Sensatex Inc., Bethesda, Md., is set to begin field trials of its SmartShirt System, a seamless
lightweight, breathable, washable nylon shirt that contains conductive fibers and functions as a
wireless, remote heart rate, respiration and movement monitor. The company licensed patented
technology from the Georgia Institute of Technology and has developed the technology further under
its own patented processes.
The SmartShirt uses a small personal controller to convert physiological signals from the
wearers body to digital signals that are sent to a base station using Bluetooth® or ZigBee wireless
technology. Military personnel; first responders; post-operative, physical rehabilitation and sleep
apnea patients; homebound elderly; and truckers are some of the potential test applications for the
shirt, which will be tested in a range of environments including indoors, outdoors and
underwater.
The company expects to follow the field trials with its first commercial product and also hopes
to develop the first Food and Drug Administration application using a smart textile system.
“We are very excited about beginning field tests of the system in different environments testing
different applications,” said Robert G. Kalik, CEO, Sensatex, who added that the company is seeking
corporate and governmental sponsorship for the tests.
“One of the new technologies we are working on is sleepwear for infants that will monitor for
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome,” Kalik continued. “The field testing will provide us with valuable
data to address current challenges in a range of settings, and give us information to develop
important new products.”
May 8, 2007
