Development and Usability Test of Baby Vest Prototypes with a Body Temperature Sensing Function

Abstract

This study developed a vest prototype capable of monitoring body temperature using textile electrodes to prevent the sudden death of babies as well as to determine the quality of developed products by evaluating usability with commercial products. Based on the results of the 7th Size Korea Project, a basic pattern for a vest prototype was drafted by applying the average size of two-year-old Korean babies. Two prototypes were the detachable (VEST I) and integrated textile electrodes vest type (VEST II), which followed the same design. The materials were 100% cotton single jersey (SJ) and double jersey (DJ). Six experts evaluated the usability of the developed vests (VEST I & VEST II) and commercial product (VEST M). The single-layer woven textile electrode appeared to have a slightly higher conductivity than the double-layer one. There was no statistical difference in the body temperature sensing function between VEST I and VEST II. Finally, the superiority of the VEST I was verified through a comparison with commercial products (VEST M). The usability test suggested that a wearable smart clothing system of the integrated conductive textile could be further commercialized for bio-monitor applications in Ubiquitous-health care.