Artificial intelligence assisted wearable flexible sensors for sports: research progress in technology integration and application

ABSTRACT The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) and digitalization has increased the use of wearable flexible sensors in sports. The integration of new materials and artificial intelligence has markedly enhanced the monitoring and intelligent processing capabilities of these sensors, achieving substantial improvements in accuracy and response speed. However, these sensors still encounter challenges in complex environments, including optical interference, temperature fluctuations, humidity, and mechanical stability, which severely impact their monitoring performance. This article provides a comprehensive review of the latest advancements in artificial intelligence-assisted wearable flexible sensors for motion detection, focusing on the operational mechanisms, performance enhancements, and algorithm optimization of convolutional neural networks (CNN), temporal data modeling, multimodal fusion technology, and natural language generation. We also conducted in-depth analyses of the material preparation, artificial intelligence algorithm integration, and motion application development of wearable sensors based on optics, bioelectrochemistry, strain, and fabric. Finally, potential research directions and technological challenges for the future were also examined. Through interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation, intelligent sensors are anticipated to fully realize their potential in sports, healthcare, industrial automation, and other fields, thereby injecting new impetus into the development of intelligent technology. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT