A Review of Wearable Sensor Systems for Monitoring Body Movements of Neonates

Sensors (Basel). 2016 Dec 14;16(12):2134. doi: 10.3390/s16122134.

Abstract

Characteristics of physical movements are indicative of infants' neuro-motor development and brain dysfunction. For instance, infant seizure, a clinical signal of brain dysfunction, could be identified and predicted by monitoring its physical movements. With the advance of wearable sensor technology, including the miniaturization of sensors, and the increasing broad application of micro- and nanotechnology, and smart fabrics in wearable sensor systems, it is now possible to collect, store, and process multimodal signal data of infant movements in a more efficient, more comfortable, and non-intrusive way. This review aims to depict the state-of-the-art of wearable sensor systems for infant movement monitoring. We also discuss its clinical significance and the aspect of system design.

Keywords: infant; movement monitoring; neonate; seizure; wearable sensor.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Age Factors
  • Databases as Topic
  • Humans
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Monitoring, Ambulatory / instrumentation*
  • Movement*
  • Statistics as Topic
  • Wearable Electronic Devices*