GSM and GPS based Real-Time Remote Physiological Signals Monitoring and Stress Levels Classification Awais Gul Airij*, Rubita Sudirman, Usman Ullah Sheikh Department of Electronics and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru Johor, Malaysia gaawais2@live.utm.my*, rubita@fke.utm.my, usman@fke.utm.my Abstract—Physiological signals are significant indicators that can help anticipate harmful underlying conditions in humans. Recent advancements in medicine and electronics have allowed monitoring of physiological signals cost effectively and noninvasively. People living in remote areas are usually deprived of basic healthcare facilities and the available remote physiological signals monitoring techniques make use of Bluetooth and WLAN technologies which are inoperable in such areas. The system proposed in this paper solves this issue by making use of GSM and GPS communication techniques due to their vast availability even at remote locations. The proposed system monitors three physiological signals namely; heart rate, skin conductance and skin temperature non-invasively and also classifies stress levels. Finally, the physiological signals and stress levels data is stored for record maintenance and sent to a doctor so that he/she may monitor the patient remotely. A rule- based fuzzy logic algorithm is used for stress classification and the results shows that it achieved the highest accuracy when compared to other algorithms found in previous works. In addition to that, a stress levels dataset is also presented in this paper which can be further refined in future research. Index Terms—Physiological signals, stress, healthcare, remote monitoring, heart rate, skin conductance, temperature, GSM, GPS. I. INTRODUCTION Healthcare is a basic and important part of everyone’s life. But even after a lot of time, money, and research in the advancements of medical science, many people are still deprived of basic healthcare facilities. People affected by this problem are usually the ones who live in remote areas [1-2]. In addition to that, medical professionals also prefer living in urban areas instead of rural areas due to certain benefits [1]. In this era of technology, such problems can be reduced with the help of technology if not resolved completely by using remote physiological signals monitoring for people residing in rural areas. Physiological signals such as heart rate, perspiration, temperature, and respiration are governed by the autonomic nervous system (ANS) [3-5] and their variation is considered as an indicator of some underlying problem or condition [6]. For instance, variation in heart rate can indicate stress, arrhythmia, and stroke [7]. This paper proposes a system using GSM and GPS based remote physiological signals monitoring and stress classification system in real- time. The proposed system will not only overcome the problem of remote monitoring, but also reduce the shortage of patient to doctor ratio [8]. The currently available remote monitoring systems usually incorporate Bluetooth or WLAN technologies but in such remote areas these technologies are inoperable. Therefore, the current system proposes a GSM and GPS based multiple physiological signals monitoring system that can work almost everywhere. Such system can continuously record physiological signals data and the doctor can remotely monitor the patient. Along with that, current research also provides a stress levels dataset which is tested with multiple algorithms to find the algorithm with highest accuracy which can be implemented in the proposed system’s prototype. A. Stress The human stress essentially relates to a psycho- physiological response of an individual as a reaction to an unsafe or uncomfortable stimulus [6, 9], also known as stressor. Stressors have significant impact upon a person’s state of mind, feeling of prosperity, conduct, and wellbeing. In any case, if the danger is unremitting, especially in people who are more prone to certain diseases, the long-haul impacts of stressors can unfavorably influence their well-being. The connection amongst stress and illnesses is influenced by the nature, number, and prolonged existence of the stressors and additionally by the person’s immune system’s vulnerability, for example, hereditary conditions [6]. B. Effects of Stress on Health It is known that when stress starts interfering with an individual’s ability to live a normal life for an extended period, it becomes even more dangerous. The longer the stress lasts, the worse it is for an individual’s mind and body [10- 11]. One might feel fatigued, unable to concentrate or irritable for no good reason and it causes wear and tear on the individual’s body too. Over-stress has proven to be one of the major factors contributing to several serious health problems such as elevated blood pressure, headache, upset stomach and