title: Estimation of human trunk movements by wearable strain sensors and improvement of sensor's placement on intelligent biomedical clothes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to evaluate the concept of a wearable device and, specifically: 1) to design and implement analysis procedures to extract clinically relevant information from data recorded using the wearable system; 2) to evaluate the design and placement of the strain sensors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Different kinds of trunk movements performed by a healthy subject were acquired as a comprehensive data set of 639 multivariate time series and off-line analyzed. The space of multivariate signals recorded by the strain sensors was reduced by means of Principal Components Analysis, and compared with the univariate angles contemporaneously measured by an inertial sensor.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Very high correlation between the two kinds of signals showed the usefulness of the garment for the quantification of the movements' range of motion that caused at least one strain sensor to lengthen or shorten accordingly. The repeatability of signals was also studied. The layout of a next garment prototype was designed, with additional strain sensors placed across the front and hips, able to monitor a wider set of trunk motor tasks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The proposed technologies and methods would offer a low-cost and unobtrusive approach to trunk motor rehabilitation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Computer Engineering and Systems Science, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tormene
authors.forename: Michelangelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bartolo
authors.forename: Alessandro M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: De Nunzio
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fecchio
authors.forename: Silvana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Quaglini
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tassorelli
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sandrini
mesh_terms: D001698:Biomedical Engineering / Q000295:instrumentation*; D003020:Clothing; D006801:Humans; D009068:Movement; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D060726:Torso / Q000502:physiology*