North Carolina State University researchers are developing a shirt with smart sensors to monitor heart activity.
The study was led by Mr. Jesse Jur, Program Manager for the Textile Technology Program (Nano-EXtended Textiles, or NEXT for short). NEXT is a North Carolina State University research group that studies the structure of “smart” textiles.
According to the research team, the new shirt product will help monitor the function of people’s hearts when they participate in activities such as jogging. The sensor is a self-powered device that can detect the wearer’s electrocardiogram, in other words, it will measure the action potential of the heart. In addition to finding ways to make smart devices attached to clothes (including shirts) more comfortable, researchers are also looking at deploying smart devices. into textiles to perform functions such as measurement, energy capture and energy storage. “We leveraged different processes and designs from the nanoscale to the macroscale to see if we could integrate electrical devices,” said Braden Li, a PhD student in the research team. death in textiles or not”. 
Illustration The shirt with the sensor is actually a project that Braden Li is overseeing. Specifically, the sensor is a low-power self-powered device that can sense a person’s electrocardiogram, which means it measures the electrical potential of the heart. For this project, NEXT is working with Advanced Integrated Sensor and Technology Systems (ASSIST) in NC State, as well as collaborators at Penn State who are building a shirt supercapacitor. However, it’s not as easy as creating a mere wearable that monitors heart activity. “You get all the different wishes and requirements on this smart product. Now you need to link them up on this shirt and make sure it looks good and is washable. You have to make sure it’s comfortable to wear. But that comfort is not suitable for a sensor to work normally; because the device also needs to be stable, it can be difficult to keep balance when mounted on a fashion product,” said Braden Li about the challenges of the research. Marissa Noon, a third-year student studying textile engineering, adds: “Having really smart fabrics is great, but they’re really hard to come by in the real world. It may be uncomfortable for the wearer to wear such fabrics, or the built-in smart devices may not last long… So it’s really important to have a soft fabric so you can stay comfortable. move freely but it still measures accurately.” It is known that the smart shirt product is not the only project that the team is working on. Researchers have developed a smart sock that can reduce the recovery time of a sprained ankle from four to six weeks to two to three weeks, while users can still do it. some movement during the recovery period. “The research and work being done at NEXT is exciting, and the team’s researchers are using their endless creativity to combine technology with art to create unique outfits. thoughtful, useful and comfortable in the future. Keep an eye on our research, because, one day, you may soon find Nike or Adidas products using generations of NEXT devices,” the team wrote. hope.
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