Clothing that monitors vital health parameters sans wires & straps

11 Oct '11

2 min read

Footfalls and Heartbeats is making your clothing think for you – a simple, stylish means of monitoring your vital signs so that you are free to live.

The visionary product of Footfalls and Heartbeats is a garment – a simple base-layer garment with no wires or straps – that can read, record and transmit the wearer's heart rate, respiration rate and location to a Smartphone, cloud or computer application. The technology is in the textile itself.

Footfalls and Heartbeats is attacking the challenge of intelligent textiles from the bottom up. Building on a background of chemistry and textile structure, Simon McMaster, founder and inventor of Footfalls, has determined a method to predict and manipulate the outputs of a flexible conductive network and is applying it to knitted textile sensors.

This method, called FITT (Functional Intelligent Textile Technology), enables a repeatability and sensitivity not yet seen in textile sensors. Strain-gauge, pressure and bioelectric sensing are all functions of FITT. Repeatability and sensitivity will open the door to applications in medical and infant monitoring.

In addition, the substrate produced is an ideal platform for nanoparticulates and test for additional functionality such as power storage or flexible strength.

Footfalls and Heartbeats is established in New Zealand with certain research activities in the UK. Maintaining a capital efficient and agile structure, Footfalls represents an innovative style of commercialization.

Strong relationships with world-class research institutions including Industrial Research Limited, AgResearch, AUT (Auckland University of Technology), NZi3 Wireless Research Institute and other testing partners ensures that Footfalls can access the best skills and services available.

Footfalls and Heartbeats