A vest to measure stress
How
stressed are we? A sensor vest will soon be able to tell us. From
sports training to computer games, the garment registers the electrical
excitation of the muscles at any given time and determines the level of
physical stress.
Stressed
out? Time to take a break? It will not be long before our clothing
gives us the answer. In the EU’s CONTEXT project, companies and
research institutes are developing a comfortable vest that will read
muscle tension and deduce stress levels at any given time. At the core
of the vest is “wearable electronics”. This consists of sensors woven
into the fabric that register the electrical excitation of the muscle
fibers, and thin conducting metallic fibers that pass the signals to an
electronic analysis system. People’s muscle tension changes with their
stress level – the greater the stress, the more likely the muscles are
to produce a synchronous twitching effect. Though this is barely
perceptible, the electrodes register the change. The idea of the sensor
vest originated with biomedical scientists at the Catholic University
of Leuven, Belgium, who needed an inconspicuous measuring tool for
stress studies. Until then, they had affixed electrodes directly to
their test subjects’ chests. But this itself induced stress, with the
result that the tests delivered very little useful information. The new
vest is designed to ensure a more relaxed test environment. The project
members are exploring further potential applications such as a special
vest for computer games. By selectively tensing the torso muscles,
players could use the vest to control figures on the monitor and for
instance burst their heroes’ chains and fetters. The vest could also
contribute to safety at the workplace – perhaps ensuring that workers
do not lift loads that are too heavy for them. And sports coaches could
tell from the electronic vest whether athletes have reached their
performance limits or still possess energy reserves. ”The most
important requirement for everyday use is a robust electronic system,”
says Torsten Linz of the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and
Microintegration IZM in Berlin, the partner responsible for the
“packaging”. The entire electronic system has to be resistant to water
and perspiration. The electric conductors must not fray even after
repeated laundry cycles, and the sensors must be no larger than buttons
to ensure that the garment is comfortable. The IZM researchers have
meanwhile developed stable metallic fibers, watertight connections and
durable sensor buttons. Their task over the next few months will be to
integrate the analysis electronics. The project partners have already
demonstrated during field hockey training that the vest really works;
it enabled players to choose the ideal moment for striking the ball and
to hit it much further than usual.
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