A supplementary Resource to an article titled “Are We Ready for the Internet of Bodies Where Every Pulse Counts.”
According to an IEEE paper, “The Internet of Bodies is an imminent extension to the vast Internet of Things domain, where interconnected devices (e.g., worn, implanted, embedded, swallowed, etc.) located in-on-and-around the human body form a network. Thus, the IoB can enable a myriad of services and applications for a wide range of sectors, including medicine, safety, security, wellness, and entertainment.”
This paper on Springer points out that via the Internet of Bodies, our physical and virtual worlds are blending and shifting. It discusses three areas: our identities diversify as they become hyper-enhanced and multi-sensory; our collaborations are co-created, immersive, and connected; and our innovations are diverse and inclusive. It is proposed that our bodies have finally become the interface.
Starting from the current state, as pointed out in the IEEE article, “Today, creating innovative Internet of Bodies solutions requires manually gathering the needed information from an increasing number of services and personal devices.
Their authors tackle this challenge by presenting a Human Data Model programming framework for combining information from several sources, performing computations over that information to high-level abstractions, and then providing these abstractions to schedule computer-human interactions proactively.
According to this paper on HeinOnline, “the challenges of IoB are not purely legal in nature. The social integration of IoB will also not be seamless. As bits and bodies meld and as human flesh become permanently entwined with hardware.”
Another IEEE paper presents research innovation that addresses advances in this evolving paradigm of the Internet of Bodies and the Internet of Sports. The paper states that “healthcare solutions and augmented monitoring of human mobility overlap with the new concepts of the Internet of Things.”
From an ethical standpoint, this paper titled “From the Internet of Things toward the Internet of Bodies: Ethical and Legal Considerations” highlights that “the proliferation of the Internet of Things makes the grey area of ethics darker and lighter simultaneously, and the law is currently not construed to accompany the steady progression toward the Internet of Bodies. The future demands a balance between divergent interests of appealing technological progress and vital human safety.”
Ethics also relates to ownership and the context. According to this paper, “the Internet of Things is challenging the traditional construct of ownership, and users are progressively losing control over their IoT devices. The Internet of Bodies is the awaiting new normal where human bodies and minds form a connected network pervaded by the Internet. The integrity of human bodies will rely more and more on the Internet.”
This paper asserts that “considering the recent health and economic crisis caused by COVID-19, the IoB can revolutionize today’s public health and safety infrastructure. Nonetheless, reaping the full benefit of IoB is still subject to addressing related risks, concerns, and challenges.”
The paper presents a systematic survey of channel modeling issues for various link types of human body communication channels below 100 MHz, the narrowband channels between 400 MHz and 2.5 GHz, and ultra-wideband (channels from 3 to 10 GHz).
Privacy and security are the biggest issues so far. For example, this paper warns us that the Internet of Bodies exposes us to unprecedented privacy and cybersecurity vulnerability, introducing conflict across regulatory regimes. Thus, societies must open a dialogue to start identifying human value.
From a legal angle, the title of this article poses a compelling inquiry, inviting readers to contemplate the implications of a burgeoning phenomenon. “The ‘Internet of Bodies’ Is Here. Are Courts and Regulators Ready?” succinctly encapsulates the pressing concerns surrounding a network of intelligent devices integrated into or embedded within the human body, prompting many legal and policy considerations.
The paper highlights the delineation in regulatory oversight concerning IoB devices. While the US FDA oversees the safety of medical implants, it generally considers IoB devices focused on promoting healthy lifestyles, like fitness trackers, to be outside its jurisdiction.
Consequently, under the FDA’s current framework, specific IoB devices may not be obligated to adhere to the more rigorous safety standards typically imposed. However, they remain subject to federal product-safety regulations and laws addressing unfair trade practices, akin to other electronic devices on the market.
This paper outlines creating a physiological state monitoring system, which involves equipping athletes with wearable devices and sensors to gather physiological data and track their condition.
These devices transmit physiological signals, including electrocardiogram heart rate and body temperature, through the Internet of Bodies to comprehensively analyze the athletes’ physical status.
In the event of an imminent accident, the system triggers an alarm or warning beforehand, enabling coaches to halt sports training promptly and prevent potential harm to the athletes.
As per this paper, the Internet of Bodies represents the imminent evolution of digitizing the human body on a grand scale, marking the inevitable trajectory of technology today.
Rather than merely connecting devices to the Internet, this concept envisions the integration of human bodies into a network, offering the capability for remote control and monitoring.
These devices can relay information to the user in two distinct manners: discreetly presenting data or interpreting gestures made by the user, facilitating communication between individuals.
In highlighting the life-changing and life-saving potential of IoB, this paper prompts us to envision a future where smart pills transmit information from within our bodies; smart beds monitor our heart rate and breathing patterns, smart clothing senses body temperature to adjust thermostats, and smart toilets facilitate long-term fecal analysis. Additionally, the paper introduces Tamara Banbury, who identifies as a voluntary cyborg, underscoring the evolving relationship between humans and technology in the IoB era.
This recent paper speculates on cybernetic cities in a posthuman era and proposes a design of the Internet of Bodies that interestingly uses the transhumanism concept interchangeably with techno-humanism. The researchers illustrate the experimental results through the lens of probable outcomes as a result of co-opting and co-designing the homogeneous evolution of IoT and IoB in future smart cities.
This position paper, sub-titled The Human Body as an Efficient and Secure Wireless Channel, aims to “provide a glimpse into the opportunities created by implantable, injectable, indigestible, and wearable IoB devices”. It starts with a discussion of application-specific design goals, technical challenges, and enabling of communication standards.
The paper discusses the reason that the highly radiative nature of radio frequency systems results in inefficient systems due to over-extended coverage that causes interference and becomes susceptible to eavesdropping. Body channel communication in the paper presents an attractive, alternative wireless technology by inherently coupling signals to the human body, resulting in highly secure and efficient communications.”
This technical paper highlights that “even though on-body IoB communications are required to occur within very close proximity of the human body, on-body wireless radio frequency IoB devices unnecessarily extend the coverage range beyond the human body due to their radiative nature. This eventually reduces energy efficiency, causes co-existence and interference issues, and exposes sensitive personal data to security threats.”
Related to the Internet of Bodies, another term for IoB is the Internet of Behavior. Unfortunately, upon searching the technical literature, I found only one academic paper about the Internet of behavior. In addition, Gartner mentioned the Internet of Behaviour in the 2021 Technology Trends report as an emerging technology.
According to this paper, “Internet of Behaviour (IoB) aims to discuss how data are better understood and used to construct and promote new products from the viewpoint of human psychology. The IoB can be used in a multitude of ways by public or private entities. This technology will become a compelling new marketing and distribution platform for companies and organizations worldwide.”
Finally, I want to finish the review with the questions of literary critic David Wills in this book: “Where does my body begin? Where does it end? What is inside my body? What is outside? What is primary? What is secondary? What is natural? What is artificial? What is original? What is supplemental?”
Original Source 2021 by Dr Mehmet Yildiz
One of the questions I have been studying to answer is “What is the Value of IoT (The Internet of Things) for Society?”
References:
A Practical Guide for IoT Solution Architects: Architecting secure, agile, economic, highly available, well-performing IoT Ecosystems
IoT Architecture 2.0 For Agile Digital Transformation: A Practical Guide to Designing Secure, Smarter Internet of Things Solutions in the AI Era
IoT (Internet of Things) & Relevant Tech Blogs — The Digitalmehmet Content Ecosystem
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