- Title: 'Smart' clothing can boost wearable tech - Singapore researchers
- Date: 16th August 2019
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE, INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, JOHN HO, SAYING: "So kind of the two, two main populations we're hoping would benefit from this clothing, would be athletes, who have to wear special clothing to kind of, perform. We'd be able to measure the signals during performance, we'd be able to see things that they're doing, that are currently kind of invisible -- like, what is their heart rate, what is their blood pressure, as they go through their motions. And the other one would be patients in the hospital -- they all have to wear special gowns in the hospital right now. Imagine giving those gowns certain functions, so we can measure, kind of their heart rate, blood pressure, their vital signs, as they are inside the hospital." VARIOUS OF RESEARCHER ATTACHING THE MATERIAL ONTO T-SHIRT VARIOUS OF HANDS PATTING MATERIAL ON SHIRT (SOUNDBITE) (English) NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE, INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, JOHN HO, SAYING: "What this fabric allows us to do, is basically have longer-lasting devices, that are more comfortable to wear, so we don't need wires to connect things all together."
- Embargoed: 30th August 2019 12:51
- Keywords: National University of Singapore wearable electronics Wi-Fi body sensors fabric smart textiles
- Location: SINGAPORE
- City: SINGAPORE
- Country: Singapore
- Topics: Science
- Reuters ID: LVA005ASLUQ1L
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Researchers in Singapore have invented 'smart' clothing they say can boost signals and save battery life on wireless devices such as headphones and smart watches.
The invention called "metamaterial" allows radio waves like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to glide across clothing between wearable devices instead of radiating outwards in all directions.
This means sensors and wearable technology such as Apple Watches and AirPods can establish stronger connections faster and save energy, the scientists at National University of Singapore said.
"This T-shirt increases the wireless connectivity of devices around my body by 1,000 times," said assistant professor John Ho, donning a sports shirt laced with comb-shaped strips of the metamaterial textile.
Ho, who oversaw a 10-member team that developed the technology over a year, said it could be used for measuring the vital signs of athletes or hospital patients.
It could also keep signals more secure by transmitting sensitive information close to the body and away from potential eavesdroppers on the radio waves, the scientists said.
The Singapore team have obtained a provisional patent on the design of the textile, which can be washed, dried and ironed like normal clothing and costs just a few dollars per metre to produce.
(Production: Yiming Woo) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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