University of Venice Studies Seismocardiography with Movesense MD Sensors
Movesense welcomes the research project of Prof. Giovanni Salvatore and master’s student Alessandro Boldrin from the Supervenice unit at Ca’Foscari University of Venice to join the Movesense Academic Program. The project related to seismocardiography (SCG) aims to investigate how the Movesense MD sensor, with its integrated ECG and inertial sensing capabilities, could be used not only for physiological monitoring but also for studying the mechanical dynamics of the human heart and developing AI-driven diagnostic tools.
As part of his bachelor thesis, Boldrin has designed an experiment to explore the subtle mechanical dynamics of the human heart using SCG — a non-invasive sensing technique capable of detecting the micro-vibrations produced by cardiac motion.
In contrast to electrocardiography (ECG), which records the heart’s electrical activity, SCG provides direct insight into mechanical events such as valve movements, myocardial contractions, and ventricular filling. By integrating SCG and ECG measurements, for which the Movesense MD sensor provides a unique tool, the study aims to achieve a more complete understanding of cardiovascular performance and its variations among individuals with different physical conditioning.
The main objective of the study is to analyze mechanical cardiac differences between athletes and non-athletes and thus identify how long-term training affects the temporal and dynamic aspects of cardiac function such as the timing of different phases in the cardiac cycle.
The experiment examines how different postures and activities shape SCG signals and how the heart adapts to changing conditions. Data from the study will be used to train a convolutional neural network to read SCG and ECG patterns and automatically distinguish athletes from non-athletes based on their unique cardiac signatures.
In the future, this approach could grow into a diagnostic tool capable of spotting early cardiac issues and enabling personalized preventive care.
At Movesense, we are excited about this project, which makes great use of the versatile capabilities of the Movesense sensor and potentially opens up a significant new application area for the device in health and wellness use.
Supervenice – Scientific Unit for Physics and Engineering Research in Venice
Learn more about the Movesense MD sensor
Read our article about modern heart monitoring methods, which also includes seismocardiography.
