Field-Deployable Wearables with Machine Learning Methods for Warfighter Protection and Performance A
Abstract
The National Defense Strategy highlights the importance of rebuilding military readiness and the lethality of a capable force, inclu,ding maintaining a capable and fit force ready to fight. Achieving this goal means that each warfighter needs to be at their peak ph,ysical/mental health and excels in their training and qualifications while preventing musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries. Yet, what is m,issing are field-deployable, unobtrusive, wearable sensors that can be used during training, as well as in forward-deployed operatio,ns, to reliably assess and enhance warfighter physical function, performance, and MSK health. To address this technology gap, the PI, and his team, through ONR 6.1 funding, has successfully developed and validated a disposable, self-adhesive, elastic-fabric-based,,sensor (i.e., Motion Tape) that can be affixed practically anywhere on the skin/body to measure distributed skin-strains during move,ment. The sensing streams provided by these wearables, once fully developed, will provide personalized, detailed, and actionable war,fighter physical health and performance information which are simply unavailable today. Thus, the overarching goal of this project i,s to advance Motion Tape technology for evaluating MSK health, identifying preclinical signs of injuries, and enhancing physical per,formance/capabilities of the warfighter in diverse clinical, training, and forward-deployed settings. The first Aim will focus on de,veloping a scalable manufacturing protocol for producing high-quality nanocomposite fabric sensors of different forms, sizes, and de,signs that are suitable for different bodily regions and use cases. The second Aim will concentrate on controlled laboratory-based v,erification/validation tests of sensor performance. The extensive data streams collected will be processed and interpreted using sup,ervised machine learning (ML) methods to reveal insights about warfighter performance and health. The final Aim will entail close co,llaboration with other ONR program performers to conduct human subject studies with the objective of demonstrating the robustness, t,est-retest reliability, safety, and efficacy of Motion Tape in various relevant settings. The expected outcome is that the efficacy,of using Motion Tape for monitoring warfighter physical health and performance will be successfully demonstrated. The broader impact, is that the proposed sensors, tests, and ML algorithms will help transform how the military assesses, trains, and manages its activ,e duty, reserve, and veteran personnel. This added technological capability can potentially improve warfighter combat readiness, ret,ention on duty, and rapid return to service post-injury to collectively achieve asymmetrical advantage and overmatch against adversa,rial forces.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Aug 05, 2022
- Source ID
- N000142212550
Entities
People
- Kenneth J. Loh
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of California, San Diego