Wunderbar
Secure attachment between parent and child is essential for healthy development and begins in infancy. When parents are unable to correctly interpret their baby’s signals, stress can increase and negative interaction patterns may develop. Because infants cannot verbalize their needs, objective and reliable monitoring in the home environment is crucial.
Current methods for measuring infant stress are limited. Most techniques only detect long-term stress, while accurate short-term measurements require hospital-based sensors. At home, assessments rely mainly on subjective observations and questionnaires, making it difficult to identify the causes of stress.
The Wunderbar (KIEM) project addresses this gap by developing a non-invasive, textile-based monitoring system that enables continuous stress measurement in infants at home. The system combines physiological indicators such as heart rate, Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (RSA), and skin conductance (EDA) to provide better insight into stress responses and their triggers.
To achieve this, textile-integrated bodysuits with built-in ECG and EDA sensors have been developed as early prototypes. These aim to provide a comfortable and practical wearable solution. Initial findings show strong potential, but further research is needed to improve measurement accuracy, optimize sensor placement, and ensure usability in real-life home settings.
The project is carried out by Saxion, the University of Twente, IMH Nederland, and Mentech Innovation. The project contact is Eliza Bottenberg.
