Wearable Optical Fiber Sensors for Biomechanical Measurement in Medical Rehabilitation: A Review

With the increasing demand for rehabilitation of the elderly population and patients with limb injuries, it is imperative to develop new wearable health monitoring system and assistive rehabilitation equipment. Optical fiber sensing has the advantages of lightweight, anti-electromagnetic interference, higher strain and elastic limit, safety, and dependableness. It has been significantly used in engineering prospecting, building structure monitoring, and medical and health fields. At present, the application of optical fiber sensing in medical rehabilitation has been developed rapidly; however, the discussion and summary of its key theories and technologies are insufficient. This review details different types of optical fiber sensing mechanisms and devices, as well as the measurement of physical parameters using optical fiber sensors and application examples in the field of medical rehabilitation. This review systematically analyzes the advance of the sensitivity, flexibility, accuracy, and wearability of the optical fiber sensing in the monitoring of human body sign information. This review also discusses the challenges of making a new generation of optical fiber sensors that fit human joints, muscles, and rehabilitation equipment. Finally, this review provides a research direction for the realization of flexible, comfortable, safe, stable monitoring of human biomechanical parameters, and real-time precise control of rehabilitation equipment in the future.