A Review of Robust Wearable Sensor Systems for Monitoring in Extreme Environments.

Area of Science:

• Physiological monitoring
• Extreme environment research
• Wearable sensor technology

Background:

• Polar expeditions train personnel for extreme environments, exposing them to significant physical, cognitive, and psychological stress.
• Wearable sensor systems are used for monitoring adverse effects but often lack robustness for long-term polar use.
• Existing systems face challenges like obtrusiveness, unreliability, and insufficient validation in extreme conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review existing literature on wearable sensor systems used in extreme environments.
• To define the characteristics of a "robust" wearable sensor system for polar expeditions.
• To identify design factors contributing to the success or failure of such systems.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review of wearable sensor systems evaluated in extreme environments.
• Analysis of system characteristics, including obtrusiveness, reliability, and validation status.
• Identification of design choices impacting robustness.

Main Results:

• No current wearable sensor system is fully robust for polar expeditions.
• Key deficiencies include being obtrusive, unreliable, and lacking validation.
• The research area is underdeveloped, necessitating more real-world testing.

Conclusions:

• A robust wearable sensor system for polar expeditions must be unobtrusive, reliable, and validated.
• Specific design choices are critical for achieving robustness and avoiding past failures.
• Further research and testing in polar or analogous environments are essential.