Development of a Wearable Wireless Sensing Device for Characterization of Hand Tremors Through Vibration Frequency Analysis

• Published in: Journal of Vibration Engineering & Technologies Vol. 11; no. 7; pp. 3109 - 3120
• Main Authors: Yousef, Mo’ath, Hafizh, Muhammad, Sassi, Sadok, Adeli, Gholam
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Singapore Springer Nature Singapore 01.10.2023
• Subjects: Acoustics; Control; Dynamical Systems; Engineering; Engineering Acoustics; Original Paper; Vibration; Hand tremors; Parkinson's disease; Frequency-domain analysis; Vibration spectrum; Micro-electro-mechanical systems; Essential tremor; Wearable sensors
• ISSN: 2523-3920; 2523-3939
• DOI: 10.1007/s42417-022-00734-2

Purpose To monitor the progression of diseases such as Parkinson’s disease (PD) or essential tremor (ET), there is a growing interest in understanding their side effects and continuously monitoring the deterioration or progress of patients’ health conditions. The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of a wearable monitoring device constructed from compact MEMS for robust tremor detection in the upper limb using three different storage and monitoring techniques. Method Four subjects (2 PD and 2 ET) with varying stages of disease and treatment willingly provided offline, online, and live modes of tremor data using a low-cost, miniaturized accelerometer and microelectromechanical device. Results The results demonstrated differences in voluntary and non-voluntary characteristics of various activities and the distinct separation between them in the vibration spectrum at the limit of 2 Hz. Online and live monitoring provided the best alternatives to continuous in-home tracking combined with extensive post-processing techniques to detect tremor segments. The findings also highlighted the emergence of noticeable peaks, in the range between 3 and 8 Hz, for the PD’s frequency response, compared to the ET case, where the broadband behavior dominates. Conclusion The possibility of using a dynamic tuned mass damper tuned with dominant peaks to be canceled opens opportunities for PD passive tremor suppression.