Abstract: Enormous development in embedded computing devices, wearable and implantable bio-sensors have led to Body Area Network (BAN). BAN or Wireless BAN (WBAN) is a network of sensors/devices placed over the body. Remote patient monitoring is one of the needs in today’s medical field. Apart from this, BAN has a wide range of applications like gaming, personal information exchange, etc. In this paper we present an overview of Body Area Network (BAN) analogous to the human circulatory system. We propose a BAN in which each and every component is analogous to the anatomy of the human circulatory system which includes the heart, veins and arteries and end points of the circulatory system such as finger tips, toe tips, ear lobes, etc. The human heart is considered as a central and the most powerful router or switch and is responsible for pumping blood in and out, which is analogous to a central router in star topology, routing data in a network. The veins and the arteries carry the deoxygenated blood from other parts of the body to the heart and vice versa respectively. Here the wireless connection between central router and other nodes or I/O devices acts as veins and arteries. Finger tips, toes and ear lobes, where the veins and arteries end are analogous to the end points (end devices or I/O devices). Places where branching of veins and arteries take place are considered or assumed to be nodes or network nodes or I/O devices. The frequency of heartbeat or number of beats per minute is analogous to the frequency of wireless transmission connecting the network. This communication is called intra-body communication. Inter-body communication or handshaking can also take place between two different entities or human beings. It is so fascinating to see how artificial body area network can be built based on the anatomy of the human circulatory system.

Keywords: Body Area Network (BAN), Wireless BAN (WBAN), human circulatory system, Intra-body communication, inter-body communication, handshaking