SECTION TITLE
INSTRUMENTATION • ELECTRONICS
asset tracking, sensors for environment monitoring, such as temperature and C0₂, and to monitor hospital refrigerators such as those used to store medication. In addition, the mesh network accommodates devices for lighting control and indoor navigation.
TRACKING
Te initial focus at Dutch hospital was for tracking hospital equipment. Beds, incubators and infusion pumps are among the many items that go missing, even in the best-run hospitals. Locating lost gear is a drain on staff time, distracting from the central task of patient care. IoT track/trace modules can be attached to anything. Location data can also be used for stock control, for example alerting staff when stocks are low. Sensors can alert staff to things such as the need for towel replenishment in washrooms, or liquid spilled on the floor. By using the mesh network an unlimited amount of assets can be added or removed without network maintenance. Asset tags simply reroute the information. In addition, there is the option to use historical data to further optimise the flow of assets. Heatmap apps enable visualisation of congestion points, alerting to problem areas such as hallways.
SMART LIGHTING AND SWITCHES Light is an important aspect in patient wellbeing and staff productivity, as well as responsible energy consumption. Te
Indoor navigation
IoT solution encompasses a connected, intelligent lighting system that combines low-latency operation for light control with the high data rate network to capture data from various sensors. Sensors capture key data about their surroundings, such as occupancy, motion and air quality. Tey can last for years within this network thanks to the ultra-low power mode of connected devices. At the hospital, smart LED lighting
fixtures act as anchor nodes in the mesh network, through which the battery- powered mobile tags communicate their positions. Tis solution proved no more expensive than a normal LED lighting upgrade. Being mains-powered, the
lighting provides a very low latency network that makes it simple to extend the scope of IoT applications running on it. By integrating energy-harvesting
wireless switches, the energy produced by pressing the button is enough to make switch the light or make a call for assistance, a bed or any other function. As a bonus, the lighting offers extra functionality such as daylight compensation, smart grouping and lighting plans based on presence or personal preferences. Presence sensors provide occupancy data, enabling further efficiency savings.
INDOOR NAVIGATION Guiding patients and staff is another significant challenge in large hospitals such as the Dutch children’s hospital. Navigation and wayfinding are currently offered through photo-based wayfinding. However, including beacons in the IoT mesh enables nodes to transmit standard Bluetooth beacon messages to indoor mapping and navigation apps. Te mobile application gives users accurate positioning in real-time on their mobile phone, along with wayfinding and turn-by-turn navigation. For the hospital, this is just the start of the journey.
Apparatus with tag 44
www.engineerlive.com
Dennis van Doorn is with Fujitsu.
www.fujitsu.com
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