Sensor Fusion and Smart Sensor in Sports and Biomedical Applications

Abstract

The following work presents an overview of smart sensors and sensor fusion targeted at biomedical applications and sports areas. In this work, the integration of these areas is demonstrated, promoting a reflection about techniques and applications to collect, quantify and qualify some physical variables associated with the human body. These techniques are presented in various biomedical and sports applications, which cover areas related to diagnostics, rehabilitation, physical monitoring, and the development of performance in athletes, among others. Although some applications are described in only one of two fields of study (biomedicine and sports), it is very likely that the same application fits in both, with small peculiarities or adaptations. To illustrate the contemporaneity of applications, an analysis of specialized papers published in the last six years has been made. In this context, the main characteristic of this review is to present the largest quantity of relevant examples of sensor fusion and smart sensors focusing on their utilization and proposals, without deeply addressing one specific system or technique, to the detriment of the others.

Review on Smart Electro-Clothing Systems (SeCSs)

“…Except the display subsystems, in most of the cases, the rest of these subsystems are accumulated within an electronic board in as miniaturised a form as possible to finally connect to textile components [13,14]. Different sensing units that potentially form sensing subsystem of an SeCS can be motion, gesture, and position sensors, temperature and other bio-vital sensors, location sensor, interaction and environmental sensors, and sensors for detecting surrounding objects [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. The common sensors for motion, gesture, and positions are accelerometer, magnetometer, and gyroscope.…”

“…With the advent of conductive threads, textile structures either woven or knitted from conductive yarns, and conductive print-inks including those from graphene, it is now possible to produce or integrate light-weight weight sensors onto textiles to monitor health, fitness, and performance in a non-clinical environment, in daily-life, and in sport-training conditions [4][5][6][7]. An overview of the recent developments in wearable sensors for remote health monitoring is presented by Majumder et al [8], while the smart sensors and fusion systems for sports and biomedical applications are reviewed by Mendes Jr. et al [9]. In some cases, smart sensors are worn directly on the body using belts, straps, and adhesives; and in some cases, they are integrated or pocketed within textiles.…”

In-sole plantar pressure device with optimization measurement techniques

“…It was distributed over the touch area of the foot and was calibrated with the recommended procedure for calibration. For such an in-sole system, the pressure sensor was calibrated for the full range, which means that a 100-lb flexi force pressure sensor A 201 had to be calibrated to measure pressure ranging from 0-4400 KPA [13,14].…”

An Overview of Smart Shoes in the Internet of Health Things: Gait and Mobility Assessment in Health Promotion and Disease Monitoring

“…Within the so-called "quantified-self" movement, many applications are engaged with activity pattern monitoring. For example, individuals monitor their everyday step count and gait speed [56] with the target to improve habits, or they quantify sports performance with mobile motion capture [63]. Other applications also address gait signature analysis.…”