Visible Light Communications for Healthcare Applications: Opportunities and Challenges

Visible Light Communication (VLC) technology is proposed as a promising solution that uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to transmit data and illumination in the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. VLC offers a large unlicensed bandwidth, high-speed wireless communication, and can also be used for localization purposes. VLC technology, combined with RF communication, could help achieve the sixth generation (6G) of mobile communication targets in terms of low power consumption, high data rate, high reliability, massive user connectivity, low latency, and high security. While VLC technology has been explored in various fields such as high-speed internet connection, autonomous driving, and positioning systems, its potential use in healthcare applications remains relatively unexplored. The paper aims to provide an overview of the current state of research on VLC in healthcare and highlights its promising potential.