Personal Area Networks: Near-field intrabody communication

TLDR

As electronic devices shrink and become cheaper, people increasingly wear them, yet there is no existing method for these body‑mounted devices to share data, so networking them could reduce input/output redundancies and enable new conveniences. The authors introduce Personal Area Networks (PANs) to show that devices on or near the human body can exchange digital information by capacitively coupling picoamp currents through the body. They employ a low‑frequency carrier below 1 MHz, which propagates no energy, thereby minimizing remote eavesdropping and interference from neighboring PANs. A prototype PAN system demonstrates that users can exchange electronic business cards simply by shaking hands.

Abstract

As electronic devices become smaller, lower in power requirements, and less expensive, we have begun to adorn our bodies with personal information and communication appliances. Such devices include cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), pocket video games, and pagers. Currently there is no method for these devices to share data. Networking these devices can reduce functional I/O redundancies and allow new conveniences and services. The concept of Personal Area Networks (PANs) is presented to demonstrate how electronic devices on and near the human body can exchange digital information by capacitively coupling picoamp currents through the body. A low-frequency carrier (less than 1 megahertz) is used so no energy is propagated, minimizing remote eavesdropping and interference by neighboring PANs. A prototype pan system allows users to exchange electronic business cards by shaking hands.