Wearable nanocomposite kinesiology tape for distributed muscle engagement monitoring

Abstract Sports coaches help athletes develop and improve their skills by assessing ability to perform motion primitives that make up functional sports tasks. coaching today is mostly done visually, which demands constant attention can be imprecise. While sensors like electronic textiles surface electromyography measure muscle engagement, they are susceptible movement artifacts noise due electrode issues. Therefore, the work reported here focuses on our development of self-adhesive, fabric-based directly affixed onto skin for monitoring skin-strains distributed muscular engagement during movements. The vision these readily used individuals better assess execution approach integrates piezoresistive graphene nanosheet thin films with kinesiology tape (K-Tape). Because every location film responsive strains, electrodes also judiciously placed along nanocomposite strain sensing. Nanocomposite or “Smart K-Tape” were fabricated, electromechanical tests conducted characterize tensile, compressive, cyclic sensing properties. Upon confirming linearity, repeatability, stability, high sensitivity, wore Smart K-Tape over different groups as performed prescribed exercise stretching K-Tapes outputted unique waveforms revealed speed duration through sequences. Furthermore, region contraction could localized using each a sensor, demonstrated promise convenient quantitative primitive assessment tool relevant athletic development.