E-Textiles for Health Monitoring
According to Investopedia, wearable technology can be defined as “A category of electric devices that can be worn as accessories, embedded in clothing, or implanted in the body.” For the sake of this article, we will be focusing on wearable technology for the healthcare sector that utilize e-textiles and/or their components.
Now, when an e-textile is integrated into a wearable device, it is a bit different than how a Fitbit or other fitness tracker is assembled. In the case of most e-textiles on the market, they often function as either electrodes (which can be used for direct readings like EKG or EMG) or power and data cables, connecting sensors and power sources. These components can be integrated into various types of medical wearables, and the possibilities expand even further beyond the health-monitoring applications we will be discussing here.
Types of medical wearables
Textile-based pressure sensors, biometric sensors, and electrodes can be embedded into a patient gown or vest to measure a range of vital signs without the need for multiple wired devices. These include temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. Data received from the gown can be sent to a computer, so physicians and nurses can view the measurements before they even enter the room.
Nuubo, a Wearable Medical Device company developed a garment-based ECG Monitoring System. This is wearable device in the form of a vest that consists of embedded electrodes to measure vital signs. These electrodes track and assist the patient in cardiac rehab. The internal system is entered into the physician’s computer to enter patient information before the patient leaves the office. Then, when it is time to compile a report at the end of rehabilitation, the MicroSD is extracted and downloaded into a computer for review.
Health-monitoring technology that utilizes e-textiles can be used to monitor and treat health conditions outside the office, as well. They can be implemented as a layer inside t-shirts, pants, and activewear to help monitor heart rate and blood pressure after a heart attack and can regulate temperature in patients with dementia. The great thing about this application is it removes the need for a patient to even step foot in a doctor’s office. Seeing as most physicians are moving to telehealth operations, this could prove useful. Myant, whom we have mentioned on the blog a few times in the past, created a blood pressure monitoring shirt called SKIIN. The shirt is washable and allows for 24/7 continuous monitoring and automatic data tracking. Myant is currently working on biometric clothing that can provide remote monitoring to patients with COVID-19.
Other conductive materials can be embedded into a fitted cap that can provide insight into brain function and assist in treating neurological conditions such as epilepsy. They could also be used to help patients with sleep disorders (to observe brain waves during sleep). Another item e-textile technology can be used is in therapeutic gloves. One of the most exciting functions of this technology in gloves is for pain management. Those with arthritis can wear the glove to reduce pain through electrical stimulation and compression.
Quantic Nanotech released the QNanotech glove just last year, which can provide heat to joints, vibration to alleviate pain, as well as straightening functionality. This is the first osteoarthritis glove to make it to market and has received a Technology Innovator Award from CV Magazine.
How e-textiles can transform healthcare
They are time saving
As mentioned earlier, e-textiles can be embedded into a patient gown to help physicians measure temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure before they even enter the room. This can decrease appointment time greatly, speed up the diagnosis process, and can leave more time for patients to address concerns. In addition, this provides the physician and patient more time to strategize an effective treatment plan.
2. They are cost-effective
Medical e-textile products can also reduce cost for hospitals, seeing as the use of these wearables could potentially eliminate the need for expensive equipment. These wearable devices can also reduce cost for patients, and they may not even need to enter the office once they have received the device for at-home treatment.
3. They provide improved quality of care
Especially in the case of remote patient monitoring, medical wearables can drastically improve overall quality of care. E-textiles embedded in the wearable devices can be programmed to meet the specific needs of a patient, making for more individualized treatment.
4. They are easy to use
E-textiles can provide medical wearables with a seamless layer of sensing, without bulky components or wires. This not only makes for a more comfortable wearable device, but one that is more user-friendly. The patient can go about their daily activities without having to worry about anything. All they need to do is put on the garment and turn it on. The device handles the rest, and the physician records any information obtained.
Loomia Electronic Layer (LEL) in medical wearables
For medical and wellness soft good products, Loomia can help teams go from flex PCB or hard prototype to a soft and wearable product. The Loomia Electronic Layer (LEL) has several capabilities when it comes to medical wearables, such as electrode integration for monitoring and data buses for easy communication between patient and physician. This technology can streamline health monitoring and make care and treatment easier for both the patient and the physician. As we have learned, there are many medical applications of e-textiles, and we are just at the beginning of our discovery phase for what this technology can do for patients and medical professionals.
Learn more about the LEL’s capabilities and functionality in medical and wellness applications.