The growing interest in the development of smart textiles for medical applications\nis driven by the aim to increase the mobility of patients who need a continuous monitoring\nof such physiological parameters. At the same time, the use of fiber optic sensors (FOSs) is\ngaining large acceptance as an alternative to traditional electrical and mechanical sensors for\nthe monitoring of thermal and mechanical parameters. The potential impact of FOSs is\nrelated to their good metrological properties, their small size and their flexibility, as well as\nto their immunity from electromagnetic field. Their main advantage is the possibility to use\ntextile based on fiber optic in a magnetic resonance imaging environment, where standard\nelectronic sensors cannot be employed. This last feature makes FOSs suitable for monitoring\nbiological parameters (e.g., respiratory and heartbeat monitoring) during magnetic resonance\nprocedures. Research interest in combining FOSs and textiles into a single structure to\ndevelop wearable sensors is rapidly growing. In this review we provide an overview of the\nstate-of-the-art of textiles, which use FOSs for monitoring of mechanical parameters of\nphysiological interest. In particular we briefly describe the working principle of FOSs\nemployed in this field and their relevant advantages and disadvantages. Also reviewed are\ntheir applications for the monitoring of mechanical parameters of physiological interest.
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