Special Session 5

SPECIAL SESSION #5

Wearables for Physiological and Human Activities Monitoring: Sensors, Algorithms and Applications

Carlo Massaroni

University Campus Bio-Medico of Roma, Italy

• c.massaroni@unicampus.it

Chiara Romano

University Campus Bio-Medico of Roma, Italy

• c.romano@unicampus.it

Mariangela Pinnelli

University Campus Bio-Medico of Roma, Italy

• mariangela.pinnelli@unicampus.it

Wearable technologies are gaining popularity for monitoring a broad spectrum of human activities and physiological signals across various scenarios. Their growing popularity stems from the need for cost-effective and inconspicuous approaches to assess health and performance in real time. Wearable devices, seamlessly integrated into daily routines, enable the continuous collection of valuable data in both everyday and high-intensity environments.

Wearable technologies are capable of measuring a wide range of parameters, including physiological signals, user states, and activity levels, offering actionable insights for individuals such as athletes, emergency responders, and firefighters. In particular, wearable-based monitoring provides an effective means to collect unbiased and quantifiable data, even in challenging scenarios characterized by extreme environmental conditions and intense physical demands. This capability is especially valuable for medical professionals, sports scientists, and safety engineers seeking to optimize performance, ensure safety, and improve recovery strategies in high-risk professions.

The special session aims to explore a range of wearable-related topics, spanning from innovative sensors and devices to advanced algorithms, simulation and modeling strategies for physical and cognitive assessment, unique biomarkers for non-traditional measures, and real-time, realistic data streaming.

The main topics are related to:

• Sensors design and metrological characterization;
• Cutting-edge technologies and devices for wearable and nearables monitoring;
• Reliability, validity and accuracy of sensors and measuring systems;
• Algorithms for processing and interpreting data;
• Strategies for simulating and modeling physical and cognitive assessments;
• Traditional and non-traditional biomarkers from unobtrusively collected signals;
• Metrics, algorithms and signal processing techniques;
• Physiological and physical variables, signals, and techniques;
• Challenges and solutions for real-time data streaming, ensuring data accuracy in realistic scenarios.

Dr. Carlo Massaroni received his BSc (2010) and MSc (2012) in Biomedical Engineering and Ph.D. in Bioengineering (2017) from Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma (UCBM). Currently, he is Tenure-Track Assistant Professor at UCBM. His research interests are focused on the design, development, and tests of sensors, measuring systems and devices for mechanical and thermal measurements, with particular emphasis on the design of wearable and unobtrusive systems for the measurement of physiological and biomechanical parameters. He is principal investigator and WP leader in several ongoing national and international projects dealing with wearable and unobtrusive technologies for physiological monitoring and biomarkers estimations in the medical, occupational and sports fields. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE, and serve as Secretary in IEEE Sensors Council Italy Chapter. He is also Associate Member of the "Wearable Biomedical Sensors & Systems" TC of the IEEE EMB.

Chiara Romano (Student Member, IEEE) received the M.Sc. (cum laude) degree in biomedical engineering from the Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma (UCBM), Rome, Italy, in 2021, where she is currently the Ph.D. degree. Her main research interests include the design, development, and testing of wearable devices for monitoring physiological parameters.

Mariangela Pinnelli (Student Member, IEEE) received the M.Sc. (cum laude) degree in biomedical engineering from the Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma (UCBM), Rome, Italy, in 2023, where she is currently the Ph.D. degree. Her main research interests include the testing of wearable devices for monitoring physiological parameters and human motion data in occupational scenarios and firefighters.