Development of Novel Big Data Analytics Framework for Smart Clothing

Recent advances in micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) have produced wide variety of wearable sensors. Owing to their low cost, small size and interfacability, those MEMS based devices have become increasingly commonplace and part of daily life for many people. Large amount of data from heart and breath rates to electrocardiograph (ECG) signals, which contain a wealth of health-related information, can be measured. Hence, there is a timely need for novel interrogation and analysis methods for extracting health related features from such a Big Data. In this paper, the prospects from smart clothing such as wearable devices in generating Big Data are critically analyzed with a focus on applications related to healthcare, sports and fashion. The work also covers state-of-the-art data analytics methods and frameworks for health monitoring purposes. Subsequently, a novel data analytics framework that can provide accurate decision in both normal and emergency health situations is proposed. The proposed novel framework identifies and discusses sources of Big Data from the human body, data collection, communication, data storage, data analytics and decision making using artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms. The paper concludes by identifying challenges facing the integration of Big Data analytics with smart clothing. Recommendation for further development opportunities and directions for future work are also suggested.