1.The quantification and assessment of dynamic hydrogeomorphological processes is crucial in defining suitable habitat for aquatic benthic species. Yet a consistent approach to accurately record and monitor near-bed flow characteristics, remains largely undefined in freshwater ecology.2.The purpose of this work was to provide a direct, non-intrusive, low-cost and accessible tool to evaluate near-bed incipient flow conditions and predict when flow forcing results in the entrainment of individuals.3.This study designed, for the first time, an instrumented freshwater mussel, encompassing inertial microelectromechanical sensors (MEMS), housed within Margaritifera margaritifera shells.4.Following initial calibration of the embedded sensors to ensure accurate detection of three-dimensional displacement, dedicated flume experiments were undertaken to assess instrumented shell movement metrics, for a range of flow conditions and shell orientations.5.Analysis found that data from the sensors' readings could successfully detect, and potentially predict, entrainment events through the examination of variability in recordings of total acceleration, with entrainment risk shown to vary across flowrate, shell orientation and size.6.Instrumented shells could provide a valuable tool for assisting conservation management of freshwater mussel species: aiding the identification and monitoring of suitable habitat in reintroduction and restoration schemes. Instrumented shells could also assist habitat suitability surveys for a range of freshwater species, intimately linked to the physical environment of freshwater ecosystems.7.Evidence from this study suggests further research into this tool may yield methods for accurately predicting more complex flow metrics associated with hydraulic stress. It is therefore clear that the potential of this tool is still to be fully investigated.