Wearable technology for biomechanics: e-textile or micromechanical sensors? [Conversations in BME]

The possibility of gathering reliable information about movement characteristics during activities of daily living holds particular appeal for researchers. Data such as this could be used to analyze the performance of individuals undergoing rehabilitation and to provide vital information on whether or not there is an improvement during a neurorehabilitation protocol. Wearable devices are particularly promising toward this aim, because they can be used in unstructured environments (e.g., at home). Recently, two different approaches in this area have become very popular and show promising performance: the use of inertial sensors together with advanced algorithms (e.g., Kalman filters) and the development of e-textile, in which the sensing technology is directly embroidered into the garment worn by the user.