Sungmee Park

The Wearable Motherboard™: The first generation of adaptive and responsive textile structures (ARTS) for medical applications

Virtual reality (VR) has been making inroads into medicine in a broad spectrum of applications, including medical education, surgical training, telemedicine, surgery and the treatment of phobias and eating disorders. The extensive and innovative applications of VR in medicine, made possible by the rapid advancements in information technology, have been driven by the need to reduce the cost of healthcare while enhancing the quality of life for human beings.In this paper, we discuss the design, development and realisation of an innovative technology known as the Georgia Tech Wearable Motherboard™ (GTWM), or the “Smart Shirt”. The principal advantage of GTWM is that it provides, for the first time, a very systematic way of monitoring the vital signs of humans in an unobtrusive manner. The flexible databus integrated into the structure transmits the information to monitoring devices such as an EKG machine, a temperature recorder, a voice recorder, etc. GTWM is lightweight and can be worn easily by anyone, from infants to senior citizens. We present the universal characteristics of the interface pioneered by the Georgia Tech Wearable Motherboard™ and explore the potential applications of the technology in areas ranging from combat to geriatric care. The GTWM is the realisation of a personal information processing system that gives new meaning to the termubiquitous computing. Just as the spreadsheet pioneered the field of information processing that brought “computing to the masses”, it is anticipated that the Georgia Tech Wearable Motherboard™ will bring personalised and affordable healthcare monitoring to the population at large.

Smart Textile-Based Wearable Biomedical Systems: A Transition Plan for Research to Reality

The field of smart textile-based wearable biomedical systems (ST-WBSs) has of late been generating a lot of interest in the research and business communities since its early beginnings in the mid-nineties. However, the technology is yet to enter the marketplace and realize its original goal of enhancing the quality of life for individuals through enhanced real-time biomedical monitoring. In this paper, we propose a framework for analyzing the transition of ST-WBS from research to reality. We begin with a look at the evolution of the field and describe the major components of an ST-WBS. We then analyze the key issues encompassing the technical, medical, economic, public policy, and business facets from the viewpoints of various stakeholders in the continuum. We conclude with a plan of action for transitioning ST-WBS from ¿research to reality¿.

Ready to ware

Electronics and fabrics woven together (e-textiles) will make smart dressers of firefighters, football players, and fashionistas alike. The authors describe various prototypes that use the vast variety of fibers and fabrics that can be woven into clothing, carpets, upholstery, and wallcoverings. Coupled with fault-tolerant computing and network architectures, such e-textiles can constitute a platform for health monitoring, communications, multimedia devices, and changing decors.

A Structured Methodology for the Design and Development of Textile Structures in a Concurrent Engineering Framework

A structured methodology for the design and development of textile structures within a concurrent engineering framework has been proposed and developed. The framework has been validated using the design and development of a Sensate Liner for Combat Casualty Care (or Sensate Liner) as an example. Key requirements for the product are identified using a modified QFD-type (Quality Function Deployment) approach and other tools used in concurrent engineering; and the design and development framework is established. This is followed by an in-depth analysis of the various issues involved in the design of the Sensate Liner (fabric/garment structure, materials and fabrication technologies) to meet the desired performance criteria. Candidate solutions are proposed with appropriate justifications. Finally, the successful application of the structured methodology in realizing the product is covered.

Wireless communication of vital signs using the Georgia Tech Wearable Motherboard

The Georgia Tech Wearable Motherboard/sup TM/ (GTWM) provides a versatile framework for incorporation of sensing, monitoring and information processing devices. It has opened up new frontiers in telemedicine, infant care, military, space exploration and athletics. We have developed a working prototype of wireless communication between the GTWM and the outside world. The overall system consists of data acquisition, data transmission, computation and data storage, and user interface. It can serve as a full wearable computer, providing functionalities for tracking the physiological conditions of the user as well as sensory information from the environment and other peripherals. The system performs well in indoor wireless environments with signal to noise ratio as low as 5 dB. This prototype opens up many research opportunities in the fields of affective computing, human-computer interaction, and mobile information processing.

Wearables: Fundamentals, Advancements, and a Roadmap for the Future

Today, the term “wearable” goes beyond the traditional definition of clothing; it refers to an accessory that enables personalized mobile information processing. In this chapter, we define the concept of wearables, present their attributes, and discuss their role at the core of an ecosystem for harnessing big data. We then present the taxonomy for wearables and trace their advancements over the years. We discuss the practical challenges associated with the use of wearables and propose the concept of a meta-wearable – in the form of a wearable motherboard – as a feasible solution. We gaze into the future of wearables and propose a transdisciplinary approach to realizing this future that will transform the field and contribute to enhancing the quality of life for everyone.

Wearable sensor network: A framework for harnessing Ambient Intelligence

Advancements in computing and communications technologies are enabling information processing on the go. The rapid proliferation of sensors in various applications is a result of miniaturization and advancements in embedded systems technologies. Textiles are pervasive, customizable and familiar to users. Together, they all present a powerful framework - in the form of a wearable sensor network - for harnessing ambient intelligence in various domains ranging from healthcare to entertainment. The need for personalized mobile information processing is established using typical scenarios and the building blocks of an ambient intelligent system are presented. The importance of a platform for creating the wearable sensor network is discussed. Then, the dual roles of textiles as both a physical and an information infrastructure for the wearable sensor network are explored from the viewpoints of human factors and technology features. The realization of a fabric-based wearable sensor network is illustrated with the wearable motherboard, or smart shirt. Finally, the challenges and opportunities for furthering the wearable sensor network paradigm - from both technical and market acceptance viewpoints - for harnessing ambient intelligence are presented.

On innovation, quality of life and technology of BodyNets

Technology innovation is the key to enhancing the quality of life for everyone in the continuum of life from newborns to senior citizens. Management innovation is the fuel that sustains the technology innovation engine. Thus, together, management innovation and technology innovation have the potential to rapidly transform information processing, especially in healthcare, by successfully addressing the key challenges of access, quality and cost of care. In this paper, we examine the healthcare industry and attempt to diagnose its major challenges; we then define the healthcare continuum and explore the roles of human as an information node and BodyNets as the enabling technology to bring about a transformation of the industry to nurture it back to health. Following this, we present one approach to realizing a BodyNet using the Wearable Motherboard paradigm. We then discuss the impact of BodyNets in bringing about transformational change in the healthcare enterprise. We conclude with a brief discussion of the importance of transitioning the technology to the marketplace and highlight the broader applications of BodyNets to entertainment and lifestyle enhancement.

Smart Textiles: A Platform for Sensing and Personalized Mobile Information-processing

Textiles are pervasive and span the continuum of life from infants to senior citizens. The invention of the jacquard weaving machine led to the concept of a stored «program’ and ‘mechanized’ binary information-processing. This development served as the inspiration for Charles Babbages Analytical Engine – the precursor to the modern-day computer, which has since spawned the explosive growth of information-processing witnessed in recent years. In this paper, we explore the potential synergy between textiles and computing and identify the need to bring about a seamless integration between the two domains to facilitate sensing and personalized mobile information-processing. We discuss the design and development of the Wearable Motherboard or Smart Shirt and follow with an overview of the major applications of the Smart Shirt technology. Finally, we present the challenges and opportunities for research in this emerging field that have the potential to transform and revitalize the mature held of textiles significantly.

A transdisciplinary approach to wearables, big data and quality of life.

Today, the term “wearable” goes beyond the traditional definition of clothing; it refers to an accessory that enables personalized mobile information processing. We define the concept of wearables, present their attributes and discuss their role at the core of an ecosystem for harnessing big data. We discuss the concept of a meta-wearable and propose a transdisciplinary approach to transform the field and enhance the quality of life for everyone.