Reconfigurable Embedded Systems for Chronic Care 

A new research paradigm in health investigates how to improve a patient's quality of life with wearable embedded systems that continuously monitors their vital signs. Patients suffering from chronic conditions benefit from self management techniques.  My research addresses challenges in data loss and continuous data collection with local reconfiguration techniques.  Early work resulted in the HealthNet/WESTS project, a starter grant from Microsoft where embedded medical systems monitored physiological activities.  In collaboration with the School of Nursing, ISMB, and the Network Research Lab, I investigate the unique properties of medical body sensor networks that can be leveraged in system and protocol design.

View video of sensor enabled tracking and neurological and diabetic applications. 
"RECONFIGURATION IN A MOBILE HEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEMS." (IEEE Trans. TITB Submission). [PDF]

Wireless Embedded Systems for Urinary Incontinence

While previously medical examinations could only extract localized symptoms through snap shots, continuous monitoring can now discretely analyze how a patient's lifestyle affects his/her physiological conditions.  We developed a minimally invasive implantable pressure sensing system that actively monitors long-term physiological changes in real-time. Specifically, we investigate pressure changes in the upper urinary tract per degree of obstruction in collaboration with the Biomedical Engineering BioHybrid Microsystems Lab, Department of Urology, and the UCLA Medical Center.

View video of in-vivo pressure sensor surgery on pig.  Warning: Video is graphic
"A TELEHEALTH ARCHITECTURE FOR NETWORKED EMBEDDED SYSTEMS: A CASE STUDY IN IN-VIVO HEALTH MONITORING SYSTEM." (IEEE Trans. TITB). [PDF]

Mobile Health Information Systems for Disaster Applications

AID-N (Advanced Health and Disaster Aid Network), a collaboration between JHUAPL, the CodeBlue Project at Harvard University, UCLA CS Department, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and Suburban Hospital, developed medical embedded systems at large-scale incidents to more efficiently triage, track, and transport patients while wirelessly communicating accurate and real-time patient information.  I configured, tested, and ensured the accurate functionality of ECG, blood cuff, and pulse-ox sensors in embedded devices.  (website)

View photos of deployment of a electronic triage system in a mass casualty incident disaster drill.
"THE ADVANCED HEALTH AND DISASTER AID NETWORK: A LIGHT-WEIGHT WIRELESS MEDICAL SYSTEM FOR TRIAGE". (IEEE Trans. TBCAS). [PDF]

Modeling and Optimization for Mobile Systems Security

My research investigates system approaches to security in collaboration with Professor Potkonjak.  Intruders may physically tamper with mobile embedded systems to implant additional hardware to make the device inoperable at important times or send data to a malicious source.  I address detection and diagnosis of hardware malware with statistical power analysis techniques.  Additionally, malicious users may also steal the portable device and try to perpetrate as the user.  I am currently investigating multi-modal techniques for authentication.

"INPUT VECTOR CONTROL FOR POST-SILICON LEAKAGE CURRENT MINIMIZATION IN THE PRESENCE OF MANUFACTURING VARIABILITY." (DAC 2008). [PDF]

CustoMed (Customizable Medical Monitoring Device)  

CustoMed is a new architecture that uses reconfigurable embedded systems with Med Nodes.  Med Nodes are embedded systems with various sensors that measure the physiological characteristics of the human body.  I am researching dynamic security approaches to wireless embedded medical systems and localization with FPGA cameras in the CustoMed Project at UCLA. (website) 

  View news clip on neurological sensors for myotatic stretch reflex. 
"RECONFIGURABLE EMBEDDED MEDICAL SYSTEMS". (Book Chp in Research on Distributed Medical Informatics and E-Health). [PDF]

Message Ferrying Project - Delay Tolerant Network  

On my Message Ferrying Master's Project with Professor Mostafa Ammar , I investigated reliability and communications by implementing a Message Ferrying networking algorithm on iPAQs and investigating how Message Ferrying operates on sensor networks.  Message Ferrying is mobile ad-hoc networking protocol for space and disconnected networks at Georgia Tech.  (MS_Project website) (main website)

"MESSAGE FERRY ARCHITECTURE AND IMPLEMENTATION."  (Georgia Institute of Technology Master's Project). [PDF]