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PhD-Ergonomic of gesture. Effect of body posture and load on human performance.
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... The smart shirt created by the (Politecnico di Milano, SensibiLab, Lecco, Italy) integrates two textrodes embedded into the cloth and a three-axial accelerometer, connected by two fasteners (nickel-free material). The t-shirt is connected with a dedicated App for collecting and managing data of tri-axial-acceleration (anterior-posterior, medio-lateral and vertical) and ECG recording in real-time [20][21][22]. ...
... While the second method considers the pendulum model, according to Fusca et al. [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]26], Eq. (2). ...
This paper presents a method to calculate spatiotemporal parameters using a chest-worn accelerometer. Accuracy was compared with an optical system that consists of a walkway of transmitting and receiving bars (Microgait, Optogait, Bolzano, Italy). To this purpose, seventeen healthy male wore a smart shirt based worn accelerometer performing five meters of walkway delimited by five meters of optical bars OptoGait™ for three times. Spatiotemporal parameters such as gait cycle and gait phases were analysed and compared using the two systems. Smart shirt based on chest-worn accelerometer revealed to be a non-intrusive way of calculating gait cycle, phases and sub-phases. In addition, the inverted pendulum model based on chest body-worn accelerometer revealed to be a good model for calculating step length variation and consequently the speed. Our results, are in line with previous literature presenting an average of 60.24 % of stance phase, 39.75% of swing phase, a foot flat subphase of 17.60%, a terminal stance subphase of 21.42%, a pre-swing subphase of 10.65%, a step length of 0.74 m for an average speed of 1.37 m/s using the smart shirt.
... Ergonomics integrates with multiple disciplines, including biological anthropology, genetics, anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, psychology, and design, to improve objects and processes for human use [21,22]. According to Reilly [23], no one can achieve "world-class" performance in a poor ergonomic environment. ...
Protective and sport clothing is governed by protection requirements, performance, and comfort of the user. The comfort and impact performance of protective and sport clothing are typically subjectively measured, and this is a multifactorial and dynamic process. The aim of this review paper is to review the contemporary methodologies and approaches for measuring ergonomic wear comfort, including objective and subjective techniques. Special emphasis is given to the discussion of different methods, such as objective techniques, subjective techniques, and a combination of techniques, as well as a new biomechanical approach called modeling of skin. Literature indicates that there are four main techniques to measure wear comfort: subjective evaluation, objective measurements, a combination of subjective and objective techniques, and computer modeling of human–textile interaction. In objective measurement methods, the repeatability of results is excellent, and quantified results are obtained, but in some cases, such quantified results are quite different from the real perception of human comfort. Studies indicate that subjective analysis of comfort is less reliable than objective analysis because human subjects vary among themselves. Therefore, it can be concluded that a combination of objective and subjective measuring techniques could be the valid approach to model the comfort of textile materials.
... Heart rate variability (HRV) is a physiological measurement of the autonomic activity of the heart (ChuDuc, NguyenPhan, & NguyenViet, 2013). The autonomic nervous system (ANS) actively compensates for injury or fatigue by modulating the balance between parasympathetic and sympathetic cardiovascular control mechanisms (Scataglini, 2017). HRV is the physiological phenomenon of variation in the time interval between heartbeats. ...
... This influence was assigned as weights in the vertex groups. Weight painting mode was used to tweak which part of the mesh was affected by each group [17,18], (Fig. 10). ...
In this paper, we present a new framework to integrate movement acquired by a motion capture system to a statistical body shape model using Blender. This provides a visualization of a digital human model based upon anthropometry and biomechanics of the subject. A moving statistical body shape model helps to visualize physical tasks with inter-individual variability in body shapes as well as anthropometric dimensions. This parametric modeling approach is useful for reliable prediction and simulation of the body shape movement of a specific population with a few given predictors such as stature, body mass index and age.
... The design of smart clothing is crucial to obtain the best results. Identifying all the steps involved in the functional design workflow can prevent a decrease in the wearer's performance ensuring a successful design [1][2][3][4][5]. ...
In this paper we present an innovative approach to design smart clothing using statistical body shape modeling (SBSM) from the CAESAR™ dataset. A combination of different digital technologies and applications are used to create a common co-design workflow for garment design. User and apparel product design and developers can get personalized prediction of cloth sizing, fitting and aesthetics.
... In term of prototyping, three smart cloths were realized [14]. ...
Smart clothes development history started in the military field and this still remains a main application field. A soldier is like a high-performance athlete, where monitoring of physical and physiological capabilities of primary importance. Wearable systems and smart clothes can answer this need appropriately. Smart cloth represents a “second skin” that has a close, “intimate” relation with the human body. The relation is physiological, psychological, biomechanical and ergonomical. Effectiveness of functional wear is based on the integration of all these considerations into the design of a smart clothing system. The design of smart cloth is crucial to obtain the best results. Identifying all the steps involved in the co-design workflow can prevent a decrease in wearer’s performance ensuring a more successful design. This paper presents all the steps involved in the workflow for the design of a proposed solution of a smart garment for monitoring soldier’s performance.
Smart clothing and body sensors for military use may not sell the same way smartphones do, but it’s still a growing market. Tractica forecasts that overall shipments of smart clothing will rise from 968,000 units in 2015 to 24.75 million units in 2021, a compound annual growth rate of nearly 72 percent. Smart clothing has become a key component in the creation of new military uniforms, designed to improve the health of the soldier while providing added battlefield insight. Smart military clothing is expected to be a $500 million market by next year. The military has partnered with industry leaders, other government agencies, and academia to support and advance the development of potential smart clothing solutions that would be beneficial to the U.S. military by giving them a technological and tactical advantage over its foes,” write the students of the University of California Berkley ’ s Sutardja Center in their analysis of the smart clothing market. Agent Detection is also known as environmental sensors, these sensors are designed to detect and avert dangers by measuring things such as radiation, chemicals, viruses, bacteria, fungi, humidity, temperature and atmospheric pressure. When working with smart clothing and body sensors, the challenge is to create a garment that can be treated like other clothing, being comfortable, flexible and washable. At the same time, many wearable systems are meant to be worn during rugged activity. Soldiers in the field need wearable clothing that can withstand a wide range of temperatures. This clothing also needs to provide effective shock and vibration resistance, as well as resistance to chemicals or solvents that might otherwise destroy a commercial device.
Evaluating human performance and identifying critical constraints in the human-machine-environment system is a challenge: the high number of variables and their mutual relation-ships and influence on the multiple degrees of freedom make it a complex task.
Despite this complexity an ecologic approach is needed to analyse the system in its natural functioning. Smart clothing provides a solution to monitor in real time mechanical, environmental, and physiological parameters in this ecological and non-intrusive approach. These parameters can be used to detect gesture or specific patterns in movements, to design more efficient specific training programs for performance optimization, and screen for a potential cause of injury.
Designing a fitting and comfortable sensing garment should consider at the beginning the analysis of human dimensions and requested actions to be carried out. Starting from an anthropometric approach collected on 1615 Belgian soldiers, the paper presents all the steps involved in designing our functional smart clothing for human performance evaluation taking in consideration the biomechanical evaluation of user gestures such as fitness, shooting, climbing, cycling,...etc.
Physiological and biomechanical acquisition of the soldier’s performances wearing the smart clothing were monitored and quantified permitting the redesign and the technological refinement of the garment.
Variations in heart rate can be evaluated by several methods and measurements instruments. Smart clothing offers the opportunity to monitoring soldier’s physiological status in an intrusive and ecological approach. Intensive military training, missions, fatigue can create Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) and Physical Exhaustion (FPE) on soldier’s performances. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a physiological measurement of the autonomic activity of the heart. The autonomic nervous system actively compensates for injury or fatigue by modulating the balance between parasympathetic and sympathetic cardiovascular control mechanisms. The collaboration between the Politecnico di Milano, the Belgian Royal Military Academy and the Military hospital Queen Astrid aims at developing a smart cloth for monitoring soldier’s physiological status based on a wearable textile electrodes (“textrode”) technology for ECG measurements. Heart rate variability measurements in time and in frequency domain were extrapolated through a MATLAB algorithm that works offline on time intervals between successive heartbeats from electrocardiographical (ECG) recording collected by the two textrodes embedded on the cloth. The innovative marks of the study stem not only from the ability to optimize the evaluation in terms of human resources and in a non-invasive way for humans but also from the possibility to implement a new assessment for the evaluation of soldier’s physiological status.
Human movement analysis is an important part of biomechanics and rehabilitation, for which many measurement systems are introduced. Among these, wearable devices have substantial biomedical applications, primarily since they can be implemented both in indoor and outdoor applications. In this study, a Trunk Motion System (TMS) using printed Body-Worn Sensors (BWS) is designed and developed. TMS can measure three-dimensional (3D) trunk motions, is lightweight, and is a portable and non-invasive system. After the recognition of sensor locations, twelve BWSs were printed on stretchable clothing with the purpose of measuring the 3D trunk movements. To integrate BWSs data, a neural network data fusion algorithm was used. The outcome of this algorithm along with the actual 3D anatomical movements (obtained by Qualisys system) were used to calibrate the TMS. Three healthy participants with different physical characteristics participated in the calibration tests. Seven different tasks (each repeated three times) were performed, involving five planar, and two multiplanar movements. Results showed that the accuracy of TMS system was less than 1.0°, 0.8°, 0.6°, 0.8°, 0.9°, and 1.3° for flexion/extension, left/right lateral bending, left/right axial rotation, and multi-planar motions, respectively. In addition, the accuracy of TMS for the identified movement was less than 2.7°. TMS, developed to monitor and measure the trunk orientations, can have diverse applications in clinical, biomechanical, and ergonomic studies to prevent musculoskeletal injuries, and to determine the impact of interventions.
Background: Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is a physiological marker of the autonomic activity of the heart. For patients with cardiological diseases it has been used for risk stratification and health prediction. Other applications extend from psychology to sports science. However, in case of heart rate changes many standard measures are unreliable. Methods: A new geometric measure for HRV is introduced. It is based on relative RR intervals, the difference of consecutive RR intervals weighted by their mean. Results: The proposed measure is simple, robust and reasonable for computing HRV. It can be applied even to short RR sequences with artifacts and missing values.
The textile-based materials, equipped with nanotechnology and electronics, have a majorrole in the development of high-tech milltary uniforms and materials. Active intelligent textilesystems, integrated to electronics, have the capacity of improving the combat soldiers performanceby sensing, adopting themselves and responding to a situational combat need allowing thecombat soldiers to continue their mission. Meantime, smart technologies aim to help soldiersdo everyth~ngth ey need to do with a less number of equipment and a lighter load. In this study,recent developments on smart garments, especially designed for military usage owing to theirelectronic functions, and intelligent textlle-based materials that can be used in battlefield, areintroduced.
Importance:
Disrupted autonomic nervous system functioning as measured by heart rate variability (HRV) has been associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is not clear, however, whether reduced HRV before trauma exposure contributes to the risk for development of PTSD.
Objective:
To examine whether HRV before combat deployment is associated with increased risk of a PTSD diagnosis after deployment when accounting for deployment-related combat exposure.
Design, setting, and participants:
Between July 14, 2008, and May 24, 2012, active-duty Marines were assessed 1 to 2 months before a combat deployment and again 4 to 6 months after their return. The first phase of the Marine Resiliency Study (MRS-I) included 1415 male Marines, 59 of whom developed PTSD after deployment. Participants in the second phase of the Marine Resiliency Study (MRS-II) included 745 male Marines, 25 of whom developed PTSD after deployment. Analysis was conducted from November 25, 2013, to April 16, 2015.
Main outcomes and measures:
Predeployment HRV was measured via finger photoplethysmography during a 5-minute period of rest. Frequency-domain measures of HRV were generated. Diagnosis of PTSD was determined using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale.
Results:
After accounting for deployment-related combat exposure, lower HRV before deployment as measured by an increased low-frequency (LF) to high-frequency (HF) ratio of HRV was associated with risk of PTSD diagnosis after deployment (combined MRS-I and MRS-II cohort meta-analysis odds ratio, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.10-1.98; P = .01). The prevalence of postdeployment PTSD was higher in participants with high predeployment LF:HF ratios (15.8% [6 of 38 participants]) compared with participants who did not have high LF:HF ratios (3.7% [78 of 2122 participants]).
Conclusions and relevance:
This prospective longitudinal study provides initial and modest evidence that an altered state of autonomic nervous system functioning contributes to PTSD vulnerability, taking into account other key risk factors. If these findings are replicated, interventions that change autonomic nervous system function may open novel opportunities for prevention and treatment of PTSD.
This paper discusses the user and technical requirements in designing smart garments for biomedical monitoring in several and very different applications: in hospital settings, during activities of daily living (ADL), sport and fitness, home care, working environments.
Anthropometric and gender considerations are to be included into design as well as textile requirements like elasticity, washability and chemical agents effects for preserving sensors' efficacy and reliability, and assuring the proper duration of the product for the complete life cycle.
Phisiological issues are mainly due to skin conductance (and related operations: cleaning, scrubbing the external layer of dead skin cells, the presence of hair - expecially in male subjects), skin tolerance and irritation, and the effect of sweat and perspiration.
All these factors strongly affect the design and technical choices (materials in particular) but aesthetical requirements are proved to be crucial as well as.
For this aspect, user's age, target application, and fashiontrend could not be ignored, because they determine the final success of the wearable monitoring approach.
The use of intelligent textiles in clothing is an exciting new field with wide-ranging applications. Intelligent textiles and clothing summarises some of the main types of intelligent textiles and their uses. Part one of the book reviews phase change materials (PCM), their role in such areas as thermal regulation and ways they can be integrated into outdoor and other types of clothing. The second part of the book discusses shape memory materials (SMM) and their applications in medical textiles, clothing and composite materials. Part three deals with chromic (colour change) and conductive materials and their use in such areas as sensors within clothing. The final part of the book looks at current and potential applications, including work wear and medical applications. With its distinguished editor and international team of contributors, Intelligent textiles and clothing is an essential guide for textile manufacturers in such areas as specialist clothing (for example, protective, sports and outdoor clothing) as well as medical textiles.