INTERNET OF BODIES

CONNECTING OUR BODIES

“We’re entering the era of the ‘Internet of Bodies’; collecting our physical data via a range of devices that can be implanted, swallowed or worn.”

What is the Internet of Bodies (IoB)?

Internet of Bodies (IoB) is about integrating technology to the human body. IoB devices allow direct communication of data from the body through the use of the Internet.

In 2016, academic and author Dr. Andrea Matwyshyn coined the term ‘Internet of Bodies’, describing it as a “network of human bodies whose integrity and functionality rely at least in part on the Internet and related technologies, such as artificial Intelligence.”

(CNBC, 2024)

IoB IN ACTION

As futuristic as the Internet of Bodies may seem, many people are already connected to it.

WEARABLES

External IoB devices that can monitor, transmit, collect, analyze, and act on data generated by the body.

It can track physical activity, heart rate, sleep patterns, and other health indicators. Some models include GPS tracking, ECG monitoring, and blood oxygen sensors.

IMPLANTABLES

Internal devices that are surgically inserted into the body.

The most recognized example is a defibrillator or pacemaker, a small device placed in the chest region to help patients with heart conditions control abnormal heart rhythms with electrical impulses.

INGESTIBLES

Electronic sensors and computer chips embedded in edible pills.

Once swallowed, these digital pills can collect data from our organs and send this data to a remote device connected to the Internet.

The IoB Ecosystem

The concept of the devices used in the “Internet of Bodies” pertains to a system of integrated, body-worn devices and sensors for health monitoring and data collection.

All data collected from body-worn devices is transmitted to the Cloud, where it's processed and stored for Central Monitoring. This system is capable of performing Intelligence, Storage, Control, and Analytics to monitor and manage individual health metrics.

(College of Engineering. Purdue University)

IoB Cloud

KEY CONCEPTS

Learn the key concepts of the Internet of Bodies and discover how it revolutionizes lives.

  • CONNECTIVITY

    Stay connected with seamless integration.

  • HEALTH MONITORING

    Tracking health metrics.

  • DATA COLLECTION & ANALYTICS

    Collection and analysis of biometric data.

  • PERSONALIZED MEDICINE & THERAPY

    Personalizing treatment and therapy.

  • SECURITY & DATA

    Ensure your data is safe and secure.

  • BIO-ENHANCEMENT & AUGMENTATION

    Enhanced physical and cognitive functions.

Explore the key concepts

The Rise of Wearable Devices during the COVID-19 Pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, wearables were mostly used in practical applications such as symptom screening and tracking, digital contact tracing, and social distancing.

With digital solutions moving towards low power consumption and small-form-factor devices, multisensors may cover diverse physiological and contact tracing parameters, creating digital databases and providing access to medical practitioners, using cloud or edge services to analyze the effect of treatment or assessing the patients. (MDPI, 2021)

SPOTLIGHT AT IOB

Healthcare
Transformation

Chronic Disease Management
IoB devices are becoming critical in managing chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension through continuous monitoring and automated intervention (e.g., insulin pumps, pacemakers).


Remote Patient Monitoring
With the rise of telemedicine and at-home healthcare, IoB devices like wearable ECG monitors and glucose trackers are facilitating more effective, remote health management.

Wearables and
Consumer Wellness

Fitness and Activity Trackers
Consumer-focused IoB devices like smartwatches, fitness trackers, and sleep monitors continue to grow in popularity, offering users insights into their health and wellness.

Health Data Empowerment
People are increasingly using these wearables to take control of their health, monitor their exercise routines, and manage aspects like sleep quality, stress levels, and overall physical activity.

Smart Cities
and Public Health

Public Health Monitoring
IoB devices are playing a key role in public health efforts, including early detection of disease outbreaks (like during the COVID-19 pandemic) by aggregating health data across populations.

Smart Infrastructure
In smart cities, IOB allows innovations like real-time health emergency alerts to nearby hospitals or automatic interventions in public health crises.

Neural and Cognitive
Enhancement

Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs)
This field could enhance cognitive abilities, memory, or physical capabilities for people with neurological conditions, but it also opens ethical debates.

Mental Health Monitoring
IoB devices are being developed to track mental health metrics like stress, anxiety, or depression through neural or physiological indicators, offering potential improvements in psychological care.

Cybersecurity & the Internet of Bodies

“There is increasing awareness of the vulnerability of wearables and medical IoT devices to hacking and cyberattacks, which expose human lives to potential physical harm and privacy risks.”

To address these vulnerabilities, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and its Standards Association (IEEE SA) published IEEE 2933 as a framework with TIPPSS principles.

TRUST
Establishing reliable and trustworthy connections between devices.

INDENTITY
Ensuring that devices and users are correctly identified & authenticated.

PRIVACY
Protecting sensitive patient data from unauthorized access.

PROTECTION
Implementing measures to safeguard devices from cyber threats.

SAFETY
Ensuring that devices operate safely and do not pose risks to patients.

SECURITY
Maintaining the overall security of the device ecosystem.

THE FUTURE OF
INTERNET OF BODIES

Transhumanism, generative AI & Internet of Bodies top WEF Emerging Tech Report (2023)

The US Defense and Intelligence communities are already funding research into artificial intelligence and the Internet of Bodies (IoB) ecosystem for human performance enhancement (HPE).

Some potential applications of HPE-AI listed in the report include:

  • Substantially reducing the time required to process data and respond to situations

  • Allowing for human-system teaming (not only through better system design but through implantable brain-computer interfaces)

  • Enabling complex, real-time, hands-free control of devices or robots

Internet of Bio-Nano Things (IoBNT)

First, there was the Internet of Things (IoT), then the Internet of Bodies (IoB), the Internet of Everything (IoE), and finally, Big Pharma and the military are going into your blood to construct the Internet of Bio-Nano Things (IoBNT).

IoBNT Involves injecting nano-technology into the body that can harvest data for biological processes and deliver targeted therapies.

It works by translating chemical signals in the body into electrical data that can be transmitted over the Internet.

NANOTECHNOLOGY TODAY

Richard Feynman introduced this concept in 1959, envisioning a future of molecular manipulation.

“I want to build a billion tiny factories, models of each other, which are manufacturing simultaneously… The principles of physics, as far as I can see, do not speak against the possibility of maneuvering things atom by atom. It is not an attempt to violate any laws; it is something, in principle, that can be done; but in practice, it has not been done because we are too big.”

- Richard Feyman

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

  • Academic and author Andrea M. Matwyshyn coined the term “Internet of Bodies” or IOB, in 2016.

    She described it as “a network of human bodies whose integrity and functionality rely at least in part, on the Internet and related technologies.”

  • Internet of Bodies (IoB) is not just a cool gadget trick. It represents a paradigm shift in how we interact with technology. It's about turning the human body into living, breathing, and walking data center.

    It is personal computing taken into the most intimate level.

  • Internet of Bodies (IoB) is an extension of Internet of Things (IoT). While IoT connects devices like phones, laptops, or smart fridge to the Internet, IoB takes in personally, literally, into the human body through devices such as chips, smartwatches, pacemakers, smart lenses, etc.

  • Advantages. IOB’s advantages include; better diagnosis and treatment of health conditions, personalized insurance plans, increased productivity, and improved public safety, to name a few.

    Disadvantages. The growing Internet of Bodies adoption could also result in unauthorized access to sensitive information by third parties, income-based health disparities, and the installment of a global surveillance state.

Connecting body cells to the Internet in the future highlights the expanding and multifaceted nature of Internet applications, encompassing the Internet of Things, Internet of Everything,
and Internet of Nano Things.

THE IOB CENTER

More topics about the Internet of Bodies at the IoB Center.

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