Sports Science & Human Vibration

The effects of vibration on human beings, whether as a result of using machines (drills, hydraulic
hammers, driving) or as part of their involvement in sport or human endeavour, is one that has
steadily increased in its importance for both health reasons and for the never ending goal to
improve human performance. Measuring vibration in these applications has many challenges
relating to accelerometer size, mounting as well as cabling which can be restrictive.

Application note:

As part of the development for the wireless accelerometer, DJB was looking for a human vibration
application to demonstrate how measurement of vibration using wireless technology could be
beneficial. One idea was the measurement of vibration in a gaming application, typically using
hand held controllers which offered a vibration response.
The test was set up using a common gaming system which offers the user to be involved via
vibration feedback when ‘crashing’ on screen during gameplay. DJB used an ultra miniature
A/28 teardrop accelerometer mounted on a finger ring which was in turn connected to the new
prototype wireless hub worn on the users wrist. With the player engrossed in active game play the
wireless system was triggered and vibration measurements from the accelerometer were recorded
when the controller vibrated. It proved to be a very successful test with surprisingly high vibration
levels. Similar technology could be used for hand tools, sports equipment etc.

• Low mass
• Miniature and ultra-miniature sizes
• Proven track record of performance
• Custom cable lengths to suit build requirements
• Wide variety of mounting method

Typical accelerometers used:

Many applications can be heavily reliant on the size of the accelerometer, where temperature is rarely an issue, with IEPE becoming a common choice.
A/128, A/28 
AT/18, AT/08 
AT/10, AT/01
DC MEMS accelerometers are also commonly used for low frequency testing.