UNIT I INTRODUCTION TO WEARABLE SYSTEMS AND

SENSORS
Wearable Systems- Introduction, Need for Wearable Systems, Drawbacks
of Conventional Systems for Wearable Monitoring, Applications of
Wearable Systems, Types of Wearable Systems, Components of wearable
Systems. Sensors for wearable systems-Inertia movement sensors,
Respiration activity sensor, Inductive plethysmography, Impedance
plethysmography, pneumography, Wearable ground reaction force
sensor.

Chapter 1
Wearable Systems- Introduction
Wearable technology is any kind of electronic device designed to be worn
on the user's body. Such devices can take many different forms, including
jewelry, accessories, medical devices, and clothing or elements of
clothing. The term wearable computing implies processing or
communications capabilities, but in reality, the sophistication among
wearables can vary.

The most sophisticated examples of wearable technology

include artificial intelligence (AI) hearing aids, Google Glass and
Microsoft's HoloLens, and a holographic computer in the form of a virtual
reality (VR) headset. An example of a less complex form of wearable
technology is a disposable skin patch with sensors that transmit patient
data wirelessly to a control device in a healthcare facility.

Need for wearables

Fundamentally, wearables can perform the following basic functions or
unit operations
• Sense
• Process (Analyze)
• Store
• Transmit
• Apply (Utilize)
Of course, the specifics of each function will depend on the application
domain and the
wearer, and all the processing may occur actually on the individual or at
a remote location
(e.g., command and control center for first responders, fans watching the
race, or viewers
enjoying the mountaineer’s view from the Mount Everest base camp).

Figure 2 is a schematic representation of the unit operations associated

with obtaining and
processing situational data using wearables. For example, if dangerous
gases are detected by a wearable on a first responder, the data can be
processed in the wearable and an alert issued. Simultaneously, it may be
transmitted to a remote location for confirmatory testing and the results –
along with any appropriate response (i.e., put on a gas mask) – can be
communicated to the user in real-time to potentially save a life . This same
philosophy can also be used by an avid gamer who might change his
strategy depending on what “weapons” are available to him and how his
opponents are performing. Each of these scenarios requires personalized
mobile information processing, which can transform the sensory data into
information and then to knowledge that will be of value to the individual
responding to the situation. While wearables are being used in many
fields, as discussed, this chapter will focus primarily on wearables in the
healthcare domain. Wearables provide an unobtrusive way to
longitudinally monitor an individual – not just during the day but, over
the individual’s life-time. Such an expansive view of the individual will
be valuable in detecting changes over time and help in early detection of
problems and diseases leading to preemptive care and hence, a better
quality of life. Inferring the potential of wearables in other application
domains should be straightforward and can be accomplished by
instantiating the fundamental principles and concepts presented here.
Attributes of wearables
A sensor is defined as “a device used to detect, locate, or quantify energy
or matter, giving a signal for the detection of a physical or chemical
property to which the device responds”. Not all sensors are necessarily
wearable, but all wearables, as discussed earlier and shown in Figure 2,
must have sensing capabilities. The key attributes required of an ideal
wearable are shown in Figure 4. From a physical standpoint, the wearable
must be lightweight and the form factor should be variable to suit the
wearer. For instance, if the form factor of the wearable to monitor the vital
signs of an infant prone to sudden infant death syndrome prevents the
infant from (physically) lying down properly, it could have significant
negative implications. The same would apply to an avid gamer – if the
form factor interferes with her ability to play “naturally,” the less likely
that she would be to adopt or use the technology. Esthetics also plays a
key role in the acceptance and use of any device or technology. This is
especially important when the device is also seen by others i.e., the
essence of fashion. Therefore, if the wearable on a user is likely to be
visible to others, it should be esthetically pleasing and, optionally, even
make a fashion statement while meeting its functionality. In fact, with
wearables increasingly becoming an integral part of everyday lives, the
sociological facets of the acceptance of wearables open up exciting
avenues for research. Ideally, a wearable should become such an integral
part of the wearer’s clothing or accessories that it becomes a “natural”
extension of the individual and “disappears” for all intents and purposes.
It must have the flexibility to be shape-conformable to suit the desired
end-use; in short, it should behave like the human skin. The wearable must
also have the multifunctional capability and be easily configurable for the
desired end-use application. Wearables with single functionality (e.g.,
measuring just the heart rate) are useful, but in practical applications,
more than one parameter is typically monitored; and, having multiple
wearables – one for each function or data stream – would make the
individual look like a cyborg and deter their use even if the multiple data
streams could be effectively managed. The wearable’s responsiveness is
critical, especially when used for real-time data acquisition and control
(e.g., monitoring a first responder in a smoke-filled scene). Therefore, it
must be “always on.” Finally, it must have sufficient data bandwidth to
enable the degree of interactivity, which is key to its successful use.
Finally, wearables can be classified based on their field of application,
which can range from health and wellness monitoring to position tracking.
“Information processing” is listed as one of the application areas because
many of these traditional functions such as processing e-mail can now be
done on a wearable in the form of a wristwatch. It is important to note that
not all the classes are mutually exclusive. For instance, a wearable can be
multifunctional, active, noninvasive, and be reusable for health
monitoring. The proposed taxonomy serves two key functions: First, it
helps in classifying the currently available wearables so that the
appropriate ones can be selected depending upon the operating
constraints; second, it helps in identifying opportunities for the design and
development of newer wearables with performance attributes for sp ecific
areas that need to be addressed.
Taxonomy for wearables
Figure 5 shows the proposed taxonomy for wearables. To begin with, they
can be classified as a single function or multifunctional. They can also be
classified as invasive or noninvasive. Invasive wearables (sensors) can be
further classified as minimally invasive, those that penetrate the skin
(subcutaneous) to obtain the signals, or as an implantable, such as a
pacemaker. Implantable sensors require a hospital procedure to be put into
place inside the body. Noninvasive wearables may or may not be in
physical contact with the body; the ones not in contact could either be
monitoring the individual or the ambient environment (e.g., a camera for
capturing the scene around the wearer or a gas sensor for detecting
harmful gases in the area). Noninvasive sensors are typically used in
systems for continuous monitoring because their use does not require
extensive intervention from a healthcare professional.
Wearables can also be classified as active or passive depending upon
whether or not they need the power to operate; pulse oximetry sensors fall
into the former, while a temperature probe is an example of a passive
wearable that does not require its power to operate. Yet another view of
wearables is the mode in which the signals are transmitted for processing
wired or wireless. In the former, the signals are transmitted over a physical
data bus to a processor; in the wireless class of wearables, the
communications capability is built into it, which transmits the signals
wirelessly to a monitoring unit.