On-Field Deployment and Validation for Wearable Devices

Abstract

Wearable sensors are an important tool in the study of head acceleration events and head impact injuries in sporting and military activities. Recent advances in sensor technology have improved our understanding of head kinematics during on-field activities; however, proper utilization and interpretation of data from wearable devices requires careful implementation of best practices. The objective of this paper is to summarize minimum requirements and best practices for on-field deployment of wearable devices for the measurement of head acceleration events in vivo to ensure data evaluated are representative of real events and limitations are accurately defined. Best practices covered in this document include the definition of a verified head acceleration event, data windowing, video verification, advanced post-processing techniques, and on-field logistics, as determined through review of the literature and expert opinion. Careful use of best practices, with accurate acknowledgement of limitations, will allow research teams to ensure data evaluated is representative of real events, will improve the robustness of head acceleration event exposure studies, and generally improve the quality and validity of research into head impact injuries.

Consensus Head Acceleration Measurement Practices (CHAMP): Study Design and Statistical Analysis

“…Various works have previously quantified error for existing head impact measurement devices, 5 , 22 , 31 , 32 , 39 , 44 and CHAMP has two papers dedicated to head impact sensor error assessments that we point to here for brevity. 18 , 24 …”

“…Various works have previously quantified error for existing head impact measurement devices, 5,22,31,32,39,44 and CHAMP has two papers dedicated to head impact sensor error assessments that we point to here for brevity. 18,24 OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT Outside of study design, proper operational management is critical for collecting quality data to support research questions. Here, we identify a few study execution considerations derived from our experiences to help maximize the chances of completing a successful study.…”

Methods for the metrological characterization of wearable devices for the measurement of physiological signals: state of the art and future challenges

“…The importance of validating the sensors against a gold standard (both in laboratory and in real-life conditions) has been evidenced also by Kuo et al. [45] in the fields of sport and military applications. Some literature studies and the related results are reported hereafter, summarizing their findings in Table 1 .…”

Annals of Biomedical Engineering 2022 Year in Review

“…Given the wide range of assessment methods, the Consensus Head Acceleration Measurement Practices (CHAMP) group developed and published checklists in Arbogast et al corresponding to the current best practices in head kinematic measurements [1]. These checklists were synthesized from articles summarizing study design and statistical analysis of head acceleration measurements [22], laboratory and on-field validation of wearable head kinematic devices [8,13], and video analysis, physical reconstructions, and computational modeling of head acceleration events [7,10]. Altogether, these articles aimed to increase transparency of experimental designs and enable improved evaluation and interpretation of results across studies.…”