Monitoring Human Body Joint Rotations Based on Wearable Magnetic Strap Modules and the Jacobian Matrix of Magnetic Fields

Abstract

This work presents the development of a novel methodology in monitoring human body joint rotations based on magnetic tracking (localization). This project leverages the development of an experimental platform that can be used for healthcare within different domains such as senior care for evaluating rehabilitation therapies, the assessment of human body movements of stroke survivors, other patients with sensorimotor disorders, as well as, in space for monitoring astronauts during the execution of strength training and aerobic exercises. The main contribution is a novel magnetic tracking methodology that allows for the tracking of a magnetic dipole source in five degrees-of-freedom (5DOF) without the use of numerical methods. This approach is based on using the Jacobian matrix of the magnetic flux density from a dipole magnet. By using this approach, magnetometers that sense the magnetic flux density will be able to determine the position and orientation of a magnetic dipole source.