Biomechanics of the Upper Limbs: A Review in the Sports Combat Ambit Highlighting Wearable Sensors

Abstract

Over time, inertial sensors have become an essential ally in the biomechanical field for current researchers. Their miniaturization coupled with their ever-improvement make them ideal for certain applications such as wireless monitoring or measurement of biomechanical variables. Therefore, in this article, a compendium of their use is presented to obtain biomechanical variables such as velocity, acceleration, and power, with a focus on combat sports such as included box, karate, and Taekwondo, among others. A thorough search has been made through a couple of databases, including MDPI, Elsevier, IEEE Publisher, and Taylor & Francis, to highlight some. Research data not older than 20 years have been collected, tabulated, and classified for interpretation. Finally, this work provides a broad view of the use of wearable devices and demonstrates the importance of using inertial sensors to obtain and complement biomechanical measurements on the upper extremities of the human body.

Análisis de componentes principales para la identificación de variables sensibles en la ejecución del gesto motor y desarrollo de una red neuronal artificial como herramienta auxiliar en la clasificación del rendimiento deportivo en taekwondoínes elite de la Ciudad de México

“…3 Cada disciplina deportiva exige diferentes perfiles para lograr el éxito; son características que pueden ser agrupadas en parámetros antropométricos, 4 fisiológicos 5 y cinemáticos. 6 Las habilidades son otro aspecto importante en los objetivos de un atleta, siendo parámetros que posterior a una intervención pueden mejorar. 7 La clasificación de un deportista es un proceso complejo y en ocasiones subjetivo.…”

Development and Testing of an Individualized Sensorised 3D Printed Upper Limb Bicycle Prosthesis for Adult Patients

“…As recent research suggests, the use of orientation metrics, such as Euler angles or quaternions, would provide a deeper insight into biomechanical processes, and athletes could improve their skills by analysing gathered information. Miniaturization of sensors and implementation of artificial intelligence for data analysis could allow interaction with a greater number or even new types of sensors, such as oxygen, glucose, and blood pressure levels [20].…”

Variability and the Correlation of Kinematic and Temporal Parameters in Different Modalities of the Reverse Punch Measured by Sensors

“…In contrast, the acquisition of a wide range of diverse data in situ using kinematic sensors (KS) enables measuring during real-time activities. A method like this produces objective qualitative and quantitative analyses, as well as enhanced motion estimation [7][8][9][10]. A better understanding of the kinematic scheme of a punch would lead to technical improvement and the practices of top athletes shared among throwing and striking sports [11], such as karate.…”

“…This condition is compromised in a controlled environment, such as a laboratory [6]. The application of KS technology in typical combat situations could be the proper solution for measurement in real surroundings, enabling data acquisition in an accurate and non-intrusive way [5,6,10]. With a setup that is simple to use without any sophisticated arrangements, wearable sensors are user-friendly [43].…”