A team out of UC3M in Spain, otherwise known as the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, has come up with this stylish number. It’s designed to track the wearer’s heart rate, temperature and even their orientation (via an in-built accelerometer), and relay that information to medical professionals for analysis or action.
It’s already been tested in Madrid’s La Paz Hospital, where it was used to track five patients simultaneously, 24 hours a day (there’s no mention how many days or weeks this test went for).
It’s completely wireless and operates in real-time, and the data can be tracked via fixed infrastructure at a hospital. These non-intrusive qualities could see the shirt adopted more widely, especially where patient comfort is a serious concern. There’s also a psychological element to it; I know given the choice between a bunch of electrodes and a awkwardly-positioned thermometer, I’d take the shirt every time.
It’s not just for monitoring — the system can be configured with alarms to watch for abnormal vitals, and even send an SMS to a doctor if required.
Monitoring patients using intelligent t-shirts [UC3M, via DVICE]