I use frequently the word ‘magic’ in connection with illuminated clothing as light radiates a kind of magic especially when it comes from objects that are not (yet) commonly known to light up like …. clothing.

The word ‘Magic’ in connection with health monitoring T-Shirts has another meaning in this case as ‘MagIC‘ stands for the Italian acronym ‘Maglietta interattiva computerizzata’ (‘computerized interactive T-Shirt’).

‘MagIC’ is a wireless, bio sensor equipped prototype T-Shirt in the space of telemedicine applications. It has been developed by the Telemedicine and Wearable Sensors Laboratory of the Technological Pole and the Biomedical Research Department of the Milan-based Research Hospital Santa Maria Nascente (IRCCS S. Maria Nascente), Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation.

The technological status of this Magical T-Shirt is very advanced based on several years of intensive field testing involving about 200 subjects placed in various situations, from seniors with a heart condition in recovery stay in hospital to rehabilitation patients and, in the framework of a European project, to people recovering at home.

The MagIC design received the CE marking last year and is now in the transition from research and development to first volume production and use as new tool in hospitalization and patient recovery.

The benefits of wearable, integrated bio monitoring clothing have been highlighted many times as it offers higher degree of convenience for patients as well as a seamless, continuous monitoring from hospital personal in a very unobtrusive way.

A small electronic module the size of a cell phone is connected directly on the shirt. Textile based sensors pick up vital body parameters to store but also transmit wireless the data to a control stations via Bluetooth.

As it is often the case, one’s need is serving as well the desire of others. Body monitoring is certainly not only limited to be of great value in patient care it offers benefits by observing cardio vascular performance of sportive activities and the monitoring of physiological parameters under extreme environmental conditions.

The benefits of bio-monitoring clothing are obvious but we are still waiting for first products commercially available. The MagIC T-Shirt seems to be very close to make this happen within the next 12 month.

[source: Telemeditalia via ePractice]

OFSETH (Optical Fiber Sensors Embedded into technical Textile for Health-care) is a European project of the 6th Framework Program and will be part of the Smart Textiles Salon prototype presentation in Ghent, a European workshop jointly organized by the European projects SysTex and Proetex.

The OFSETH project aims to develop optical fiber based sensors for health care application to continuously monitor vital biometric data of patients while giving them at the same time more mobility and freedom, to be more mobile.

I really like the idea of having, hopefully one day soon, smart patients care garments that take out one of the most frustrating experiences when one has to submit to body monitoring.

The team created a optical sensor network into a harness for patient monitoring containing several optical fiber sensors for assessing the patient breathing activity, detecting respiratory accidents or incidents.

The optical sensor fibers will be compatible with textile manufacturing processes.

More details about this project can be found on the OFSETH project site.

Venturing around research activities into wearable electronic another European funded projects got my attention: the HealthWear project, a collaboration funded by the Directorate General Information Society of the European Commission with the aim to deliver a service that provides uninterrupted and ubiquitous monitoring of the health condition of individuals in rehabilitation phase.

Integrating monitoring function such as sensors for heart rate measurement, blood flow, perspiration, stress and temperature into special health care clothing provides more wearing comfort compared to sensor patches attached to the skin. Wearable health care systems give also more mobility to patients, improving their life style which in turn enhances the overall effectiveness of the treatment.

‘By embedding the sensors in a shirt, sweater or vest that patients feel comfortable wearing, and requiring only a mobile phone-sized device to gather and transmit the information, the system empowers patients to be more active and independent while letting caregivers check on them at anytime or in any place as necessary,‘ explains Theodore Vontetsianos, the head of the e-Health Unit at Sotiria General Chest Diseases Hospital in Athens, Greece.

As promising these research projects are they highlight the many ‘white spots’ wearable technologies still have and the need to be explored and developed. Explored in terms of reliability and explored in terms of manufacturability on a scale that allows reasonable pricing and accessibility to the public.

The wearable technology field is (still) full of challenges and opportunities along the product creation value chain. It’s up to the creative and adventurous to take on these challenges to enrich peoples’ life and oneself.

[via: Physorg]

We have pointed out in the past ththe high value e-textiles and wearable technologies have to help improving the lifestyle of persons requiring medical treatment, rehabilitation after medical treatment and enhancing the life style of elderly persons by assisting declining body functions.

Without wearable technologies many of this persons are confined to rooms or stationary monitoring. By integrating monitoring sensors comfortably into clothing allows those persons to life an almost normal lifestyle.

Physorg published an article describing the work of an Virginia Tech engineering team which designed pants that have various sensors and transmitting technologies integrated monitoring the motion activity of the wearer and build into their design specifically the detection of motion patterns indicating this person might develop a higher risk of falling.

According to a study by the Center for Disease Control, around one-third of adults age 65and over fall every year resulting in injury by one-fourth of them.

Various sensors are placed on strategical locations throughout the pant like gyroscopes, piezoelectric stretch sensors and accelerometers. Those sensors are communicating with so called e-TAGs, small printed circuit boards holding microcontrollers, other sensors in the system and communication functions.

The e-TAG system is smart enough to differentiate between motions deviation during normal conditions like walking on even or uneven ground but can detect irregularities typical for persons who might have instability in their motion patterns.

Wireless transmission of such irregularities to a monitoring station near or far away can direct the attention of the assistant personnel to take the appropriate actions.

Sure, the design of the pants have to be improved but as often seen before, researchers and engineers only see their technology, hardly look at styling and fashion. So no worry, your grand ma/pa will not look like a clown once this e-textile pants become reality.

[source: Physorg]