DT-BAN Design from a Modeling Perspective: A Use Case-Driven Approach

Inhalt:
Recently, Body Area Networks (BANs) are being increasingly deployed in a range of applications, from wellbeing to medical and generic monitoring. The emerging 6G standards will further enhance their capabilities with integrated sensing and communication, as well as ultra-reliable and low-latency communications. A wide range of novel use cases can be applied, benefiting stakeholders across multiple domains, including healthcare, entertainment, and civil protection. As BANs become increasingly complex, advanced mechanisms are required to effectively simulate, test, predict, and optimize the network. Given their application areas, the design and development of these mechanisms must be performed without interfering with normal operation. The Digital Twin Network (DTN) concept offers a promising approach to addressing these challenges. Yet, despite its potential, comprehensive design methodologies that consider the specific constraints of the target network and incorporate modeling approaches are still lacking. This paper proposes a novel design for a Digital Twin of Body Area Networks (DTBAN), with particular emphasis on modeling from a use casedriven perspective. We elaborate on general BAN requirements, introduce the fundamentals of Digital Twin Networks and modeling techniques. Additionally, we identify specific requirements to DT-BANs. Finally, we propose a detailed process flow for designing and implementing a DTN, emphasizing a structured, use case-driven methodology for modeling DT-BANs, followed by a demonstration of a DT-BAN use case.