Wearable health monitoring systems employ sensors to read vital signs from the human body—such
as the heart rate, body temperature and blood pressure. Textile-based sensors can be woven or knitted
into an item of clothing and worn next to the skin. Information picked up can be sent to an electronic
device where it can be recorded or displayed and used to provide the wearer with bio-feedback.
Wearable health monitoring systems were originally developed to monitor the health of astronauts,
and then transmit information to control stations on earth. More recently, they have been used in the
medical sector to monitor patients, including those recovering from operations away from hospital.
One company at the forefront of wearable health monitoring is USA-based Textronics. The company has
four product families: Textro-Sensors or conductive fabric electrodes and motion sensors; Textro
Interconnect laminate wiring cable; Textro Yarn elastic conductive fibre; and Textro Polymer variable
resistive polymer. Its first product was the NuMetrex branded sports bra. Since then it has added the
NuMetrex Cardio Shirt for men and the NuMetrex Racer Tank for women. More recently, it has
launched Heart Smart apparel to enable it to expand from the sports to the health market. Target
customers will include those focusing on weight loss and heart health. It has also launched a developer’s
kit containing all the parts needed to make a wearable health monitoring system. The kit includes textile
sensors—approved by the USA-based Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—as an alternative to the
adhesive electrodes and metal wristbands commonly used with electrocardiograph (ECG) instruments.
Forecasts from Venture Development Corporation (VDC) suggest that sales of smart fabrics and
interactive textiles (SFIT) for sensing and monitoring will grow by 49.3% a year between 2006 and
2010. NPD Group has predicted that interactive apparel is likely to become a billion dollar business
before long. Promising applications include fitness, corporate wellness, lifestyle health, medical health
care, facilitation of independent living by the elderly, military uses and sports. Futuristic ideas include
clothing which is capable of reading a person’s emotional state for use in computer games. Another
concept is that of “tele health”, whereby patients would be diagnosed and treated without having to visit
a doctor. Overall, the outlook for wearable textile-based health monitoring systems is positive. But to
gain mass acceptance by consumers, devices need to be comfortable, easy to care for, reliable, easy to
use, and inexpensive.
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