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. 2022 Nov 23;22(23):9090.
doi: 10.3390/s22239090.

Smart Shirt for Measuring Trunk Orientation

Abdella Ahmmed Simegnaw  1   2 , Yetanawork Teyeme  1   2 , Benny Malengier  1 , Tamrat Tesfaye  2 , Hundessa Daba  3 , Kaledawit Esmelealem  4 , Lieva Van Langenhove  1
Affiliations

Smart Shirt for Measuring Trunk Orientation

Abdella Ahmmed Simegnaw et al. Sensors (Basel). .

Abstract

Improper cycling posture is linked to a variety of spinal musculoskeletal diseases, including structural malformation of the spine and back discomfort. This paper presents a novel smart shirt integrated tri-axial gyroscope and accelerometer that can detect postural variation in terms of spinal curvature changes. To provide accurate feedback to the wearer and improve the wearer's correct movement, the garment is able to recognize trunk body posture. The gyroscope/accelerometer was placed around the upper and mid trunk of the user to record tri-axial angular velocity data. The device can also be used to help determine the trunk bending angle and monitor body postures in order to improve optimal orientation and position. The garment enables continuous measurement in the field at high sample rates (50 Hz), and the sensor has a large measurement range (16 g, 2000°/s). As electronic components are non-washable, instead of encapsulating them, a detachable module was created. In this, magnets are embedded in the jersey, and allow the positioning and removal of the sensor. The test results show that the average trunk-bending angle was 21.5°, and 99 percent of the observed angle fell within the standard (ranging from 8° to 35°). The findings demonstrate the feasibility of employing the smart shirt sensor to estimate trunk motions in the field on a regular basis.

Keywords: accelerometer; gyroscope; posture; smart garment; textile sensor; trunk angle.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Circuit and schematic design MPU6050 accelerometer sensor with MCU ESP8266.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The e-textile interconnections line embroidered into the garment, with 4 encapsulated magnets per detachable module (a) and sensors attached on the t-shirt (b).
Figure 3
Figure 3
MPU6050 orientation and polarity rotation.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The embroidering process (a) and position of trunk monitoring sensors on to textile garments (b).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Electrical resistance of embroidered thread HC-40 (a) and CA-74 (b).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Top sensor (a) and bottom sensor (b) output acceleration for 3-axis accelerometer during 5 min of cycling.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Top sensor (a) and bottom sensor (b) output angular velocity from the gyroscope.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Trunk back bending angle.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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