Page 17 - New Cloth Market December 2022 Digital Edition

Wearables for healthcare

Stylish sensors to wear
AGES

With sensors that measure health parameters and can be worn on the body, we do let technology get very
close to us. A collaboration between the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technol-
ogy (EMPA) and designer Laura Deschl, sponsored by the Textile and Design Alliance (TaDA) of Eastern
Switzerland, shows that medical monitoring of respiratory activity, for example, can also be very stylish
– as a shirt.

EXECUTIVE P

A shirt that monitors breathing: Designer Laura Deschl developed the monitoring system to wear
together with Empa. Image: Empa
The desire for a healthy lifestyle has triggered a trend towards self-tracking. Vital signs should be avail-
able at all times, for example to consistently measure training effects. At the same time, among the
continuously growing group of people over 65, the desire to maintain performance into old age is stronger
than ever. Preventive, health-maintaining measures must be monitored if they are to achieve the desired
results. The search for measurement systems that reliably determine the corresponding health param-
eters is in full swing. In addition to the leisure sector, medicine needs suitable and reliable measurement
systems that enable efficient and effective care for an increasing number of people in hospital and at
home. After all, the increase in lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular problems or respira-
tory diseases is putting a strain on the healthcare system.
Beautiful and precise
Researchers led by Simon Annaheim from Empa's
Biomimetic Membranes and Textiles laboratory in St.
Gallen are therefore developing sensors for monitoring
health status, for example for a diagnostic belt based
on flexible sensors with electrically conductive or light-
conducting fibers. However, other, less technical prop-
erties can be decisive for the acceptance of continuous
medical monitoring by patients. For example, the sen-
sors must be comfortable to wear and easy to handle –
and ideally also look good.
Designer at work: Laura Deschl at the produc-
This aspect is addressed by a cooperation between the tion of the Sensor Shirt. Image: Ladina Bis-
Textile and Design Alliance, or TaDA for short, in east- chof/TaDA
ern Switzerland and Empa. The project showed how textile sensors can be integrated into garments. In
addition to technical reliability and a high level of comfort, another focus was on the design of the gar-

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