THE SMART SHIRT

Soldiers’ tee-shirts could give triage units instant information about their wounds. Worn by civilians, the same undergarment could let them know immediately if they’re suffering heart attacks. Police officers, professional athletes, senior citizens, and emergency medical personnel—all could benefit from finding out immediately about sudden illnesses and injuries.

From far-away battlefields to city streets, fast diagnoses and quick responses to medical emergencies will be possible with The Smart Shirt. At first glace, it’s a tee-shirt made of soft washable fabric. But it’s special because of what’s woven into it—electrical fibers that can detect and record heat and respiration rates, bodily temperatures and calories burned. Truly a Smart Shirt, the undergarment can relay the information wirelessly to dispatchers, doctors, and other quick responders.

Originally developed for the U.S. Navy, The Smart Shirt can speed up the diagnosis, rescue and treatment of wounded soldiers on the battlefield. Now that they’re beginning to be produced and marketed by the textile engineering company Sensatex, the Smart Shirts can also be useful for law enforcement officers, firemen, astronauts, military personnel, chronically ill patients, elderly persons living alone, infants and their parents, and professional and amateur athletes—anyone who can benefit from the monitoring and report of their vital signs.

The Smart Shirt results from Americans’ smart investments in university science. It was developed by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Textile and Fiber Engineering and its Textile Information Systems Research Laboratory. The research was funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the central research and development organization for the Department of Defense, and by the U.S. Department of the Navy.

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