Foetal Movement Detection and Characterization Based on Force Sensing

This study presents a detection system for foetal movement classification based on the magnitude of force exerted on a pregnant woman’s abdominal wall. Despite the effectiveness of ultrasound method in foetal monitoring, the characterization of movement depends on an expert’s skill. A detection system was developed by incorporating force-sensitive resistor array into a wearable belt for pregnant women. The system characterized hand, leg and trunk movement with accuracy ranging from 75% to 93% with an accuracy of 98% on single movement detections compared to accelerometer performance. The system is thus a promising technique for low cost foetal movement detection.