Editor-in-Chief, IPv6style
On October 19, 2005, Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST) and City of Ikoma Fire Headquarters in Nara Prefecture conducted public trial of “Mobile ER”, a video system to support emergency care activities.
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Ambulance with networking function
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On the roof of the ambulance is a wireless LAN antenna
This system uses wareable computers (sets of a small PC, a camera and a display), as well as a server and wireless communication device mounted on an ambulance to send visual images of patients and accident scenes to fire headquarters and emergency medical centers. CDMA2000 1x EV-DO, a 3G communication technology, and IEEE802.11b/g, a wireless LAN technology, are used to provide communication infrastructure, while IPv6, Mobile IPv6 and IPv6NEMO are used as protocols (Figure 1).
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A mobile router, a server and other equipment at the back of navigator seat
The public trial this time was only about sending images using a head-mount display and a camera worn by rescue personnel. But future plans include transmitting information from various devices such as magnetocardiograph and GPS. The system can incorporate communication infrastructure technology such as WiMAX and iBurst, for more realtime and high-quality images and video.
With ambulances equipped with such information system, emergency care doctors can give appropriate instructions and prepare for care given to patients after they arrive at the hospitals even when the patients are still at the accident scene, improving the quality of medical care.
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Equipment of rescue personnel (the jacket houses Sony VAIO Type U, a small PC)
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Head-mount display and small camera for rescue personnel
At present, communication from doctors at the hospital to rescue personnel is conducted by conversation over cellular phone. Future challenges include integrating the voice communication to Internet, move to broadband wireless, connect vital information gathering devices (such as magnetocardiograph), and correction and extraction of images.
Reasons IPv6 is used in this experiment are as follows:
- Mobile IPv6 (RFC3775) and Network Mobility (RFC3963) technology will be available on IPv6 only.
- ISO (International Organization for Standardization) consensus is to use IPv6 for automobile network connectivity (TC204WG16)
- IPv6 enables flexible switching among multiple network interfaces (such as wireless LAN, cellular communication, and PHS).
- Privacy can be kept at protocol level using IPsec
Advantages of using such Internet standard technology are lower device purchase cost as all devices necessary for implementation can be off-the-shelf components, with no need to design dedicated devices or protocols. Existing PCs and network devices can be utilized also. Application software is the only thing that has to be developed. The system is scalable in that only part of it needs to be replaced to support future technological innovations.
This trial is a solution for emergency medicine, as well as a field trial of basic technology for connecting mobile devices to networks. In other words, there are several challenges in securing connectivity from a closed and mobile space of automobile to network. As for infrastructure, WiMAX, iBurst and other broadband wireless infrastructure will be available in the future, but implementation of mobility features as protocols will be necessary to conduct communication over it. These necessary components are defined in IPv6, and this trial attempted to run these components in reality. There have been some trials using IPv4, but this is perhaps the first case with IPv6. We should keep an eye on this as the next generation mobile communication technology.
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Images sent by rescue personnel which can be viewed at fire headquarters and hospitals (images are sent automatically at fixed intervals and they can be enlarged by clicking)
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VAIO Type U (by Sony), worn by rescue personnel
Related Information:
Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST)
http://www.naist.jp/index_en.html
