems. She is now presently Heading over the Information Technology
Department in Prathyusha Institute of Technology and Management .
Students:
1:V.Abhishek Chowdary: I am undergoing my B-Tech (III Year)of Information Technology
Technology and Management
in Prathyusha Institute of
2:V.S.Dinesh: I am undergoing my B-Tech (III Year)of Information Technology in Prathyusha Institute of Technology and
Management
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