Aspects regarding vital functions monitoring through an adaptive textile system

Abstract

Currently, there are about 80 million people with various types of disability in the European Union, but this number is expected to grow in the coming years, mainly due to the increasing proportion of older citizens. At European Union level, disability is seen as a problem of the whole society. This requires continuous training and adaptation in all spheres of life, for receiving and maintaining these persons in the mainstream of social life, in order to ensure all the facilities. There are powerful incentives for research and innovation in the social field (services for the benefit of people), medical field (diseases whose origin is unknown, customized medical protocols, non-conventional monitoring instruments etc.), or technology field (robotics, informatics, textiles etc.) in an equal manner. An important role is played by the adaptive clothing characterized by comfort, accessibility, safety and style. The paper includes aspects regarding the making of some experimental models of textile elements with electronic functions intended for vital functions monitoring systems.

A dedicated wearable device integrated in textiles

“…All worn devices with sensors fit in the category of wearables and their main purpose is to improve the quality of life [6]. Wearables are something usual in areas such as medicine with wearable sensors that gather a large amount of data for the clinical environment in order to have a better knowledge and communication with the patient [7][8], and also wearable accelerometers in order to assess levels of impairment and the individual's functional limitation after stroke [9]; and such as fashion with wearable devices treated as digital jewelry in order to reflect the tastes and moods, and allow to express the personalities, cultural beliefs, and values of each person [10], or the interplay of electronic textiles and wearable technology in the fashionable technology treated as the intersection between design, fashion, science and technology [11]. This has created the concept of smart clothes that cover many areas that work together to improve the quality of life, well-being and health [12].…”