Giannicola Loriga

A wearable health care system based on knitted integrated sensors

A comfortable health monitoring system named WEALTHY is presented. The system is based on a textile wearable interface implemented by integrating sensors, electrodes, and connections in fabric form, advanced signal processing techniques, and modern telecommunication systems. Sensors, electrodes and connections are realized with conductive and piezoresistive yarns. The sensorized knitted fabric is produced in a one step process. The purpose of this paper is to show the feasibility of a system based on fabric sensing elements. The capability of this system to acquire simultaneously several biomedical signals (i.e. electrocardiogram, respiration, activity) has been investigated and compared with a standard monitoring system. Furthermore, the paper presents two different methodologies for the acquisition of the respiratory signal with textile sensors. Results show that the information contained in the signals obtained by the integrated systems is comparable with that obtained by standard sensors. The proposed system is designed to monitor individuals affected by cardiovascular diseases, in particular during the rehabilitation phase. The system can also help professional workers who are subject to considerable physical and psychological stress and/or environmental and professional health risks.

Textile Sensing Interfaces for Cardiopulmonary Signs Monitoring

A wearable system able to monitor cardiopulmonary vital signs is presented. The innovative technological core of the system is based on the use of a textile conformable sensing cloth, where conducting and piezoresistive materials are integrated in form of fibres and yarns, giving rise to fabric sensors, electrodes and connections. Electrocardiogram and impedance pneumography signals are acquired through the same textile electrodes, while to discriminate between abdominal and thoracic activity, two piezoresistive fabric sensors are placed below the lower end of the sternum and at the level of the navel for recording the thorax and the abdominal pattern of breathing. The use of impedance pneumography methodology reduces the artefacts due to the movement, phonation and rib cage expansions disjointed from respiratory mechanics. All the signals are acquired simultaneously allowing a comparative control of the cardiopulmonary activity and artefacts rejection

Comparative Evaluation of Susceptibility to Motion Artifact in Different Wearable Systems for Monitoring Respiratory Rate

The purpose of this study is to comparatively evaluate the performance of different wearable systems based on indirect breathing monitoring in terms of susceptibility to motion artifacts. These performances are compared with direct respiratory measurements using a spirometer, which is accurate, reliable, and less sensitive to movement artifacts, but cannot be integrated into truly wearable form. Experiments were carried out on four indirect methods implemented into wearable systems, inductive plethysmography, impedance plethysmography, piezoresistive pneumography, and piezoelectric pneumography, to ascertain the performance of each of them in terms of noise due to movement artifacts, as well as to study the effects of different movements or gestures during each test. A group of volunteers was asked to wear all of the breath monitoring systems simultaneously along with the face mask of the spirometer while carrying out four physical exercises in a gym under controlled conditions. Data are analyzed in the time and frequency domain to estimate the frequency respiration from each wearable system and compare it with those of the spirometer. Results confirmed that all the wearable systems are somehow affected by movement artifacts, but statistical investigation showed that for most of the physical exercises, three out of four, piezoelectric pneumography provided best performance in terms of robustness and reduced susceptibility to movement artifacts.

First results with the wealthy garment electrocardiogram monitoring system

The Wealthy project aimed at measuring physiological variables with sensors made with functionalised yarns integrated in a well fitting cloth. Two sets of experiments were carried out to verify whether the Wealthy garment provides ECG and respiratory data reliable and satisfactory for physicians. In the first one, ECG was simultaneously recorded by a standard device and the Wealthy system during simulation of common daily activity at the hospital in five male cardiac patients. No differences were consistently observed between standard and wealthy systems for visual and spectral analysis. The second set of experiment was performed in seven healthy subjects during either daily activities in normal or hot conditions (45degC) or during the night. When the standard signal was rated as good, the Wealthy signal was rated as good or acceptable in 95 % of time for ECG and 100 % for the respiratory signal. Monitoring of ECG with fabric sensor is thus proved feasible

Wearable monitoring system for chronic cardio-respiratory diseases

In this paper is presented the study leading to the implementation of an innovative sensing textile platform, based on a wearable monitoring system named Wealthy, where novel piezoresistive sensors have been integrated to increase system capability in the field of pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases monitoring. Two different typologies of textile sensors for plethysmograpic measurements have been characterized and compared to evaluate sensors performance, through electro-dynamic laboratory tests and in vivo measurements. The whole system allows continuous remote monitoring of electrocardiogram and impedance pneumography signals through textile electrodes, while piezoresistive fabric sensors placed at the abdominal and thoracic level are able to discriminate between different breathing patterns. All the signals have been acquired simultaneously allowing a comparative control of cardiopulmonary activity and artifact rejection, while a comparative study with standard BIOPAC® MP30 respiratory transducers has been performed in basal condition.

Smart garments for emergency operators: Results of laboratory and field tests

The first generation of ProeTEX prototypes has been completed at the end of August 2007. In the following period two main activities have involved the project partners. On one hand new technologies (in terms of sensors and devices) to be integrated in the next releases of prototypes have been developed; on the other hand intensive test sessions on the first prototype (both in laboratory conditions and simulating real operative scenarios) have been carried out. This paper is mainly focused on this second facet. Great efforts have been dedicated to the trials for different reasons: firstly to investigate the appropriateness and efficiency of the system in normal and harsh conditions; secondly to obtain useful indications regarding usability and efficacy by the endusers involved in the project. The results of the trials have been used to define the specifications of the second generation of prototypes, that will be released within the end of 2008.

Smart Sensing Uniforms for Emergency Operators

Textile integration of smart sensor systems is the key technology for the success of future e-garments oriented to emergency operators. Ubiquitous recording and transmission of human and environmental data will allow combining comfort and protection leveraging with the existing smart textile, microelectronics and telecommunication technologies. The challenge offered by emergency situation is mainly in the difficulty to acquire data in a very aggressive environment, during hard physical activity; conditions that will increase the risks of signals artefacts, as well as the presence of positive and negative false events. Security is addressed through the implementation of systems combining body sensing platform, for health alertness and environment sensing platform for context awareness; the full system has also to guarantee protective functionality. State of art textile technology allows the monitoring of heart and respiratory rate, humidity rate, activity rate, GSR and EMG, while core and external temperature, posture via accelerometers, absolute position via GPS are easily monitored through standard sensors. The body sensing platform requires a direct contact with the operator skin leading to the implementation of a sensing inner garment, at the same time environment platform are integrated in a protective jacket that is also hosting the alarm systems and the electronic unit for signal processing and transmission hardware. This paper is reporting about a study done with a pioneer e-textile system named Wealthy on healthy subjects during extreme conditions. Wealthy platform is currently evolving in a new one, specially designed for emergency scenarios, developed in the frame of the project Proetex, a preliminary description of the new system is presented; the new system that is under first testing phase, has been designed to be used without interfering with operator activities.