Smart T-shirt

Carbon nanotube thread turns clothes into an electrocardiograph and heart rate monitor

Stepan Ikaev, Hi-tech+

Engineers from Rice University has developed flexible fibers to collect data about the human body. Scientists led by graduate student Lauren Taylor sewed a T-shirt from these threads and ordinary fabric, which made it possible to conduct an accurate electrocardiography (ECG) and analyze information about heart rate. According to the authors, in the future the new system will be useful in the development of brain-computer interfaces, soft robotics and medical devices of a new generation.

According to the ‘Smart’ shirt keeps tabs on the heart press release, the new technology is based on carbon nanotube fibers first introduced by Rice University in 2013. The strength of these tubes is not inferior to carbon fiber, and they are comparable in flexibility to textile fabric. The system conducts heat and electricity, and also allows you to place a metal wire inside. The width of the filaments, consisting of billions of carbon nanotubes, is about 22 microns. Lauren Taylor's team took this technological solution as a basis and decided to turn it into a commercially viable product.

"We started working with a seller who supplied small sewing machines designed to make ropes for ship models. He was able to create a medium–sized device for us that does the same thing," Taylor said and added that an adapted version of her threads will allow sewing "smart" fabric into clothes on a standard sewing machine.

Scientists have created a prototype of a tight-fitting T-shirt and placed sensors for ECG and heart rate monitoring under it. Next, the team conducted a series of experiments, during which they analyzed the capabilities of smart tissue.

The use of threads as electrodes confirmed that the T-shirt works at the same level as commercially available monitors, the authors of the project reported. And when processing heart rate data, engineers came to the conclusion that the system works more accurately than modern smartwatches.

Taylor also noted that the nanotube fibers are soft and flexible enough to be washed in a washing machine. A zigzag stitch allows you to stretch the fabric without breaking the internal joints. Moreover, the fibers provide not only stable electrical contact with the user's skin, but are also suitable for connecting Bluetooth sensors. This can be useful when transferring data from a T-shirt to a smartphone.

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