title: MEMS sensor technologies for human centred applications in healthcare, physical activities, safety and environmental sensing: a review on research activities in Italy.
abstract: Over the past few decades the increased level of public awareness concerning healthcare, physical activities, safety and environmental sensing has created an emerging need for smart sensor technologies and monitoring devices able to sense, classify, and provide feedbacks to users' health status and physical activities, as well as to evaluate environmental and safety conditions in a pervasive, accurate and reliable fashion. Monitoring and precisely quantifying users' physical activity with inertial measurement unit-based devices, for instance, has also proven to be important in health management of patients affected by chronic diseases, e.g., Parkinson's disease, many of which are becoming highly prevalent in Italy and in the Western world. This review paper will focus on MEMS sensor technologies developed in Italy in the last three years describing research achievements for healthcare and physical activity, safety and environmental sensing, in addition to smart systems integration. Innovative and smart integrated solutions for sensing devices, pursued and implemented in Italian research centres, will be highlighted, together with specific applications of such technologies. Finally, the paper will depict the future perspective of sensor technologies and corresponding exploitation opportunities, again with a specific focus on Italy.
authors: The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa 56025, Italy. g.ciuti@sssup.it.
authors: Gastone
authors: G
authors: Ciuti
authors: The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa 56025, Italy. l.ricotti@sssup.it.
authors: Leonardo
authors: L
authors: Ricotti
authors: The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa 56025, Italy. a.menciassi@sssup.it.
authors: Arianna
authors: A
authors: Menciassi
authors: The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa 56025, Italy. p.dario@sssup.it.
authors: Paolo
authors: P
authors: Dario
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000379:methods; D004777:Environment; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D055617:Micro-Electrical-Mechanical Systems / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D012106:Research; D012449:Safety