Research and development, baby smart onesie

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The so-called "clothing, food, housing and transportation", as the "clothing" that ranks first in the basic human activities, carries the progress of science and technology. With the innovative integration of mobile communication, image technology, artificial intelligence and other technologies, driven by global applications and experiential consumption, wearable devices have developed rapidly and have become one of the fastest growing high-tech markets in the world.

Data shows that global wearable device shipments have grown from 29 million units in 2014 to 534 million units in 2021, and are expected to reach 637 million units by 2024. In recent years, with the development of wearable devices, the research of flexible smart clothing in monitoring human biological signals has also made great progress.

However, there is a big problem with existing smart clothing: high sensitivity and wide working range cannot be achieved simultaneously. Even very slight pressure can drastically reduce the sensitivity of the sensor. Moreover, the main target group of the market is adults, and the field of baby smart clothing is relatively weak.

Recently, researchers at the Children's Hospital in Helsinki, Finland, have developed a smart onesie for babies, which can track the development of the baby's nervous system while the baby is playing . Named "MAIJU", which stands for "Motion Assessment of Babies with One Piece", the onesie contains multiple detachable IMUs (Inertial Measurement Units, also known as motion sensors) that fit in the pockets of each limb inside.

The researchers first had 59 infants, ages 5 to 19 months, wear onesie, either at home or in a "home-like setting" at the study center. As the babies played, their movements were recorded by sensors and a camera. Immediately, machine-learning algorithms are used to match specific activity in the video clips to specific motion patterns recorded by the sensors.

The results show that the MAIJU sensor alone can accurately recognize different poses and different actions within those poses even without the help of a camera. In addition, the sensor data can also monitor the baby's neurological development and see how well interventional treatments are working if needed.

Overall, the onesie was able to monitor infant development longer than caregivers without any observer bias. Also, it can be used relative to unfamiliar clinical settings. In the future, the jumpsuit may not be limited to babies.