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Background Running retraining with the use of biofeedback on an impact measure has been executed or evaluated in the biomechanics laboratory. Here, the execution and evaluation of feedback‐driven retraining are taken out of the laboratory. Purpose To determine whether biofeedback can reduce the peak tibial acceleration with or without affecting the running cadence in a 3‐week retraining protocol. Study Design Quasi‐randomized controlled trial. Methods Twenty runners with high peak tibial acceleration were allocated to either the retraining (n = 10, 32.1 ± 7.8 years, 10.9 ± 2.8 g) or control (n = 10, 39.1 ± 10.4 years, 13.0 ± 3.9 g) groups. They performed six running sessions in an athletic training environment. A body‐worn system collected axial tibial acceleration and provided real‐time feedback. The retraining group received music‐based biofeedback in a faded feedback scheme. Pink noise was superimposed on tempo‐synchronized music when the peak tibial acceleration was ≥70% of the runner's baseline. The control group received tempo‐synchronized music, which acted as a placebo for blinding purposes. Speed feedback was provided to obtain a stable running speed of ~2.9 m·s−1. Peak tibial acceleration and running cadence were evaluated. Results A significant group‐by‐feedback interaction effect was detected for peak tibial acceleration. The experimental group had a decrease in peak tibial acceleration by 25.5% (mean: 10.9 ± 2.8 g versus 8.1 ± 3.9 g, p = 0.008, d = 1.08, mean difference = 2.77 [0.94, 4.61]) without changing the running cadence. The control group had no statistically significant change in peak tibial acceleration nor in running cadence. Conclusion The retraining protocol was effective at reducing the peak tibial acceleration in high‐impact runners by reacting to music‐based biofeedback that was provided in real time per wearable technology in a training environment. This reduction magnitude may have meaningful influences on injury risk.

The smart textiles and wearable technology markets are expanding tirelessly, looking for efficient solutions to create long-lasting products. The research towards novel integration methods and increasing reliability of wearables and electronic textiles (e-textiles) is expanding. One obstacle to be tackled is the washability and the endurance to mechanical stresses in the washing machine. In this article, different layering of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) films and knit fabrics are used to integrate three different designs of stretchable copper-based meander tracks with printed circuit boards. The various combinations are washed according to the ISO 6330-2012 standard to analyze their endurance. Results suggest that one meander design withstands more washing cycles and indicate that the well-selected layer compositions increase the reliability. Higher stretchability together with greater durability is accomplished by adding an extra meander-shaped TPU film layer.

Epilepsy is a chronic, neurological disorder affecting millions of people every year. The current available pharmacological and surgical treatments are lacking in overall efficacy and cause side-effects like cognitive impairment, depression, tremor, abnormal liver and kidney function. In recent years, the application of optogenetic implants have shown promise to target aberrant neuronal circuits in epilepsy with the advantage of both high spatial and temporal resolution and high cell-specificity, a feature that could tackle both the efficacy and side-effect problems in epilepsy treatment. Optrodes consist of electrodes to record local field potentials and an optical component to modulate neurons via activation of opsin expressed by these neurons. The goal of optogenetics in epilepsy is to interrupt seizure activity in its earliest state, providing a so-called closed-loop therapeutic intervention. The chronic implantation in vivo poses specific demands for the engineering of therapeutic optrodes. Enzymatic degradation and glial encapsulation of implants may compromise long-term recording and sufficient illumination of the opsin-expressing neural tissue. Engineering efforts for optimal optrode design have to be directed towards limitation of the foreign body reaction by reducing the implant’s elastic modulus and overall size, while still providing stable long-term recording and large-area illumination, and guaranteeing successful intracerebral implantation. This paper presents an overview of the challenges and recent advances in the field of electrode design, neural-tissue illumination, and neural-probe implantation, with the goal of identifying a suitable candidate to be incorporated in a therapeutic approach for long-term treatment of epilepsy patients.