A Quantitative Analysis of Physical Security and Path Loss With Frequency for IBOB Channel

TL;DR

This paper compares the security and efficiency of different frequency bands and human body communication for in-body to out-of-body data transfer, using simulations and experiments to develop a quantitative figure of merit.

Contribution

It introduces a new figure of merit for comparing in-body communication methods and validates it through FEM simulations and experiments.

Findings

HBC shows promising security features.

Frequency band selection impacts path loss significantly.

The developed FoM effectively differentiates communication methodologies.

Abstract

Security vulnerabilities demonstrated in implantable medical devices have opened the door for research into physically secure and low power communication methodologies. In this study, we perform a comparative analysis of commonly used ISM frequency bands and human body communication (HBC) for data transfer from in-body to out-of-body (IBOB). We develop a figure of merit (FoM) that comprises of the critical parameters to quantitatively compare the communication methodologies. We perform finite-element method (FEM)-based simulations and experiments to validate the FoM developed.