Ensuring Reliability in Wearable AI for Sport and Health
About
This hybrid workshop brings together researchers and innovators from the PERSIMMON consortium to explore how next generation wearable technologies can achieve reliability, accuracy and real world usability in sports and health applications. The session highlights the multidisciplinary work carried out within the project, spanning materials science, signal processing, wireless communication and applied validation.
The event will open with an overview of the current landscape of wearable devices for physiological monitoring, followed by four focused presentations:
Details
- 20 March 2026 | 11:00–13:00
- Politecnico di Torino (Italy) and Online
Agenda
- 11:00-11:10 > PERSIMMON project introduction
Debora Beneduce / Guido Pagana (LINKS Foundation)
- 11:10-11:30 > PERSIMMON Under the Microscope: Reliability and Feature Comparison with a Reference Device
Kousha Nikkar (LINKS Foundation)
- 11:30-11:50 > Balancing Functionality, User Perception, and Sustainability in Wearable Medical Design for Healthcare Adoption
Shavini Stuart (Holst Centre – TNO)
- 11:50-12:00 > coffee break
- 12:00-12:20 > Adapting contemporary electronic assembly techniques for novel applications
Gustaf Mårtensson (Mycronic AB)
- 12:20-12:40 > From BLE to Fat-IBC: Leveraging Intrabody Signal Transmission as a Secure Data Highway
Bappaditya Mandal (Uppsala University)
- 12:40-13:00 > Q&A and greetings
Speakers
Backend Software Engineer
Biography
Kousha Nikkar is currently working on the Persimmon project at LINKS Foundation, focusing on backend automation, data pipelines, and applied AI for physiological signal processing from wearable sensors.
He has developed IoT solutions including a Smart Cabinet for smart home applications and an indoor positioning algorithm for Mauriziano Hospital, as well as a data-driven suggestion system for Car2Go and Enjoy Services using machine learning.
Kousha is an experienced Android developer with production-level apps and educational games reaching over 30,000 users worldwide. His thesis involved mapping the neighbourhood of microtonal music scales using Self-Organizing Maps to enhance modulation techniques and discover innovative shifts.
His work bridges experimental data infrastructure, intelligent systems, and applied software engineering.
Abstract
The presentation will introduce the end-to-end validation pipeline developed for the Persimmon wearable device, focusing on reproducible data acquisition, low-level signal reconstruction, and quantitative comparison against a reference-grade system. We implemented simultaneous multi-sensor recordings (ECG and multi-wavelength PPG), reconstructed proprietary binary data formats at sample-level resolution, and established precise synchronization. A structured signal processing framework, including DC and baseline removal, bandpass filtering, peak detection, beat segmentation, and template-based SNR estimation, was applied to evaluate signal quality and heart rate agreement. Comparative analysis using SNR metrics and Bland-Altman evaluation demonstrates the methodological robustness of the validation framework and provides insight into Persimmon’s performance across wavelengths and subjects.
Expert researcher in microfluidics, diagnostics, rheology and MEMS
Biography
Gustaf Mårtensson has a PhD in fluid mechanics from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm, Sweden, and works as an expert of complex fluids at Mycronic AB. Gustaf’s research covers a broad range of subjects ranging from microfluidics, material research and rheology. These areas have applications in electronics production, as well as point-of-care diagnostics. Gustaf is also affiliated to KTH and Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.
Abstract
The presentation will touch on overall strategies with respect to the production of contemporary electronics, but focus on novel techniques to address the production of flexible and stretchable electronics with novel biodegradable materials.
Expert Researcher in wireless and embedded technologies
Biography
Dr. Bappaditya Mandal joined Uppsala University in 2019 and is presently working as a senior researcher at Uppsala University, Sweden, and an IEEE Senior Member. His work broadly covers wireless and embedded technologies, microwave non-invasive sensing, and applied electromagnetics, with an emphasis on prototype-driven research and experimental validation. He serves on the Editorial Board of Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine (Taylor and Francis), and holds editorial roles including Senior Regional Editor and Associate Editor for Frontiers in Antennas and Propagation, as well as Senior Regional Editor and Associate Regional Editor for Advanced Electromagnetics (AEM). He is also an active reviewer for journals including Nature Communications, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering (TBME), IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques (MTT), International Journal of RF and Microwave Computer-Aided Engineering, Electronics, Sensors, IEEE Access, IET Microwaves, Antennas and Propagation, Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine, Applied Sciences, Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering: Imaging and Visualization, and IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters. He is actively involved in teaching and mentoring, and regularly engages with both students and professors through course activities, joint projects, and workshops.
Abstract
This presentation introduces Fat-Intrabody Communication (Fat-IBC) as a novel Human Body-Centric Communication (HBC) technique enabling secure, high-bandwidth, and low-loss signal transmission through the body’s subcutaneous fat layer. After outlining limitations of existing intrabody communication modalities—such as galvanic, capacitive, inductive, ultrasound, and RF coupling—the work motivates Fat-IBC as a natural dielectric waveguide offering improved privacy, stability, and signal confinement. This talk covers experimental, simulation, and practical validations, including phantom fabrication, dielectric characterization, in-vivo porcine and NHP trials, and anechoic chamber studies, demonstrating reliable transmission, reduced surface leakage, and robust performance compared to BLE. The development of specialized Fat-IBC antennas, sensors, and shielding designs further enables full-body connectivity for medical monitoring and neural interfacing. Applications span biophysiological sensing, implant-to-implant communication, and advanced neuro-prosthetic systems, culminating in a vision for future wireless neural data communication (WNDC) platforms and clinical deployment.
Senior Scientist in Medical Wearable Technology and hybrid printed electronics
Biography
Shavini Stuart is a Senior Scientist and Program Lead for Smart Wound Care and Vital Signs Wearables at the Holst Centre (TNO). She specializes in hybrid printed electronics (HPE), translating complex engineering challenges into human-centred healthcare solutions. Her work integrates materials science, biomedical engineering, and systems design to develop wearable technologies for wound management and physiological monitoring, with sustainability and eco-design considered from early development stages. She focuses on aligning technical innovation with clinical relevance, wearability, and long-term healthcare impact.
Abstract
The title of the presentation is “Balancing Functionality, User Perception, and Sustainability in Wearable Medical Design for Healthcare Adoption”.
Flexible electronic patches for medical and sports applications require careful integration of multilayer material build-ups with sensing functionality and wearable performance. This work highlights key design challenges in hybrid printed electronic (HPE) architectures, where conductive layers, dielectrics, encapsulation films, and adhesives must function reliably under mechanical strain while maintaining signal stability and skin conformity. A topic further expanded on within an EU project Persimmon for sustainable patches in these two domains. Trade-offs arise between flexibility and robustness, electrode–skin contact stability and user comfort, as well as increased functionality and system complexity. In clinical settings such as wound monitoring and vital signs assessment, additional constraints include biocompatibility, moisture management, and compatibility with care workflows. In sports applications, durability under motion becomes critical.
By examining the interdependence between materials, sensing architecture, and wearability, this framework addresses the practical challenges that determine real-world adoption of flexible electronic patches.
Organizers
