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Figure 3.10 the 3-D space representing the ‘Six-dimensions’
FONG et al 2011
3.5 Assessments of General Health
A Telemedicine use in healthcare goes beyond medical treat- ment for people with special needs. It also creates public aware-
ness in the healthy lifestyle in their daily lives. Technology is always there to aid our wellbeing and lifestyles. Information
technology fits well in many health evaluation tasks such weight management programs, skin care solutions, calculating
calorie intake and burn out, nutrition monitoring, baby alarm and even automated reminder for medical follow-up etc. Tech-
nological development continues to provide sometime for eve- ryone. Having said that, a conceptual design that makes us go
easy on certain product is much associate with IT and healthcare since good product designs lessen the risk and hazard
of using the product. Through weight management programs, telemedicine helps in the lowering the rate of obesity. The body
weight of the participants in a weight loss programs can be au- tomatically sent to a control centre for progress monitoring and
evaluation. Before concluding, we shall examine the benefits of telemedicine in our daily lives since most of the time we just
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ignore the benefits and existence of telemedicine. A few exam- ples of how telemedicine benefits us is explained below:-
3.5.1 Fitness Monitoring for Jogging
Accelerometers and gyroscopes are usually used for monitoring the movement as over the counter foot-contact pedometers can
only calculate the number of steps taken. According to Bouten 1997 a sampling rate of 18 Hz is enough for sampling human
activities. A complete research was done by Pappas 2004 and Bamberg 2008 by installing Shoe Integrated Gait Sensors into
the insoles of the running shoe complete with electric field sen- sors, resistive band sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes and pi-
ezoelectric sensors as shown in Figure 3.11.
According to Morris 2002 these sensors functions as a foot motion detectors. The data for analysis of the condition of the
user and activity level can be sent by a small transmitter. Une- ven wear on the heel of the sole and improper wearing patterns
can be spotted by this mechanism in order to provide remedy for uncomfortable running. Technology helps us track the dis-
tance and speed of running and reduces uneven wear of our shoes. Telemedicine can also help those who want to lose
weight by jogging. People feel hungry after running because the body metabolism rate increases with exercise. At one point
while jogging for example a kilometer before reaching home, we can turn on a microwave oven to reheat our breakfast by
sending an automatic signal to our smart home control console to make sure it is ready when we return home. Smart home au-
tomation can also activate a coffee brewer in the same. We do not need to do anything after remote or advance pre-
programming through a cell phone, except if manual override is required. Therefore, communication technology can help us
prepare breakfast while jogging. Jogging in the morning is a gentle cardiovascular workout that enhances our blood circula-
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tion, respiration and muscle strengthening. Digestive problems due to hectic work schedules can also be managed by jogging.
Figure 3.11 Schematic of the shoe-integrated gait sensors
FONG et al 2011 While we enjoy the benefit of jogging, technology help us real-
ize the difference quantitatively and stores our progressive rec- ords by recording our daily jogging activity like the distance,
duration, number of steps taken, respiratory and heart beat rates. We can buy a cheap pulse meter which can even be a watch that
can help us monitor our heartbeats while jogging. A report of nutritional information of what we eat during each meal every-
day can be monitored and generated by technology. Thus, the breakfast we take after jogging can be prepared depending on
the number of calories burnt. We can also check our health pro- gress daily and review a list of menu recommended based on
the data obtained for maximum nutritional balance. This can be done by connecting the health monitoring device to a home
desktop. Outdoor running in good weather might be more en- joyable than in a gym, but sometimes exercising in gym can be
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more attractive because there are many types of equipment for whole body workout and it is not affected by changes in weath-
er. Hence, let us look at case study of healthcare monitoring in a gymnasium.
3.5.2 Workout in a Gym
Free WiFi Internet access is available at many gyms now alt- hough physical exercise usually not requires it. Even though, we
rarely surf the Internet during a workout at gym, it can help us to keep track of our exercises. We can also wear small sensors
all over the body during our workout to monitor distinct signs depending on the type of activities. The same technology used
in jogging is used for walking or running on steppers or tread- mills but downloading data can be easier since the wireless in-
ternet service in the gymnasium can support continuous downloading of data, thus, no memory storage is required in the
BAN of sensors and relevant devices. In Figure 3.12 a layout of a gymnasium complete with fitness equipment that are usually
available for example stepper, leverage bench press, exercise bike, seated rowing machine, treadmill, weights rack and ellip-
tical trainers is shown. Even though there are a lot of equip- ment, the technologies that facilitates healthcare evaluation can
be very similar if we sort them depending of their usage. As an example, leverage bench press and weights rack are identical in
nature in terms of health assessment since these kinds of exer- cises uses the upper part of the torso to rise a specific amount of
weights. The purpose of weight lifting is to build muscle. Thus, the results of the effort can be seen by the muscle growth which
can be detected by evaluating the changes in body shape. Sim- ple scanning of the upper body can be made and kept for refer-
ence. The users can compare the changes in their body shape when they return for the next session. Technology can also pro-
vide beginners with instruction on how to handle dumbbells to prevent injury. This can be accomplished by showing images to
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