Integration of Building Information Model, Internet-of-Things and Virtual Realty for indoor automation in the biomedical sector

New technologies are continuously growing in next-generation applications, and the word “smart” is always more present in human life. Internet of Things (IoT), big data, and cloud computing, with Information Communication and Technology (ICT), are the basis of the new vision of modern society. IoT system collects and processes a massive amount of data by combining numerous smart devices, technologies, and applications. It facilitates communication between devices and the cloud as well as between the devices themselves. Overall, the IoT aims to improve the quality of life through the automation of everything around us. Nowadays, it is becoming more and more present also in the healthcare field. This work provides the design and development of a novel distributed software infrastructure, called SIRIO, based on the interaction between the Building Information Model (BIM), the Internet of Things system, and non-invasive virtual reality for patients affected by Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). ALS is a fast progressive neurodegenerative, which leads to impaired mobility. Since this disease is diagnosed, both the sick person and the family must progressively reprogram their daily life according to the needs that arise with the evolution of ALS. Nowadays, the large use of Information Technologies (IT) in the healthcare field showed how IT can positively impact the costs of healthcare, the longevity of ALS patients, and lighten the work of their caregivers. SIRIO allows the user to enhance interaction with the outside world, giving him a part of autonomy back, with virtual reality's help through his gaze-controlled communication device. Moreover, SIRIO is also able to collect environmental data to monitor the patient's well-being by communicating with Raspberry Pi through MQTT and REST protocols. Then, the software infrastructure tries to solve the big problem of patient vital data collection. It uses a smart band sensor to automate the collection of heartbeat, blood oxygenation, and stress. These collected data are stored, analysed, and displayed on a MongoDB database in the Azure cloud. MongoDB being a NoSQL provides organizations an opportunity to evolve and store big data without being confined to the initial underlying data model. This allows easier editing of the structure in base on patient needs. MongoDB can add its capabilities to the Microsoft cloud’s scalability and services as part of Azure database deployment. These databases are accessible to the doctor wherever he is and help him monitor patients’ well-being constantly, even when they are alone or not in the hospital, thus embracing the world of telemedicine.