Enhancing quality of life with wireless sensor technology

Abstract

A co-operative project involving both industry and academia is designing an innovative Wireless Sensor Network for more effective healthcare of elders. The median age of the world population has shown a steady increase over the last 50 years, mainly due to the reduction of fertility and the 20-year increase in the average life expectancy. These factors, combined with the elevated birth rate observed in many countries during the decades following World War II, have led to a shift in the distribution of the population towards older ages in most regions of the planet. On the other hand, the average lifespan worldwide is expected to increase by 10 years by 2050.