# Rural Healthcare IoT Architecture Based on Low-Energy LoRa
## 7 Conclusions and Future Work  
The rural population often lacks access to quality healthcare. This issue is not new, and often the urban areas have more staff and better equipped medical institutions. Connected healthcare is a paradigm that is promising to reduce healthcare costs and provide better access. However, research is often focused on taking advantage of the latest developments in communication networks, including 5G technologies. In contrast, the rural population is left behind on this promise for better, more affordable healthcare. We describe several user stories in order to illustrate the constraints that are imposed in low connectivity areas. We then design architecture that would work within the given constraints. The architecture considers the sparse distribution of houses in rural communities, the lack of infrastructure for smart homes, and the high cost of converting homes. Thus the IoT sensors are assumed to be battery-powered, and the service interval is infrequent. We proposed multiple techniques for energy conservation, and we conducted measurements showing that external ULP timers can be used to extend battery life in the order of tens of times, depending on the usage profile of the IoT node. While ULP deep sleep states can extend the battery life for years, the system's usability is evaluated by being responsive when needed. For this, we propose wake-up triggers for the microcontrollers and the sensors. Certain observed events could act as triggers either by generating an electrical charge or closing an open circuit, thus allowing for zero energy sensors. Sensors that detect mechanical changes such as pressure contacts detect and also trigger an event. Very low-power wake-up signals are used for resuming the operation of a microcontroller in a sleep state. These triggers include RF wake-up and light and sound wake signals. In the future, we will create granular energy profiles of the microcontrollers and sensors for each operational stage. Then, using the architecture presented in this paper, we can design a specific usage profile that would minimize energy consumption for given functional expectations of the IoT nodes. Having this data, we can simulate the battery usage of the IoT nodes and develop battery specifications for each type of sensor device. In addition, we will investigate how different ML algorithms and approaches perform in the proposed architecture, especially given the network constraints, and influence its main benefits. Conceptualization, A.D., S.F., E.Z., P.L., I.M.P. and V.T. ; methodology, A.D., S.F., E.Z., P.L., I.M.P., N.M.G., J.P.L., F.J.M. and V.T. ; validation, E.Z., P.L., N.M.G., J.P.L., F.J.M. and V.T. ; investigation, A.D., E.Z., P.L., I.M.P., J.P.L. and V.T. ; writing-original draft preparation, A.D., S.F., E.Z., P.L., I.M.P., N.M.G., J.P.L. and V.T. ; writing-review and editing, E.Z., P.L., I.M.P., N.M.G., J.P.L., F.J.M. and V.T. ; supervision, S.F., E.Z., P.L. and V.T. All authors have read and agreed to the submitted version of the manuscript. This work was partially funded by FCT/MEC through national funds and co-funded by FEDER--PT2020 partnership agreement under the project UIDB/50008/2020 (Este trabalho e parcalmente financiado pela FCT/MEC atraves de fundos nacionais e cofinanciado pelo FEDER, no ambito do Acordo de Parceria PT2020 no ambito do projeto UIDB/50008/2020). This work was also partially funded by National Funds through the FCT--Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., within the scope of the project UIDB/00742/2020. This article is based upon work from Sheldon COST Action CA16226 Indoor Living Space Improvement: Smart Habitat for the Elderly, supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). COST is a funding agency for research and innovation networks. Our Actions help connect research initiatives across Europe and enable scientists to grow their ideas by sharing them with their peers. This boosts their research, career and innovation www.cost.eu (accessed on 1 June 2021). Not applicable.