Wearable sensor technology for science and health research

Do you own a smartwatch or fitness tracker and use it to monitor your behaviour over time? Have you ever wondered what other types of wearable sensors exist and how they are used in scientific research? This blog article will highlight how a range of wearable technology is used in research across the Faculty of Science and Health at the University of Essex.

In our School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering researchers in the Brain-Computer Interfaces and Neural Engineering group use mobile electroencephalogram (EEG) headsets to record electrical activity in the brain. Professor Reini Scherer explains “When someone focuses or imagines a movement, the patterns detected by the EEG sensor change in ways we can recognise. We can identify movement intentions like ‘go’ or ‘turn’ in real time, which allows people to drive a robot car without touching anything”. As well as being a fascinating example of ‘mind over matter’, this approach helps scientists understand how the brain responds under pressure. Reini says “It’s possible to determine how anxiety disrupts clear intention signals and how supportive training can help people regain focus. A simple robot car becomes a way to observe how the brain behaves when someone feels calm or stressed, offering new insights into how to understand and reduce anxiety”.

Wearable sensor technology allows researchers in our Department of Psychology to study human behaviour in more natural and active situations. Mobile eye trackers, which combine a head-mounted camera with additional cameras pointing at the eyes and fit within a pair of glasses allow real-time recording of what people are looking at. Dr Tom Foulsham states “Using this technology, we have shown how eye contact is much more nuanced and variable in real situations, giving us a better understanding of how gaze is used as a social signal, and how this may be disrupted in situations like video conferencing or in people with neurodivergent conditions”. Tom is also using mobile eye trackers to study how people move in active tasks like walking or how elite athletes behave in sports such as cricket.

In our School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Science, wearable sensors are being used to better understand the complex relationships between the brain, muscles, and behaviour. “Movement is one of the most fundamental things we do” says Dr Bernard Liew. “Our bodies are constantly in motion, driven by muscles, coordinated by the brain, and shaped by everything from injury and disease to our environment, habits, and even social context”. To observe human movement, Bernard uses wearable technologies such as inertial measurement units (IMUs), small devices attached to different parts of the body that measure acceleration and rotation, and electromyography (EMG) sensors, which measure tiny electrical signals produced when muscles activate. Bernard explains “These wearable technologies make it possible to detect when muscles turn on, how strongly they are working, and how different muscles coordinate during movement, helping us better understand how pain or fatigue affects coordination and daily movement patterns”.

Researchers in our School of Life Sciences and School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Sciences are using wearable technology sensors to monitor the behaviour of livestock and wild animals. To better understand why duck numbers are declining in England, Professor Tom Cameron uses Global Positioning System (GPS) tags to track how female Mallards use the landscape during the breeding season. Tom says “GPS tracking gives us a way to investigate where female ducks are building their nests and why some are more successful than others at raising their young”. Tom also works with Professor Edward Codling to study grazing behaviour in cattle and goats at Highwoods Country Park in Colchester using GPS collars, aiding with conservation grazing efforts to manage and restore the natural landscape. Location sensors are also used to track movements of dairy cattle in indoor barns where heat stress is becoming an increasing problem. Prof Codling says “Our tracking sensors allow us to analyse how indoor-housed dairy cows respond to, and cope with, heat stress in an unprecedented level of detail, and to explore the complex interactions between cow behavioural choices and their environment.” Similar animal-mounted sensors and tags are also used in collaborative research projects with farmers and conservation groups across England and Wales.