Summary
Objectives:
The aim of this research work is the development of a low-cost system for telemedicine
based on the DVB-T technology. The diffusion of DVB-T standard and the low cost of
DVB-T set-top boxes bring the vision of a capillary distribution of tele-home care
monitoring systems with easy-to-use patient’s interface.
Methods:
Exploiting the potentiality of the DVB-T settop box, we transformed it into an “on-demand
telehome care interface”. The Xlet we developed is able to govern the functionality
of an external microcontrollerbased unit for the acquisition of the bio-signals of
interest. The uplink connection is used to send the exam results to a remote care
center.
Results:
The Xlet providing the patient interface on the set-top box is uploaded by a DVB-T
broadcaster without any intervention in the patient’s home. A prototypal low-cost
base station for the acquisition of the patient’s signals (1-lead ECG) has been developed.
It is able to be connected to the set-top box via an infrared link. A smart-card-based
system is in charge for the customization of the Xlet for every patient.
Conclusions:
The proposed system, based on a currently widespread infrastructure, is able to allow
the patients monitoring from home without any installation procedure. Even untrained
(or elderly) people can easily use such system due to their practice with the basic
DVB-T home-entertainment equipments.
Keywords
Telemedicine - tele-home care - remote monitoring - DVB-T - MHP
