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What does a good biceps curl look like? Walk into a busy gym, and the answer may vary from one person to the next. Some people learn by watching a trainer, while others copy fellow gym-goers or follow videos on their phones. Without regular supervision, beginners may not recognize when their form changes or a movement is being performed incorrectly.

"An experienced coach can often spot such differences quickly. But in a crowded gym or training center, watching every repetition by every person is difficult," said Dr. Biswajit Saha, associate professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN).

"We wondered whether a wearable sensor could provide an additional way to examine movement, even when a coach cannot observe every repetition."

His research group at the Smart Materials Laboratory explored this question by building small, flexible sensor patches designed for strength training and sports such as tennis and swimming. The patches are now being tested on gym-goers and athletes in real training sessions, and the team is seeking industry and government partners to develop them further.

Placed on selected parts of the body, the patches record electrical changes associated with movement. The underlying principle is called piezoresistive sensing. In these sensors, mechanical deformation changes the electrical resistance. When the body moves, the patch deforms along with the skin and surrounding tissue.

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