Soft Circuit Workshop
ITP Summer 2008
1:31pm
SmartShirt, telemetry and biometric fabric manufacturing
The SmartShirt, is a unique intelligent garment that has several applications. It was originally design at the Georgia Institute and funded by DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) which is essentially the research wing of the DoD (Department of Defense). Currently it is manufactured by Sensatex, a company based in Bethesda, MD (right outside of Washington, DC).
It’s design allows for the real-time, telemetric monitoring of biometric information of the wearer. What is unique about the their design is that it is less about the actual garment and more about the clean integration of their patented conductive fibres with their patented manufacturing process. They have a patent, US Patent # 6145551 titled “Full-Fashioned Weaving Process for Production of a Woven Garment with Intelligence Capability;”. It states:
“A full-fashioned weaving process for the production of a woven garment which can accommodate and include holes, such as armholes. The garment is made of only one single integrated fabric and has no discontinuities or seams. Additionally, the garment can include intelligence capability, such as the ability to monitor one or more body vital signs, or garment penetration, or both, by including a selected sensing component or components in the weave of the garment. The garment can include an integrated infrastructure component for collecting, processing, transmitting and receiving information.”
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6145551.html
Using conductive thread in a manufactured textile process they can integrate conductive channels, maintain insulation and complex circuit designs across any garment based form factor. They have developed a series of solutions for integrating their fiber sensors into any sort of garment without detracting from the original garments shape, form or fit. The SmartShirt itself is their off the shelf product that can be purchased straight from the company.
Telemetry is a technology that allows the remote measurement and reporting of information of interest to the system designer or operator. The word is derived from Greek roots tele = remote, and metron = measure. Systems that need instructions and data sent to them in order to operate require the counterpart of telemetry, telecommand.
One of the initial uses of this technology was for the monitoring of vital signs. The first obvious, and somewhat benign purpose was the passive monitoring of patients in a hospital/clinical context. Another company, called Vivometrics has a closely related set of products that claim to be the
best option for non-invasive monitoring solutions. Also, on an interesting note the technology is perfect for sleep and dream monitoring as it is the most transparent form of monitoring devices. I suppose normally a patient must have any number of technologies that in some cases penetrate the body in an uncomfortable fashion and e-textiles offer on of the first present-day solutions that can cleanly integrate into personal space without being too invasive.
A fascinating and also current use for the SmartShirt technology is for first-response emergency workers i.e. the disaster relief personnel. It allows for the real-time monioring of personnel working in high-risk areas with a potential for worsening conditions and locative complexities. A good example would be the catastrophe that occurred during 9/11 when firemen disappeared in the confusion following the collapse of the towers. The SmartShirt would have allowed the vital signs and GPS positions of trapped crew in the rubble.
I have attached two of the patents associated with the SmartShirt and a research paper discussing the various weaving and circuit building solutions using this technology. I also called Sensatex and left a voicemail asking for more information.
Sensatex
email: info@sensatex.com
4720 Montgomery Lane, Ste. 400
Bethesda
MD 20814
tel: 240-744-7613
Georgia Tech Research Link
Patent Links
http://nicholasrubin.net/ITPStuff/Patent006315009.pdf
