Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the leading causes of pain, reduced mobility, and disability worldwide. Early detection is essential for effective treatment; however, conventional diagnostic methods such as X-ray and MRI are expensive, facility-dependent, and may not be readily accessible in many communities. OsteoSense was developed to provide an affordable, portable, and non-invasive solution for early screening and continuous monitoring of knee osteoarthritis.

OsteoSense is a wearable IoT-enabled platform that combines motion analysis and joint acoustic sensing to assess knee function in real time. The system is integrated into a lightweight, ergonomic knee brace containing an MPU6050 inertial sensor to monitor gait and knee movement, together with a contact microphone and a MEMS microphone to capture joint sounds produced during movement. An ESP32 microcontroller acquires and processes the sensor data using embedded algorithms for signal conditioning and feature extraction before transmitting the results wirelessly for remote monitoring. The device is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, making it suitable for continuous daily use.

The novelty of OsteoSense lies in its multimodal sensing approach. Unlike many low-cost wearable systems that rely on a single sensing method, OsteoSense simultaneously analyses gait patterns and joint acoustic emissions to provide a more comprehensive assessment of knee health. This integrated approach has the potential to improve early screening while remaining compact, affordable, and easy to use.

The prototype is built using commercially available electronic modules integrated into a textile-based wearable knee brace. For large-scale production, the electronics can be incorporated into a custom printed circuit board (PCB) and enclosed within a compact housing, enabling reliable and cost-effective manufacturing.

OsteoSense has applications in hospitals, physiotherapy clinics, rehabilitation centres, sports medicine, elderly care, and home-based patient monitoring. It can support clinicians in monitoring rehabilitation progress while enabling individuals to assess changes in knee function outside the hospital. The platform is also designed for future integration with artificial intelligence to enhance automated risk assessment and personalized musculoskeletal health monitoring.

By combining wearable technology, embedded systems, and Internet of Things connectivity, OsteoSense offers a practical, scalable, and affordable solution for improving early musculoskeletal screening and expanding access to preventive healthcare.