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elays it to a transmitter. The transmitter (non-textile) is snapped into the front of the bra, captures the
heart rate data and transmits it to a heart rate monitoring watch (also non-textile). The watch displays
the wearer’s heart rate. In the following, the textile material is depicted:
Fig. 49 NuMetrex textile by Textronics
The NuMetrex bra is the first product of the company that is offered to consumers now [108].
Another wearable health system is the Bodymedia Health Wear Armband, which is worn on the back
of the upper right arm. It focuses on weight management by measuring movement, heat flux, skin
temperature and the galvanic skin response allowing accurate calculations of energy expenditure [56].
The Belgian research group STARLAB has developed a prototype jogging suit which registers the
heartbeat, on the basis of which a certain type of music is played. The music is adapted to the heart
rhythm and sends the jogger to a higher or lower tempo. Via a mobile telephone, the information is
send to the sports club by e-mail. The prototype is a t-shirt consisting of different layers. In the cuffs
and in the collar, warmth sensors and microphones are integrated. At the outside, the garment
registers the weather conditions and the field characteristics. By measuring all these internal and
external factors, the jogging suit can analyse the movements and give suggestions about the duration
and the intensity of the exercise.
A smart card holds the data of the personal training programme of the sportsman. When the jogging
suit notices that the wearer is getting tired, it can encourage him to continue. If necessary, it can also
adapt the training programme of the next session.
The Stanford Lifeguard system has been designed for extreme conditions. It consists of physiological
sensors, a cigarette packet sized box and a base station [56].
A pioneer in ‘intelligent bandages’ is the American firm BioKey of Wauwatosa. They developed an
intelligent eye patch used for the treatment of a ‘lazy eye’, a frequently occurring problem with
children. The child has one eye that is much weaker than the other. This leads to a diminished visual
sharpness, a decreasing depth sight, and possibly a generally diminished sight. To be effective, the
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