Wearable device for tremor-like motion acquisition: a low-cost device using 3D printing for research and education

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a growing neurodegenerative disorder, with increasing global prevalence and challenges in both diagnosis and education. To assist in researching the domain of medical equipment and education training, this paper presents the design and implementation of a wearable device for continuous tremor-like motion monitoring in a laboratory prototype setting using low-cost materials and easy-to-build hardware. The tremor-like motion acquisition (TMA) is designed to be lightweight and non-intrusive, providing real-time acceleration-based motion measurement on the upper limb by measuring acceleration for both engineering research and educational demonstration. Notably, the TMA is constructed using fused deposition modeling techniques, offering a cost-efficient and rapid prototyping solution. Powered by a rechargeable battery, the TMA is designed for portability, with modular components that ensure flexibility and ease of maintenance. In addition, experimental tests are performed with a slider-crank mechanism to evaluate the data acquisition and motion-tracking capability under controlled mechanical excitation. As a result, the TMA meets design criteria, consisting of being lightweight, approximately 115 g, and low-cost, with a total hardware cost of $106.17, with a fast manufacturing time of 10 h. Furthermore, the monitoring tremor algorithm operates with results following the motion of the slider-crank mechanism and feeds the real-time data to software designed for smartphones, and no human-subject or clinical validation is conducted in this study.