Accuracy and Precision of Wearable Devices for Real-Time Monitoring of Swimming Athletes

none4noNowadays, the use of wearable devices is spreading in different fields of application, such as healthcare, digital health, and sports monitoring. In sport applications, the present trend is to continuously monitor the athletes’ physiological parameters during training or competitions to maximize performance and support coaches. This paper aims to evaluate the performances in heart rate assessment, in terms of accuracy and precision, of both wrist-worn and chest-strap commercial devices used during swimming activity, considering a test population of 10 expert swimmers. Three devices were employed: Polar H10 cardiac belt, Polar Vantage V2, and Garmin Venu Sq smartwatches. The former was used as a reference device to validate the data measured by the two smartwatches. Tests were performed both in dry and wet conditions, considering walking/running on a treadmill and different swimming styles in water, respectively. The measurement accuracy and precision were evaluated through standard methods, i.e., Bland–Altman plot, analysis of deviations, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Results show that both precision and accuracy worsen during swimming activity (with an absolute increase of the measurement deviation in the range of 13–56 bpm for mean value and 49–52 bpm for standard deviation), proving how water and arms movement act as relevant interference inputs. Moreover, it was found that wearable performance decreases when activity intensity increases, highlighting the need for specific research for wearable applications in water, with a particular focus on swimming-related sports activitiesCosoli, Gloria; Antognoli, Luca; Veroli, Valentina; Scalise, LorenzoCosoli, Gloria; Antognoli, Luca; Veroli, Valentina; Scalise, Lorenz

Development of a contactless sensor system to support rail track geometry on-board monitoring

This paper is focused on the ongoing research, within a work package of the Shift2Rail project Assets4Rail, related to the development of an on-board contactless sensor system able to measure the wheel's transversal position in relation to the rail in order to support track geometry measurements. In particular, this research work focuses on developing a sensor system to support track geometry monitoring performed by the master system under development in other Shift2Rail projects. The aim is to develop a sensor system to detect the relative transversal position between the wheelset and the rail, suitable for the use on commercial (in-service) vehicles. In fact, a possible track geometry monitoring system alternative to the sophisticated and expensive optical/inertial systems and suitable for use on commercial vehicles, could be based on the measurement of accelerations. However, some parameters of the track geometry, such as lateral alignment, are extremely difficult to determine through the measurement of accelerations. In this case, it is necessary to find an innovative sensor system able to determine the wheel's transversal position in relation to the rail. For this reason, this project intends to focus on innovative systems that allow the detection of the wheel-track position by avoiding the optical/inertial systems already used on diagnostic trains. After a state-of-the-art overview on the potentially applicable technologies for the sensor system to be developed, a corresponding analytical tool for comparison of contactless sensors to choose the most suitable technology has been developed and two candidate technologies (stereo and thermal cameras) have been selected and assessed by means of a test platform in the facilities laboratory of VGTU (Vilnius Tech). This work will be the basis for developing a concept design of the sensor system together with a montage solution, which will be finally tested on a vehicle in real operation conditions

Heartbeat detection by Laser Doppler Vibrometry and Machine Learning

none6openAntognoli, Luca; Moccia, Sara; Migliorelli, Lucia; Casaccia, Sara; Scalise, Lorenzo; Frontoni, EmanueleAntognoli, Luca; Moccia, Sara; Migliorelli, Lucia; Casaccia, Sara; Scalise, Lorenzo; Frontoni, Emanuel

Wearable Electrocardiography for Physical Activity Monitoring: Definition of Validation Protocol and Automatic Classification

Wearable devices are rapidly spreading thanks to multiple advantages. Their use is expanding in several fields, from medicine to personal assessment and sport applications. At present, more and more wearable devices acquire an electrocardiographic (ECG) signal (in correspondence to the wrist), providing potentially useful information from a diagnostic point of view, particularly in sport medicine and in rehabilitation fields. They are remarkably relevant, being perceived as a common watch and, hence, considered neither intrusive nor a cause of the so-called "white coat effect". Their validation and metrological characterization are fundamental; hence, this work aims at defining a validation protocol tested on a commercial smartwatch (Samsung Galaxy Watch3, Samsung Electronics Italia S.p.A., Milan, Italy) with respect to a gold standard device (Zephyr BioHarness 3.0, Zephyr Technology Corporation, Annapolis, MD, USA, accuracy of +/- 1 bpm), reporting results on 30 subjects. The metrological performance is provided, supporting final users to properly interpret the results. Moreover, machine learning and deep learning models are used to discriminate between resting and activity-related ECG signals. The results confirm the possibility of using heart rate data from wearable sensors for activity identification (best results obtained by Random Forest, with accuracy of 0.81, recall of 0.80, and precision of 0.81, even using ECG signals of limited duration, i.e., 30 s). Moreover, the effectiveness of the proposed validation protocol to evaluate measurement accuracy and precision in a wide measurement range is verified. A bias of -1 bpm and an experimental standard deviation of 11 bpm (corresponding to an experimental standard deviation of the mean of approximate to 0 bpm) were found for the Samsung Galaxy Watch3, indicating a good performance from a metrological point of view

Requirement specifications for track measuring and monitoring systems // Specifiche di requisiti per sistemi di misura e monitoraggio del binario

L’articolo descrive i primi risultati di Assets4Rail, un progetto, finanziato con fondi UE, che vuole offrire un contributo al trasferimento modale a favore della ferrovia attraverso lo studio, l’adattamento e la sperimentazione delle più avanzate tecnologie di monitoraggio e manutenzione, in modo da realizzare un sistema di intervento proattivo ed economicamente efficiente sugli asset ferroviari (intesi sia come infrastruttura, sia come materiale rotabile con particolare riguardo ai difetti che hanno conseguenze sull’armamento)). Il cuore del progetto è lo sviluppo di un sistema integrato per raccogliere ed analizzare informazioni, utilizzando specifici sensori lungo la linea o sistemi automatici di monitoraggio, montati a bordo dei veicoli commerciali, per la rilevazione di difetti che hanno impatti non trascurabili sull’infrastruttura. La prima parte del progetto, come descritto nel presente articolo, è costituita dall’indagine sullo stato dell’arte, attraverso l’esame di precedenti progetti nazionali ed europei, articoli scientifici, idee proposte dall’industria, con lo scopo di individuare catalizzatori, riferimenti e soluzioni emergenti e di valutare tecnologie e soluzioni potenzialmente applicabili nel campo dei sistemi di sensori per il monitoraggio della geometria del binario. In questo contesto l’articolo definisce i requisiti funzionali, operativi, di sicurezza e le prestazioni per lo sviluppo e la sperimentazione di un sistema di sensori da istallare a bordo, in grado di misurare la posizione trasversale della ruota rispetto alla rotaia per coadiuvare le misure della geometria del binario.The paper shows some initial results of Assets4Rail, an EU founded project that aims to contribute to the modal shift towards rail by exploring, adapting and testing the most advanced technologies for railway asset monitoring and maintenance, in order to ensure a proactive and cost-effective maintenance and intervention systems on the assets (both rail infrastructure and rolling stock with regard to defects affecting the track). The core of the project is to develop an integrated system to gather and analyse information, collected by specific on-site sensors, as well as train mounted automated monitoring systems, for detecting defects that have non-negligible impacts on infrastructure. The first step of the project, as described in the present paper, is the state-of-the-art review of previous EU/national funded projects, industry solutions and research papers, to identify drivers, benchmarks and emerging solutions and assess potentially applicable technologies and solutions in the fields of sensor system for track geometry monitoring. In this context, the paper defines the requirements, classified into functional, operational, performances and safety for further developments and testing of an on-board sensor system able to measure the transversal position of the wheel in relation to the rail in order to support track geometry measurement

Heat Generation During Initial Osteotomy for Implant Site Preparation: An In Vitro Measurement Study

Introduction Controlling temperature generation during implant site preparation is important to prevent implant early failure. Aim The present in vitro study aimed at measuring temperature variation generated during the initial osteotomy using both rotatory and piezo-surgical inserts. Methods Nine groups were defined according to drill and insert type, cooling volume (mL/min) and cooling temperature. A total of 315 implant site preparations were performed in an artificial bone sample and the temperature was measured using an infrared camera. Drills' wear was assessed using scanning electron microscopy at baseline and after 10 and 35 utilizations. Results Piezo-surgical insert groups determined a temperature increase that was significantly higher than the one generated by rotatory drills groups (p = 40 degrees C was never recorded. Conclusion Lower saline temperature implied a significant temperature decrease (p < 0.001), while the increase in cooling volume did not imply a temperature decrease. The scanning electron microscopy analysis of the drills demonstrated that little drill wear occurred up to 35 utilization times

Present and future operation of rail freight terminals

Rail freight has not progressed coherently to economy: during the last century, the wagonload was the core business of railways, later declining in favor of combined transport, which include the notion of transshipment in an intermediate terminal. Terminals are a key element of transport services and, in this study, the main goal are methods suitable to evaluate the performances of different types of rail freight terminals: Rail to road for long distance and shorter range units transfer, Rail to rail for shunting and/or gauge interchange, Rail to waterways (sea and inland). The evaluation of the performances of terminals and the influence on them of innovative operational measures and technologies is based on a selected combination of tested analytical methods based on sequential application of algorithms and discrete events simulation models, capable to quantify different Key Performance Indicators

Enanced video heart rate and respiratory rate evaluation: Standard multiparameter monitor vs clinical confrontation in newborn patients

Vital signs in neonatal care are usually measured by a multiparameter monitor (MM). However, this kind of device is inaccurate on the assessment in newborns, which can present different respiratory patterns and superficial breathing, resulting hardly detectable by the MM. In some cases, the assessment of the physician is more effective on the evaluation of the patient. In this paper we present a non-contact solution to measure the respiration rate (RR) and heart rate (HR) using a commercially available web-camera (WeC) and a personal computer (PC). We use Eulerian Video Magnification (EVM) to amplify the color variations in the image sequence. By extracting the signal from the thorax portion of the patients we are able to measure the RR and HR by spectral analysis. The results are compared with the MM and the assessment of the physician. The measures of RR and HR correlate with the data from the MM and result even more accurate than the MM when compared with the physician's evaluation. We collect data on 40 patients demonstrating the feasibility of this method. The measure of RR and HR shows a root mean square error of 6.8 bpm for the HR and 2.1 bpm for the RR

Analytical and simulation based methods for assessing measures and technologies capable to improve operation in railway freight terminals

The topic of freight transport by rail is a complex theme and, in recent years, a main issue of European policy. The legislation evolution, the White Paper 2011 and many research projects promoted by EU Commission, e.g. Capacity4Rail (C4R), have demonstrated the European intention to re-launch this sector. One of the main objectives of C4R Project is to improve the performances of railway freight transport to reduce the market share of road freight transport. In this context railway freight terminals play a primary role for the supply chain: they are the connection among the various transport modes and the nodal points where the freight are handled, stored and transferred or shunted to final customer. Objects of this paper are methods and main results achieved by the research group of DICEA within the C4R Project. The main objective is to contribute to the increase of rail freight traffic through the development of future freight terminals, based both on innovative operational measures (e.g. horizontal and parallel handling, faster and fully direct handling) and on innovative technologies (e.g. automatic system for horizontal and parallel handling, automated gate for data exchange, driverless locomotives). The research work focusses on the assessment of potential effects of these innovations in railway freight terminals. Operational measures and technologies compose different scenarios, to evaluate by a methodological approach including both analytical methods and simulation models. The output of this assessment methods are key performance indicators (KPIs), e.g. total/partial transit time, setup according to analysed terminal typologies and related to different aspects (e.g. management, operation and organization). Finally, in addition to illustrated methodological framework, some results on selected case studies include the intermodal Munich-Riem rail to road freight terminal (Germany), the Hallsberg marshalling yard (Sweden) and the intermodal Principe Felipe rail-sea freight terminal in Valencia port (Spain)