Research
Publications
01
Monitoring fetal movement with wearable sensors
These studies used research prototypes, not the FeMo device in development.
Variability in fetal movement patterns captured by different wearable sensors
Ghosh AK, Ronoue MAM, Vaidyanathan R, Nowlan NC. IEEE Sensors Journal, 2026.
Compared movement patterns recorded at home by three types of sensor in five pregnancies, from 25 to 38 weeks. Most measures differed between sensor types, but the number of movements per hour was similar. The study also introduced an automatic method for detecting fetal hiccups.
Comparative performance evaluation of fetal movement-detecting wearable sensors using a body-worn device
Ghosh AK, Shahid OI, Nowlan NC, Vaidyanathan R. IEEE Sensors Journal, 2024.
Compared accelerometers, acoustic sensors and piezoelectric sensors in a wearable belt over 33 hours of home use. The piezoelectric sensor performed best on its own, and combining sensor types improved detection.
Multi-modal detection of fetal movements using a wearable monitor
Ghosh AK, Catelli DS, Wilson S, Nowlan NC, Vaidyanathan R. Information Fusion, 2024.
Described a wearable belt combining three types of sensor, with an algorithm that separates fetal movements from the mother's own movements. Tested against participants' own sense of movement over 33 hours of home recordings.
A novel fetal movement simulator for the performance evaluation of vibration sensors for wearable fetal movement monitors
Ghosh AK, Burniston SF, Krentzel D, et al. Sensors, 2020.
Built a laboratory simulator of fetal kicks to compare three types of sensor. Acoustic and piezoelectric sensors picked up weaker kicks than accelerometers, and the piezoelectric sensor gave the clearest signal in most tests.
02
Why fetal movement matters for development
Altered biomechanical stimulation of the developing hip joint in presence of hip dysplasia risk factors
Verbruggen SW, Kainz B, Shelmerdine SC, et al. Journal of Biomechanics, 2018. European Society of Biomechanics S.M. Perren Award 2018.
Used fetal MRI and computer models to study kicks in pregnancies with risk factors for hip dysplasia. Kick forces and stresses in the hip joint were lower in breech pregnancies and those with low amniotic fluid.
Stresses and strains on the human fetal skeleton during development
Verbruggen SW, Kainz B, Shelmerdine SC, et al. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 2018.
Used fetal MRI and computer models to estimate kick forces and the resulting stresses on the fetal skeleton between 20 and 35 weeks. Kick force peaked at around 30 weeks, while stress and strain on the skeleton continued to rise.
Biomechanics of fetal movement
Nowlan NC. European Cells and Materials, 2015.
A review of how space and conditions in the womb affect fetal movement, and how movement shapes the developing bones and joints.
03
Pregnant people's views
Women's perspectives on fetal movement monitoring in high and low stillbirth settings: a mixed-methods study
Dubuisson N, Diez Campa M, Ghosh AK, McAuliffe FM, Nowlan NC. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 2026.
Surveyed 234 women in eight countries with low and high stillbirth rates about the advice they received on monitoring fetal movement. Advice varied widely, a third of women in high-stillbirth countries received none, and 78% reported at least occasional anxiety about their baby's movements.