Novel printed body worn sensor for measuring the human movement orientation
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is the measuring of the human movement using printed wearable sensor. Human movement measurement is one of the usages for wearable sensors. This technology assists the researchers to collect data from the daily activities of individuals. In other words, the kinematics data of human motion will be extracted from this data and implemented in biomechanical aspects.
Design/methodology/approach
This study presents an innovative printed wearable sensor which can be used for measuring human movement orientations. In this paper, the manufacturing process, implementation, measurement setup and calibration procedure of this new sensor will be explained, and the results of calibration methods will be presented. The conductive flexible nylon/lycra fabric strain gauge was developed using polypyrrole (PPy)–1, 5-naphthalenedisulfonic acid by using a sophisticated method composed of screen printing followed by chemical vapor deposition at room temperature.
Findings
The morphological characterization using scanning electron microscopy shows the PPy-coated fabric exhibiting a homogenous and smooth surface. Based on the results, the linearity and hysteresis error are 98 and 8 per cent, respectively. Finally, the behavior of our sensor is evaluated in some cases, and the effects of relaxation and strain rate will be discussed.
Practical implications
The wearable sensor is one of the most advanced technologies in biomedical engineering. It can be used in several applications for prohibition, diagnosing and treatment of diseases.
Originality/value
The paper present original data acquired from a technical set-up in biomechanic labs. An innovative method was used for collecting the resistance changing of the sensor. A measurement setup was prepared as a transducer to convert the resistance into voltage.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Authors would like to appreciate the technical and financial support of Iran National Science Foundation (INSF) under Grant 8900867, Laboratory of Wearable Technologies and Neuromusculoskeletal Research at Sharif University of Technology, university of Guilan, Guilan Science and Technology Park (GSTP) and Iran nanotechnology initiative.
Citation
Mokhlespour Esfahani, M.I., Taghinezhad, S., Mottaghitalab, V., Narimani, R. and Parnianpour, M. (2016), "Novel printed body worn sensor for measuring the human movement orientation", Sensor Review, Vol. 36 No. 3, pp. 321-331. https://doi.org/10.1108/SR-08-2015-0147
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited