Use of Head-Mounted Inertial Sensors for Mobility Tasks: Protocol for a Scoping Review.

Area of Science:

• Human activity recognition (HAR)
• Sensor technology
• Gerontology and rehabilitation

Background:

• Human activity recognition (HAR) utilizes sensors to detect human movement, with applications ranging from personal health to monitoring age-related physical decline.
• While consumer wearables like smartwatches are common for HAR, their long-term usage is often limited.
• Head-worn devices (e.g., headphones, hearing aids) offer a potential solution due to existing user adoption and integrated sensors like accelerometers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review on the utilization of head-worn devices for monitoring dynamic mobility tasks.
• To investigate whether head-worn devices have been compared against traditional monitoring methods such as smartwatches or in-sole sensors.

Main Methods:

• The review will adhere to the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) framework.
• Searches will be conducted across PubMed, Engineering Village, SCOPUS, and Web of Science databases, with no publication date limitations.
• A three-stage screening process involving two independent reviewers will be employed: abstract/title screening, full-text screening, and data extraction.

Main Results:

• The search and data extraction are scheduled to commence following the publication of this scoping review protocol.

Conclusions:

• Head-mounted devices, increasingly common and equipped with sensors like accelerometers and inertial measurement units, present a promising avenue for mobility task measurement.
• This review will synthesize existing research on head-worn sensors for mobility monitoring.
• Findings will inform the adaptation of consumer head-worn devices to enhance the lives of individuals through improved health monitoring.