Sensors sewn into t-shirts and face masks for stylish health monitoring
Researchers from Imperial College London (Imperial) have successfully embedded low-cost sensors into a new Imperial-developed cotton-based conductive thread called PECOTEX. The thread is fashioned into t-shirts and face masks – the incorporated sensors are expected to help crucial monitoring of vital signs such as heart rate and breathing, respectively.
The sensors were additionally embroidered into 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.
Wearable sensors, like those on smartwatches, let us continuously monitor our health and wellbeing non-invasively. Until now, however, there has been a lack of suitable conductive threads, which explains why wearable sensors seamlessly integrated into in clothing aren’t yet widely available.
Now, the researchers have introduced PECOTEX, which is an adaptable, revolutionary conductive thread that is compatible with industry-standard computerised embroidery machines.
The material is machine washable, less breakable, and more electrically-conductive than commercially available silver-based conductive threads, meaning more layers can be added for to create complex types of sensors – just USD0.15 (MYR0.69) is required to produce a metre of thread to seamlessly integrate more than ten sensors into clothing.
Fahad Alshabouna, postgraduate 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.
“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 researchers are hopeful to explore new application areas like energy storage, energy harvesting, and biochemical sensing, as well as finding partners for commercialisation.
Category: Features, Technology & Devices
