Multimodal wearable biosensors in sports: integrating physical and chemical sensing for performance and health

Abstract

Wearable technologies have emerged as essential tools for monitoring athletes’ performance and physiological states in real time. This review systematically examines advances in biosensing and wearable systems for sports applications, highlighting their design, sensing modalities, and integration strategies. Athlete tracking and data acquisition form the foundation for personalized training, injury prevention, and performance optimization. Biopotential sensors, including electrocardiography (ECG), electromyography (EMG), electroencephalography (EEG)/electroneurogram Electroneurography, and biopotential electrodes, provide insights into cardiac, muscular, and neural activity. Physical sensors, such as temperature, piezoresistive, piezoelectric, balance and acceleration, pressure, optical, and galvanic skin response (GSR) sensors, enable real-time assessment of movement, mechanical load, body posture, stress, and environmental interactions. Chemical sensors, including sweat and glucose sensors, facilitate non-invasive metabolic monitoring, supporting hydration and energy management. Integrated and hybrid biosensor systems combine multiple sensing modalities, offering comprehensive real-time feedback and personalized analytics for athletes. Despite these advances, challenges remain in sensor miniaturization, power efficiency, data accuracy, wireless communication, and user comfort. Future directions focus on artificial intelligence-driven data analysis, flexible and durable materials, multi-modal integration, and fully personalized wearable platforms. Collectively, wearable biosensing technologies present a transformative approach to sports monitoring, enabling enhanced performance evaluation, injury prevention, and long-term health management.