Development of a polymeric optical fiber sensor for stress estimation: A comparative analysis between physiological sensors

Gaitán-Padilla, María; Munera, Marcela; Pontes, Maria José; Vieira Segatto, Marcelo Eduardo; Cifuentes, Carlos; Diaz, Camilo A R

Abstract

The global prevalence of stress and its far-reaching impact on well-being has spurred the pursuit of innovative solutions for physiological and stress monitoring. Existing methods, whereas informative, often lack cost-efficiency, daily usefulness, real-time capabilities, or user comfort. This study introduces a novel approach using a low-cost wearable polymeric optical fiber (POF) sensor to classify stress in 12 healthy individuals (seven women and five men) using the Trial Social Stress Test (TSST) method for stress induction. The study's methodology involves validating the POF sensor's physiological measurement, comparing it with a fiber Bragg Grating (FBG)-based sensor and with an electrocardiogram (ECG) commercial sensor, and subsequent making a stress classification approach using a Bagged Decision Tree Classifier (BDTC). To the authors' knowledge, this is the first work implementing POF and FBG sensors in stress detection. The results showcase the POF sensor's proficiency in capturing pulse and respiration signals, aligning closely with established monitoring sensors. The tested classification algorithm with the POF sensor exhibits an accuracy of 92.37% in the validation stage and 84.75%, recall of 79.41%, precision of 93.10%, and F-score of 85.71%. These results demonstrate the POF sensor's potential to be a reliable stress indicator. Also, considering the reduction in the size of the optical interrogation system for the POF sensor compared to FBG interrogation systems, the proposed sensor can be used in complete wearable systems. For future work, the sensor will be improved in terms of TRL and tested in real-scenario applications.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 16, 2024
• Deposit Date: Jul 26, 2024
• Journal: IEEE SENSORS JOURNAL
• Print ISSN: 1530-437X
• Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Keywords: Index Terms-Fiber Optic Sensors; Physiological Monitoring; Polymeric Optical Fiber; Stress Detection; Wearable
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/12711057