PFT-TT: Using Textile-Based Wearable Sensors Coated with Nanocomposites for Virtual Health and Physical Rehabilitation

Award ID: 2329838

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project include the development of improved treatment methodologies for millions of Americans with injuries and movement difficulties. The innovative wearable sensors developed through this program have the potential to allow physical therapists and clinicians to provide better care by monitoring their progress remotely and access to continuous data collected outside of the clinic setting, in the patients natural work/home environment. The commercial and societal benefits of this technology offer the potential to reinvigorate segments of the US smart apparel and textile industries as well as nanomanufacturing and nanomaterial characterization. The progress achieved through this project will help in advancing the clinical applications of wearable sensors. Although wearable sensors have made significant progress in recent years, most application focus on vital signs such as pulse and activity levels (e.g. number of steps) with very little attention to human motion, which is a critical unmet need. The sensors developed could lay the foundation for future assistive devices and prosthetics where sensors are integrated for active therapy, feedback, and motion assistance. The proposed project focuses on advancing the technical foundation of textile based wearable sensors developed using an innovative and scalable electrophoretic deposition nanomanufacturing process. The ultra-sensitive wearables have the capability to detect and capture the kinematics and kinetics of human movement. These sensors can be used by physical therapists and clinicians to collect vital data about patient progress outside of a laboratory/clinical setting, which is crucial for providing improved healthcare. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need to develop new technologies that facilitate virtual health for the evaluation of patient outcomes remotely. An interdisciplinary approach, leveraging collaboration between researchers from materials science, nanomaterials, composite materials, sensing and neuromuscular biomechanics, will be used to evaluate the sensing response, develop calibration protocols, and estimate sensor efficacy. The sensors are non-invasive, comfortable to wear, and low-cost, and the constituent materials used are commercially available for less than $1/gram. Research and development work on improving the robustness and durability, and the creation of a framework for calibration will expand the applications of wearable sensors and potentially facilitate new treatments. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Program Director: Mara E. Schindelholz