What are the main findings? a) A fully custom wearable IMU-based system was developed for CMJ assessment using a single sensor sampled at 1 kHz. b) A derivative-based algorithm for take-off and landing detection improved the robustness of flight time estimation. c) The system showed high agreement with the force platform, with negligible bias and a detection rate above 97%. d) Data can be acquired and managed through both custom PC and smartphone applications and are automatically uploaded to a cloud platform. What is the implication of the main finding? a) The proposed system provides a practical, accurate, and field-ready alternative to force platforms for monitoring CMJ in strength and conditioning and sport science environments. Abstract: The countermovement jump (CMJ) is widely used to monitor neuromuscular performance in sport, but its assessment is largely dependent on force platforms, which limits their use outside the laboratory due to their cost and limited portability. This work describes the development and validation of a fully custom wearable inertial measurement unit (IMU) system for CMJ assessment. The platform is based on a single IMU placed on the lower back and sampled at 1 kHz, and includes Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication together with dedicated PC and smartphone applications. A new algorithm based on the derivative of vertical acceleration was implemented to identify take-off and landing instants. The system was evaluated using 119 CMJ trials performed by 19 participants and validated against a force platform used as the criterion reference. Different acceleration thresholds were tested, with 0.2 g providing the best compromise between detection robustness and the statistical quality of the measurements, yielding a detection rate of 97.43%. Agreement analysis showed a small systematic underestimation of flight time (bias = -0.0117 s), with moderate limits of agreement across the observed range. These results indicate that the proposed system may be suitable for practical, field-based CMJ monitoring, although the observed variability relative to force-platform measurements should be considered, particularly in applications requiring individual-level decision making.
© Copyright 2026 Sensors. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.