The study, published in Science Advances, presents a thin, 10–14 cm² patch that can detect fetal movements such as rolling, stretching and kicking. In a clinical trial of 59 pregnant women, it detects these movements with more than 90% accuracy.

Self-monitoring of fetal movement is still limited. At home, most pregnant women rely on self-counting, which can cause uncertainty or stress.

How the wearable patch works

Associate Professor Vinayak Smith, from Monash University’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, said the new soft wearable aims to fill this gap by providing continuous, non-invasive self-monitoring.