Advances in Wearable Sensor Technology for Injury Risk and Performance Assessment

Dear Colleagues,

Wearable sensors have emerged as an effective technology for recording human physiological signals, which can then be utilized to gain insights on human health, comfort, and/or performance across varied tasks. Examples of such sensor systems include inertial motion capture sensors, heart-rate sensors, insole pressure measurement, and gloves with load cells for force measurement. This Special Issue aims to synthesize recent advancements in the design, validation, and application of wearable sensors in monitoring human conditions and conducting risk assessment to ensure safety across industrial, healthcare, and sport domains.

We invite original research and review articles in (but not limited to) the following themes:

• Workplace Evaluations: use of wearable sensors to assess risk of injury in occupational settings, and data-driven solutions for detecting spatial and temporal (e.g., fatigue) effects of interventions.
• Rehabilitation and Accessibility: wearable sensor applications in monitoring patient health and risk of injury (e.g., falls), providing targeted rehabilitation to patients, and tracking patient progress.
• Sports Performance Evaluation: wearable sensor applications in monitoring athlete biomechanics and physiological responses, fitness-tracking, and injury risk assessment, enabling data-driven training and performance enhancement.
• New Product Assessments: use of sensor data from wearable sensors for comparative assessments of comfort, usability, and productivity of new designs for consumer products.

This Special Issue also welcomes contributions on foundational and technical aspects that enhance the reliability, functionality, and usability of wearable sensors, including the following topics of interest:

• Design and Validation: validation-based studies of portable sensor-based measurements against traditionally used gold-standard equipment, and their reliability in complex real-world conditions.
• Advanced Signal Processing Techniques: use of machine learning and forecasting techniques on data sourced from wearable sensors, use of artificial intelligence (AI) for processing large datasets, and estimation/prediction of injury risk.
• Wearability Considerations: design of novel wearable devices with embedded sensors, ergonomic considerations in mounting/attachment, flexible/adaptable sensors, and improvements in user comfort and wearability.

This Special Issue aims to expand the discussion to real-world applications, addressing challenges such as sensor accuracy, long-term usability, and data interpretation in dynamic settings. Particularly, studies focused on conducting field assessments using wearable sensors are encouraged. By bridging the gap between laboratory research and applied practice, this issue will provide new insights into the scalability, validation, and effectiveness of wearable technologies across diverse domains.

We welcome contributions that push the boundaries of wearable sensing technologies and their applications in improving human performance, safety, and well-being.

Dr. Pranav Madhav Kuber
Dr. Pablo Escobedo
Guest Editors

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• physiological data acquisition
• signal processing
• machine learning
• human movement science
• wearable technology
• assistive devices
• human–machine interaction