Cardiac sensors: wear them in good health

Published On: July 1, 2012

Engineers at the University of Arkansas want cardiac patients to dress for success. The team developed a series of nanostructured, textile sensors integrated into a conventional sports bra or vest. A lightweight, wireless module that snaps onto the garment communicates with a smart phone to collect, compress and send health data to any wireless network. The system monitors blood pressure, body temperature, respiratory rate, oxygen consumption, some neural activity and all readings provided by a conventional electrocardiogram (ECG), including inverted T-waves that signal the onset of cardiac arrest. The sensors are smaller than a dime and don’t require sticky electrodes or gel. The software includes a global positioning system and can be programmed to send emergency messages via voice or text.