06/02/2006

A close-fitting jacket is now all you need to ensure the continuous recording of a user's physical condition and monitoring of his/her health progress. The "Wealthy jacket (Wearable Health Care System)" was developed as part of the Wealthy project, and is co-financed by the 5th Framework Programme for Research of the European Commission ("Information Society Technologies (IST)" programme). The jacket has already gained recognition in significant international events such as the Pan-European Health Summit (E-Health 2005 Exhibition Conference) and the Techtextil & Avantex 2005 International Commercial Exhibition for Innovative Garments.

Participating in this project, was the Greek company ATKOSoft as well as Milior SPA (Italy), Universita degli studi di Pisa (Italy), CSEM SA (Switzerland), Institute National des Sciences Appliquees de Lyon (France), Fondazione Centro San Raffaele del Monte Tabor (Italy), Centre des Recherches du Service de Sante des Armees (France), MESSE Frankfurt GMBH (Germany), CNRS (France).

Wealthy jacket relies on "smart sensors" embedded in the garment's fibres and filaments, as well as signal-processing technologies and third generation (3G) wireless networks.

More specifically, when a user wears it, Wealthy jacket simultaneously monitors various vital signs such as heart rate, breathing rhythm, movement and rest, temperature and oximetry which provide the sensors with information on the user's physical condition (rest, action, exercise, crisis, etc.). Afterwards, the appropriate messages are transferred to the portable unit for processing and signal transmission. The signals are fed into the management software where they are extrapolated and analysed. The software then predicts events, triggers alert messages and creates synoptic data tables and graphical representations of the user's condition, which are stored in the Patient's Electronic File for following a patient's health over time. Wealthy jacket can be used to monitor home-care patients, those with chronic illnesses but also to study athletic performance, etc.

Source: ATKOSoft