Health byte: Sensors embedded in t-shirts to monitor a person's vitals
New low-cost sensors in t-shirts and face masks that track breathing, heart rate, and ammonia have been embedded by imperial researchers. Potential applications range from monitoring exercise, sleep, and stress to diagnosing and monitoring disease through breath and vital signs.
Spun from a new Imperial-developed cotton-based conductive thread called PECOTEX, the sensors cost little to manufacture. Just $0.15 produces a meter of thread to integrate more than ten sensors into clothing seamlessly, and PECOTEX is compatible with industry-standard computerized embroidery machines.
The first author of the research Fahad Alshabouna, PhD candidate at Imperial's Department of Bioengineering, said: "The flexible medium of clothing means our sensors have a wide range of applications. They're also relatively easy to produce which means we could scale up manufacturing and usher in a new generation of wearables in clothing."
The research team embroidered the sensors into a face mask to monitor breathing, a t-shirt to monitor heart activity, and textiles to monitor gases like ammonia, a component of the breath that can be used to track liver and kidney function. The ammonia sensors were developed to test whether gas sensors could also be manufactured using embroidery.
Fahad added: "We demonstrated applications in monitoring cardiac activity and breathing, and sensing gases. Future potential applications include diagnosing and monitoring disease and treatment, monitoring the body during exercise, sleep, and stress, and use in batteries, heaters, anti-static clothing."
The research is published today in Materials Today.
Wearable sensors, like those on smartwatches, let us continuously monitor our health and wellbeing non-invasively. Until
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