We have all heard of smart clothes being developed to charge batteries and what not. But, here is a development which could have a great impact on the medical world. Soon anyone and everyone will perhaps own high-tech clothes made of intelligent textiles embedded with tiny sensors that can collect information about the wearer’s movements and vital signs.
These smart clothes already exist! However, they will very soon capture only a niche market especially in the elite sport and health care sector, say European researchers.
These smart clothes would be able to record vital signs like respiration, heart rate, surface and core temperature, which will remotely be monitored using embedded GPRS transmitters.
It could be particularly useful to people with heart conditions or those who are undergoing rehabilitation that requires constant monitoring and people with sleep apnoea. It could also be useful to athletes and new borns.
These sensitive garments provide location-based services (LBS) which could also help keep soldiers and emergency crews safe in extreme conditions, researchers working on Wealthy and MyHeart projects said.