While there are many smart textile-based garments on the market that perform continuous cardiac and respiratory monitoring, they generally use flexible electronic components that are integrated with the textiles. Such clothing tends to be form-fitting and thus uncomfortable to be able to get a good physiological signal. Additionally, the garments aren’t robust, as they’re difficult to wash and the electronic components are damaged over time.
This invention, by Professors Trisha Andrew and Deepak Ganesan, enables physiological sensing with loose clothing. Smart garments incorporates two types of all-textile pressure sensors: a triboelectric sensor based on the contact between two oppositely charged fabrics, and a first-of-its-kind all-textile static pressure sensor. The triboelectric sensor is used for sensing dynamic pressure, and the static pressure measures pressure between the body and a surface, such as a bed, chair, or arms resting at a person’s side. The signals from these two types of sensors, which are connected to the electronics via conductive threads, are processed through a novel signal processing pipeline that can fit in a clothing button. Measurables include posture, respiration, heartbeat, gait, sway, and balance.
Applications for these garments are wide ranging, including sleep sensing, health monitoring, and next-generation virtual reality (VR).
