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14/05/2007
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New Zealand firm Zephyr Technology has developed Smart Fabric technology, which monitors the wearer’s vital signs and biomechanical information
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The company has developed flexible and formable sensor componentry, which can be woven into clothing and other fabrics. The sensors measure and wirelessly transmit physiological information – including heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature, posture and activity – and data on displacement, distance, force and pressure, strain and impact events. The information is available real time or can be stored for later analysis.
Medical applications include monitoring patients inside and outside hospital, tracking vital signs during drug testing, and early disease detection, business development manager Steven Small told Eureka.
The fabrics could also be used to help athletes improve performance, and to monitor soldiers in combat situations.
Zephyr has recently released several products that use Smart Fabric technology. These include the BioHarness – worn as a fabric band around the chest or incorporated into a garment – which measures heart rate, respiratory rate, skin temperature, posture and activity. Software included with the BioHarness contains real time trend analysis tools, which allow a coach or medical professional to remotely monitor a subject’s performance between sessions.
The company has also developed a smart insole, the ShoePod, which measures ground reaction forces. The ShoePod weighs less than 50g, and is designed to be worn undetected by the user. The device records footfalls over time. Information collected is used to determine the wearer’s type and level of fatigue, along with information on posture, style and technique – which could be invaluable to athletes as a training tool. It can also be used by physiotherapists to aid with the rehabilitation of patients, or as a preventative care tool, or by podiatrists to analyse gait.
The specialised ShoePod Diabetic provides an early warning system for diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), a condition that results in 90,000 amputations a year in the US alone.
ShoePod Diabetic contains temperature sensors and a wireless data transmitter and recorder. Data is uploaded to a diagnostic tool, which provides early warning of foot ulceration due to DPN.
So far the products have been trialled with the New Zealand elite sports team, specialised medical professionals and commercial OEM partners.
Small says: “We are in final field trials with our research and universities partners. We expect product availability in 90 days.”
The company has already signed a deal for the technology with US textile innovation company Textronics, with others pending negotiation, Small says.
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Author
Lou Reade
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