Smart E-Textiles Integrated Into Human Health Monitoring Systems

• Main Author: Carlson, Sam
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01-01-2023
• Subjects: Health care management; Mechanical engineering; Textile Research
• ISBN: 9798383218945

E-textiles, broadly defined as any textile that has electronic capabilities, are becoming the future of portable, wearable electronics for human performance and health monitoring. There are many applications of e-textiles in the health monitoring industry, where early detection and prevention of adverse health conditions is at the forefront of concern. To illustrate the potential of e-textile monitoring in health care, two applications of health monitoring were chosen: monitoring respiratory rate and monitoring the dyadic interactions between a parent and their infant, specifically kangaroo care. As one of the primary applications examined, respiratory rate monitoring was chosen due to the documented omission of measurement for this known vital metric, which is key in detecting oncoming health decline. To address the need for better respiratory rate monitoring, an existing e-textile that was designed to monitor respiratory rate was redesigned for improved fit and accuracy. Piezoelectric energy harvesting was explored as a possible power source for using this e-textile as a completely portable device. Not only was developing an e-textile to measuring respiratory rate monitoring explored but integrating other devices into an e-textile system was demonstrated. Monitoring the dyadic interactions between a parent and their newborn infant is a complex procedure involving a variety of devices that must communicate effectively. A system that monitors the interactions between the parent and their infant was presented, and one component of the system was tested for its remote data collection capabilities. By experimenting with these two widely different health monitoring applications, the flexibility of e-textiles in both physicality and applicability was demonstrated. There is great potential for e-textiles to revolutionize health monitoring in healthcare settings and beyond, and more research and device development is required to achieve lasting positive impacts on the healthcare industry.