Using Internet of Things for Child Care: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: In smart cities, prioritizing child safety through affordable technology like the Internet of Things (IoT) is crucial for parents. This study seeks to investigate different IoT tools that can prevent and address accidents involving children. The goal is to alleviate the emotional and financial toll of such incidents due to their high mortality rates. Methods: This study considers articles published in English that use IoT for children's healthcare. PubMed, Science Direct, and Web of Science databases are considered as searchable databases. 273 studies were retrieved after the initial search. After eliminating duplicate records, studies were assessed based on input and output criteria. Titles and abstracts were reviewed for relevance. Articles not meeting criteria were excluded. Finally, 29 cases had the necessary criteria to enter this study. Results: The study reveals that India is at the forefront of IoT research for children, followed by Italy and China. Studies mainly occur indoors, utilizing wearable sensors like heart rate, motion, and tracking sensors. Biosignal sensors and technologies such as Zigbee and image recognition are commonly used for data collection and analysis. Diverse approaches, including cloud computing and machine vision, are applied in this innovative field. Conclusions: In conclusion, IoT for children is mainly seen in developed countries like India, Italy, and China. Studies focus on indoor use, using wearable sensors for heart rate monitoring. Biosignal sensors and various technologies like Zigbee, Kinect, image recognition, RFID, and robots contribute to enhancing children's well-being.