Designing smart textiles for the detection of loneliness in older individuals
Topic(s) : Multifunctional and smart composites
Co-authors :
Nikitia MEXIA (UNITED KINGDOM), Freya PROBST (UNITED KINGDOM), Jessica REES (UNITED KINGDOM), Erika MOLTENI , Faith MATCHAM (UNITED KINGDOM), Michela ANTONELLI (UNITED KINGDOM), Sebastien OURSELIN , Anthea TINKER , Wei LIU (UNITED KINGDOM), Yu SHI (UNITED KINGDOM)Abstract :
As mental health is lately of increasing concern, loneliness in elderly people has become a critical issue, also associated with already well-known physiological challenges that it may cause, such as heart disease and diabetes. Loneliness as mental health condition can lead to adverse health situations for the ageing community, with depression and anxiety being the dominant ones. These conditions are known to trigger a cascade of emotions which are often translated into alterations of some physiological signals such as heart rate and blood pressure, respiration rate, skin temperature, sweating and hormonal levels. These changes can be monitored via several means like electroencephalogram (EEG), electrocardiogram (ECG), blood pressure measurement, electromyogram (EMG), galvanic skin response (GSR) and sweat analysis. This means that even if emotions and mental health issues can be suppressed or masked intentionally, the alterations in the levels of the monitored signals will be revealed as reliable objective data. Effective monitoring with wearable sensors can help family, carers and doctors to tend to the person’s needs with timely updates of the treatment strategy and to assist in their rehabilitation from the relevant mental health conditions.
The present study aims to design and develop a smart textile with various embedded sensors that will collect and monitor the physiological signals of older adults with loneliness. The embedment of these sensors on a textile will reduce any stress caused by monitoring at home systems like cameras, which are considered invasive. A wearable garment can be more easily accepted by the elderly whilst giving information rapidly and accurately due to the direct contact with the person’s skin. Moreover, it is more suitable for patients with loneliness that live independently compared to other apparel or furnishing materials.
The designed individual sensors are screen printed on thin films and integrated in textiles to capture key signals related to heart rate, body temperature, breathing rate etc. In this work, a smart textile with motion, pressure and temperature sensors will be developed with an full circuit and encapsulation to protect electronic parts and extended their life cycle. The printed sensors will be individually tested and assessed for their accuracy while the fully designed electronic system will be experimentally evaluated for wearable testing. The mechanical performance and washability will also be tested as it is important to assess the comfort and durability of the developed wearable for daily use.
Acknowledgements: this work is funded by EPSRC, Grant Ref: EP/W031442/2.
The present study aims to design and develop a smart textile with various embedded sensors that will collect and monitor the physiological signals of older adults with loneliness. The embedment of these sensors on a textile will reduce any stress caused by monitoring at home systems like cameras, which are considered invasive. A wearable garment can be more easily accepted by the elderly whilst giving information rapidly and accurately due to the direct contact with the person’s skin. Moreover, it is more suitable for patients with loneliness that live independently compared to other apparel or furnishing materials.
The designed individual sensors are screen printed on thin films and integrated in textiles to capture key signals related to heart rate, body temperature, breathing rate etc. In this work, a smart textile with motion, pressure and temperature sensors will be developed with an full circuit and encapsulation to protect electronic parts and extended their life cycle. The printed sensors will be individually tested and assessed for their accuracy while the fully designed electronic system will be experimentally evaluated for wearable testing. The mechanical performance and washability will also be tested as it is important to assess the comfort and durability of the developed wearable for daily use.
Acknowledgements: this work is funded by EPSRC, Grant Ref: EP/W031442/2.