A Novel Energy-Efficient and Reliable Clustering Protocol for Wireless Body Area Networks

Abstract

Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) have emerged as a promising solution for healthcare monitoring, wearable technologies, and other body-centric applications. However, challenges such as limited energy resources, low duty cycles, and the need for high reliability remain a concern in maintaining the performance of WBANs. This paper presents an energy-efficient clustering protocol with a low duty cycle and a reliability matrix, designed to optimize network performance in WBANs. The proposed approach improves energy conservation by reducing communication overhead and extending the network lifetime while ensuring reliable data transmission. We compare the performance of the proposed protocol against existing clustering protocols, such as LEACH (Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy) and M-attempt, using simulation-based evaluation metrics like energy consumption, packet delivery ratio, and network lifetime. The results show that our approach significantly outperforms conventional protocols in terms of energy efficiency and reliability, demonstrating its potential for use in energy-constrained WBAN applications. This study contributes to the development of sustainable and reliable wireless communication systems for healthcare and body-centric applications.