Mediventic Smart Shirt

Abstract

This project focuses on developing a functional wearable prototype that can monitor changes in breathing behaviour by integrating textile sensors. The project was initiated by Mediventic, a healthcare industry start-up aiming to simplify the diagnoses and treatment of Chronic Hyperventilation Syndrome (CHVS) by creating affordable home-use smart clothing embedded with sensors that objectively record a patient’s biomedical data. Medical literature highlights the challenges of accurately diagnosing medical conditions in the healthcare industry, particularly CHVS, which is prone to errors due to the unusual range of complaints and symptoms. Medical professionals underline the need for wearable instruments to detect tell-tale signs and provide preventative treatment. On the other hand, current applications of smart textile wearables often lack focus on a specific problem.

To better comprehend the problem and solution space, fundamental medical themes and the current status of wearable technology are reviewed. Important annotations about CHVS are concluded, emphasizing the close link between psychological and physiological elements that drive the self-perpetuating cycle of chronic hyperventilation and the development of symptoms. To assist the patient in gaining respiratory control, the use of wearable technology to support treatment processes is investigated. In particular, ‘smart textiles’ resemble an attractive medium for the integration of sensors and electronics. Respiratory movements can be captured at various points on the upper body utilizing strain sensors embedded in the textile medium. This allows a wearable to preserve valuable qualities for
user experience typical for textiles such as comfort, flexibility, and aesthetics.

During prototype development, performance, manufacturability, and usability requirements are translated into tangible prototypes, such as the fabrication of working knitted strain sensors for tracking breathing behaviour. Different versions are fabricated through iterative steps and intermittently tested for performance and usability. Throughout development, the steps for fabricating and integrating components as a ‘textile system’ are made insightful. Through user testing, the final prototype is used to evaluate sensor performance and as well assess for comfort and usability. Participants are instructed to wear the prototype in several active positions and perform breathing tests.

Conclusively, the results and development process are contemplated concerning the project’s design requirements and initial aim. Although the data’s usefulness must be evaluated by medical professionals, the results suggest that utilizing knitted sensors for measuring breathing behaviour is successful enough for real-time data collecting, even with basic prototyping components. Information regarding breathing rate and depth of respiration can be interpreted at different locations on the body. Also, the prototype design appeals to the imagination during user tests. Users associate the prototype with regular clothing and results indicate that the wearable-textile form factor allows for unintrusive monitoring of breathing behaviour. However, developments must be made to improve the reliability of the construction and durability of the sensors. Depending on the definition of signal detail, signal amplification and noise suppression might elevate the quality of information to the next
level.