By Christina Orlovsky, senior staff writer
At its most decorated, the shirt you’re wearing may be adorned
with a zipper, a hood or pockets with snaps. Soon enough, however, you may be
able to add a heart rate sensor and respiration monitor to that list.
Researchers and manufacturers around the world are working on “smart” clothing,
a variety of apparel designed for use in the pharmaceutical, military, medical
and fitness industries.
Sun-smart consumers may already be benefiting from clothing
that has built-in sun protection factor to protect them from harmful rays and
skin cancer. The next step is for the heart smart to make the clothing
connection.
One innovation for cardiac care is the LifeShirt, a
non-invasive, ambulatory monitoring system that functions through embedded
sensors in a lightweight spandex, machine-washable garment. The sensors are able
to detect pulmonary, cardiac, posture and activity signals in the wearer.
According to Elizabeth Gravatte, the vice president of sales
and marketing for VivoMetrics, LifeShirt’s manufacturer, the system is currently
in the research phase. It has already been approved by the Food and Drug
Administration.
“At this time our technology is used primarily for
pharmaceutical clinical trials, academic research and military applications,”
Gravatte said. She added that general health care is an area that the company
plans to address in the future.
The future is now for fitness consumers looking for a wireless
heart rate monitor. Textronics, Inc., based in Wilmington, Delaware, has created
a sports bra with a built-in heart rate monitor. The NuMetrex Heart Rate
Monitoring Sports Bra has sensors knit into the fabric to detect heart rate. The
heart rate is then transmitted to a watch for the wearer to read.
Textronics, a developer of electro-textiles, or “e-textiles,”
that can conduct, warm, illuminate or sense physiologic activities, recently
placed this introductory product on the market. It is currently available for
consumer use by female fitness fanatics; their male counterparts can await a
t-shirt version in the coming year.
According to Stacey Burr, chief executive officer of
Textronics, the company has more athletic apparel in the works to detect
respiration and other fitness vitals.
For more information, visit the VivoMetrics or Textronics Web
sites.