Abstract
This article presents a novel smart sensor garment with integrated miniaturized inertial measurements units (IMUs) that can be used to monitor lower body kinematics during daily training activities, without the need of extensive technical assistance throughout the measurements. The smart sensor tights enclose five ultra-light sensor modules that measure linear accelerations, angular velocities, and the earth magnetic field in three directions. The modules are located at the pelvis, thighs, and shanks. The garment enables continuous measurement in the field at high sample rates (250Hz) and the sensors have a large measurement range (32g, 4,000°/s). They are read out by a central processing unit through an SPI bus, and connected to a centralized battery in the waistband. A fully functioning prototype was built to perform validation studies in a lab setting and in a field setting. In the lab validation study, the IMU data (converted to limb orientation data) were compared with the kinematic data of an optoelectronic measurement system and good validity (CMCs >0.8) was shown. In the field tests, participants experienced the tights as comfortable to wear and they did not feel restricted in their movements. These results show the potential of using the smart sensor tights on a regular base to derive lower limb kinematics in the field.
Highlights
Over the years, the physical demands of football have increased
To compare the inertial measurements units (IMUs) data with the optoelectronic measurement results, the raw IMU data were converted to joint angles and joint angular velocities
In this study, a fully functional prototype of a garment was developed for monitoring lower limb kinematics during every day, on-the-field training situations
Summary
The physical demands of football have increased. In the English Premier league for example, high intensity running distance and sprinting distance increased by more than 30% between 2006 and 2012 (Barnes et al, 2014). The high physical demands in football lead to a substantial injury risk. In professional football 8.1 injuries per 1,000 hr of play were reported based on epidemiological data of 44 studies (López-Valenciano et al, 2020). Most injuries occur during competitive matches (Owoeye et al, 2020), and almost one-third of all time-loss injuries are muscle related. More than 90% of all muscle injuries are lower limb injuries, of which 37% concern the hamstrings (Ekstrand et al, 2011). 04 Jan 2022 at 09:59:37, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use
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