Wearable and Smartphone-Based Sensors in Support of Human-Comfort-Driven Structural Analysis of Building Components

Abstract

The continuous progress and advancement of innovation in technology and development of digital tools makes modern structural engineers and technicians of the building and construction sector increasingly able to solve a multitude of design issues. In most of cases, they can take advantage of, and support from, low-cost and even portable sensors characterized by generally medium-high accuracy and commercial availability. In this paper, the attention is focused on the analysis of recent investigations which have been carried out within the scope of human-comfort-driven structural analysis and design of building components. More precisely, the use of wearable and smartphone-based sensors for the experimental derivation of mechanical parameters of utmost importance and technical interest for the design of pedestrian systems is explored. On the one hand, as shown, the elaborated setup makes it fast and easy to acquire body motion parameters for pedestrians moving on different substructures. At the same time, relevant feedback could possibly be obtained from customers on their corresponding comfort.