Browsing by Subject "Wearable technology"

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    Garment-Based Respiration And Pulse Oximetry Sensing Using A Stitched Sensor And Chest Mounted Pulse Oximetry Sensor
    (2023-08) Clarke, Megan
    Garment-based wearable devices have the potential to make on-body sensing of vital signs a more seamless part of everyday life. This research seeks to investigate a wearable chest-mounted stitched strain sensor and pulse oximeter for the purpose of developing a garment-based sensing device. A wearable or garment-based device could be used for long term or long distance monitoring a wearer’s respiratory health when regular access to healthcare is challenging due to distance, such as is the case in many rural communities. However, the effect of fit and sizing of a wearable device is a significant challenge when it comes to the balancing comfort and sensor accuracy needs in a wearable device. A stitched conductive thread sensor and an adapted pulse oximeter probe integrated into a chest-mounted mounted adjustable sensor belt were investigated to understand their performance relative to more typical sensing approaches. Two fit conditions were employed to measure effects on sensor performance and understand the challenges presented by garment-based sensing of respiratory signals. This research found that in general a tighter fit condition improved the performance of the stitched respiration sensor and chest mounted pulse oximeter, however sensor dropout greatly influenced both blood oxygen saturation (SpO₂) and beats-per-minute (BPM) data resulting in suboptimal readings. The stitched sensor was more accurate in measuring breath frequency than the comparison clinical device when fit was not optimized. As a result of this research, it is clear that the fit and sizing of a garment-based sensing device is a crucial factor in developing sensing garments suitable for everyday use.
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    Measuring joint movement through garment-integrated wearable sensing
    (2015-04) Gioberto, Guido
    Wearable technology is generally interpreted as electronic devices with passive and/or active electronic components worn on the human body. A further sub-set of wearable technology includes devices that are equipped with sensing abilities for body movements or biosignals and computational power that allows for further analysis. Wearable devices can be distinguished by different levels of wearability: wearable devices integrated into clothing, which are an integral part of the clothes; and wearable devices put on as an accessory. This thesis introduces a novel approach to truly wearable sensing of body movement through novel garment-integrated sensors. It starts from an initial investigation of garment movement in order to quantify the effect that garment movement has on sensor accuracy in garment-integrated sensors; continues with the development and detailed characterization of garment-integrated sensors that use a stitched technique to create comfortable, soft sensors capable of sensing stretch and bend; and ends with a final evaluation of the proposed wearable solution for the specific case of knee joint monitoring in both the stretch and bend modalities.