Researchers from the University of Helsinki created a smart jumpsuit that accurately measures the spontaneous and voluntary movement of infants starting at five months old. The jumpsuit helps doctors assess abnormal neurological development and more. A study on the jumpsuit assessed a seven-month-old child, but the team plans to conduct studies with older children in the future.
The smart jumpsuit provides the first opportunity to quantify infants' spontaneous movements outside the laboratory. Source: Sampsa Vanhatalo
Quantitative tracking of children’s spontaneous motility in a natural environment hasn’t been possible until now. Today children are assessed at a physician or physiotherapist’s office and often their behavior isn’t the same in these environments as it is at home. With the jumpsuit, children can be assessed in their natural environment.
For assessment, a child wears the jumpsuit at home and the next day the jumpsuit is returned to the doctor’s office the next day where the results are processed. After measurement, an infant’s actual movements and physical positions are determined down to the second. The new method is just as reliable as humans reviewing a video of the child’s movement. Computational measures are applied to the data and detect precise variation in motility from five months old.
Detection of abnormalities in neurological development in infants at an early age allows doctors and parents to start intervention early. Often problems with language development, attention regulation and motor development overlap. Brain plasticity is the strongest in early childhood and the earlier problems are addressed, the more likely they are to be fixed. Children benefit from exercises that are specifically targeted at strengthening brain development during daily activities.
There are a few factors that aggravate the risk of problems, including preterm birth, perinatal brain damage, lack of early care and insufficient stimulation in growth environment. Developmental disorders can lead to learning difficulties and obstacles when competing for education and jobs later in life. Early detection and support can help children overcome these problems before they become too serious.
A paper on the smartsuit was published in the Scientific Journal.
