{
  "abstract": "Background\n\nWireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) are essential for continuous health monitoring but face critical challenges due to dynamic link instability caused by body movements and strict bio-safety requirements. The fluctuating wireless channel leads to high packet loss, while radio frequency (RF) energy absorption, measured as Specific Absorption Rate (SAR), must remain below 1.6 W/kg to prevent tissue damage. Existing routing protocols often react to failures rather than predict them and rarely co-optimize reliability with thermal safety.Methods\n\nThis paper proposes PACO-CLS (Predictive Ant Colony Optimization with Correlated Link Stability), a novel routing protocol that proactively addresses both network dynamics and bio-safety. It leverages tri-axial accelerometer data from sensor nodes to classify body posture using a Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM). This posture state conditions a Vector Autoregressive (VAR) model, which predicts future link quality metrics (SNR, distance, SAR) over a 0.5-second horizon. These predictions drive an enhanced Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithm, where path selection is guided by a multi-objective cost function. Crucially, the pheromone evaporation rate is dynamically modulated by the cumulative SAR, calculated via the Pennes bio-heat equation, to enforce thermal safety.Results\n\nExtensive simulations in NS-3.40, calibrated with empirical data from the MySignals HW V3 platform, demonstrate that PACO-CLS significantly outperforms QC-TriL, LEACH-WBAN, and Q-Learning-based routing. It achieves a network lifetime of [Formula: see text] hours (a 40.3% improvement), an energy efficiency of [Formula: see text] Mb/J, a packet delivery ratio of [Formula: see text], and end-to-end latency of [Formula: see text] ms. Critically, it maintains an average SAR of [Formula: see text] W/kg, well below the safety threshold across all tested scenarios, including high interference ([Formula: see text] sources/m²) and mobility ([Formula: see text] m/s).Conclusions\n\nBy integrating predictive analytics with thermal-aware mechanisms, PACO-CLS establishes a new benchmark for intelligent WBAN routing. Its ability to proactively avoid unstable links based on correlated motion analytics and simultaneously enforce bio-safety constraints makes it a robust and clinically viable solution. PACO-CLS consistently meets stringent clinical requirements for real-time monitoring (PDR > 95%, [Formula: see text][Formula: see text] ms, SAR [Formula: see text] W/kg, [Formula: see text] h), demonstrating its potential for next-generation, safe, and reliable healthcare applications.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Applied College, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, 31982, Saudi Arabia.",
    "Aden University, Aden, Yemen. Naimasaeed@outlook.fr."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 2,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Ben Othman Soufiane"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Naima Saeed"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/at9ey73mkqa25.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1186/s12911-026-03706-8",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13679225",
  "id": "at9ey73mkqa25",
  "issns": [
    "1472-6947"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42894218",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "lcc",
      "R858-859.7"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2204|Wireless Body Area Networks"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7170096500",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13679225?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13679225",
  "pmid": "42894218",
  "published": "2026-07-01",
  "publisher": "BMC",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/at9ey73mkqa25.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:42Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42894218",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42894218"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T13:46:02Z",
      "native_id": "3eb6e7bb236e4c62aea0ca905746a995",
      "source": "doaj",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-026-03706-8"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "lcc:R858-859.7",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "A predictive ant colony optimization routing protocol for correlated link stability in wireless body area networks.",
  "title_text": "A predictive ant colony optimization routing protocol for correlated link stability in wireless body area networks.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T13:46:02Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/at9ey73mkqa25",
  "venue": "BMC medical informatics and decision making",
  "versions": []
}