Improving Safety through Telemonitoring with the FitnessSHIRT

The Fraunhofer IIS “FitnessSHIRT“ features measuring equipment for ECG and respiration recording. Sensors are integrated into the shirt for user friendliness, ease of handling and wearing comfort. With one-channel ECG and chest respiratory motion recording, the “FitnessSHIRT“ delivers measurements for two key vital signs.

The “FitnessSHIRT“ has not yet been certified as a medical device and is not yet CE-certified. The Fraunhofer IIS is presenting it with the objective of gaining partners for further development, production and marketing.

Conductive textile electrodes integrated into the T-shirt are used for ECG recording. A flexible belt in the lower thoracic region is used for resistive measurement of chest respiratory motion. The measured data is transmitted in real time by radio to the control room, where it is analyzed. The data can also be temporarily stored on a memory card and transmitted to a PC for further analysis. The electronics for measurement recording and storage and for radio transmission are enclosed in a separate, detachable housing. The housing is about as large as a smartphone and is fastened to the “FitnessSHIRT“ by snaps for easy removal for washing.

The “FitnessSHIRT“ can also be used to measure physical exertion at sports events to provide the public with entertaining information about the athletes´ physical exertion, performance and fitness levels. Trainers can use the data for performance diagnostics and training control.

Since July 2016, the innovative high-tech product “ambiotex-shirt“ is available at the ambiotex web store. The Shirt is a development based on the “FitnessSHIRT“ of the Fraunhofer IIS. The shirt has a comfortable fit and allows an effective workout by evaluating vital data such as pulse and stress level in real time

Emergency services help with catastrophes, protect us against danger, and save human life. The Use of the “FitnessSHIRT“ can contribute to improved safety for firefighting and rescue teams, who put their health – and frequently their lives – at risk during deployments. Continuous monitoring of cardiac and respiratory functions provides an early warning system in critical situations, enabling colleagues in danger to be rescued in time. To make their work safer, researchers at Fraunhofer IIS are developing systems that will monitor life signs continuously and also locate people. At CeBIT 2010, Fraunhofer IIS used a live demonstration to show how fire departments can use systems for locating and for continuous recording of vital signs.