Smart Wearable Systems Research Articles

Smart wearable systems: Current status and future challenges

Extensive efforts have been made in both academia and industry in the research and development of smart wearable systems (SWS) for health monitoring (HM). Primarily influenced by skyrocketing healthcare costs and supported by recent technological advances in micro- and nanotechnologies, miniaturisation of sensors, and smart fabrics, the continuous advances in SWS will progressively change the landscape of healthcare by allowing individual management and continuous monitoring of a patient's health status. Consisting of various components and devices, ranging from sensors and actuators to multimedia devices, these systems support complex healthcare applications and enable low-cost wearable, non-invasive alternatives for continuous 24-h monitoring of health, activity, mobility, and mental status, both indoors and outdoors. Our objective has been to examine the current research in wearable to serve as references for researchers and provide perspectives for future research. Herein, we review the current research and development of and the challenges facing SWS for HM, focusing on multi-parameter physiological sensor systems and activity and mobility measurement system designs that reliably measure mobility or vital signs and integrate real-time decision support processing for disease prevention, symptom detection, and diagnosis. For this literature review, we have chosen specific selection criteria to include papers in which wearable systems or devices are covered. We describe the state of the art in SWS and provide a survey of recent implementations of wearable health-care systems. We describe current issues, challenges, and prospects of SWS. We conclude by identifying the future challenges facing SWS for HM.

Dry cleaning of electroconductive layers screen printed on flexible substrates

Smart textiles and wearable textile systems are up to now a growing research field, with a view to applications such as monitoring vital signs or environmental parameters through garments. These developments require new materials such as electroconductive textiles. As a result, research into screen printing of conductive silver inks onto textiles has emerged. In this study, screen printing is used to print four kinds of silver-based conductive inks on a flexible foam and a nonwoven substrate. The screen printing method is chosen because it is a low cost and user friendly technique to obtain flexible and lightweight conductive fabrics. For the evaluation of the electrical properties the square resistance of the printed fabrics is measured after repeated dry cleaning cycles. The printed textiles studied here show good electrical properties after printing (< 0.05 Ω/□). However, after 60 dry cleaning cycles, the conductivity decreased considerably. Consequently, in order to improve washability, a protective polyurethane layer was put on top of the printed samples. In this case, the resistivity remained below 2.3 Ω/□ after 60 dry cleaning cycles.

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."

Advanced Wearable Health Systems and Applications - Research and Development Efforts in the European Union

Research and development on smart wearable health systems and applications (SWHSA) was motivated by the need to respond successfully to the healthcare challenges of reducing healthcare costs while maintaining a high quality of care, providing ubiquitous easy access to care, and shifting the focus of healthcare expenditure from treatment to prevention through wellness programs. Physiological monitoring with SWHS has so far dealt mostly with measurement of vital signs like ECG, heart rate, respiratory rate, skin temperature, and posture. There is a trend to extend monitoring capabilities toward biochemical variables. There are several promising techniques for achieving this type of monitoring in a purely noninvasive, painless way. One could thus envisage the integration of noninvasive transdermal biosensors in SWHS;e.g., in biomedical clothes. The future development of intelligent biomedical clothing (IBC) based on full integration of sensors/actuators, energy sources, processing, and communication within the clothes could overcome barriers to existing wearable health systems. The area of SWHSA is further developed in FP6 (Framework Program 5) of the EC, through significant support of new functionalized systems based on the integration of several technologies and disciplines such as micro/nanotechnologies, textile materials, physiology, biology/biochemistry, and ICT (information and communication technologies) as well as data integration and decision support. This area is expected also to be further developed within FP7.

A Review of Approaches to Mobility Telemonitoring of the Elderly in Their Living Environment

Rapid technological advances have prompted the development of a wide range of telemonitoring systems to enable the prevention, early diagnosis and management, of chronic conditions. Remote monitoring can reduce the amount of recurring admissions to hospital, facilitate more efficient clinical visits with objective results, and may reduce the length of a hospital stay for individuals who are living at home. Telemonitoring can also be applied on a long-term basis to elderly persons to detect gradual deterioration in their health status, which may imply a reduction in their ability to live independently. Mobility is a good indicator of health status and thus by monitoring mobility, clinicians may assess the health status of elderly persons. This article reviews the architecture of health smart home, wearable, and combination systems for the remote monitoring of the mobility of elderly persons as a mechanism of assessing the health status of elderly persons while in their own living environment.