New life-saving technology could be as close as your closet.

What if the shirt on your back could monitor your vitals,
helping keep you in tip-top shape no matter what activity you’re doing? A group of European researchers and developers released the first results of a 30-year project referred to as the Wearable Healthcare System (WEALTHY).

A prototype shirt contains tiny sensors that collect information about the wearer’s respiration, core and surface temperature, position (upright or prone) and movement. At a remote location, doctors are able to monitor the health statistics and conditions.

Most athletes don’t want to be micromanaged on a cellular level, but the garment could one day be used to assist rescue teams and emergency response systems in locating victims. WEALTHY is still in development, with hopes of full commercialization in roughly three years, states Rita Paradiso, MD, research director of the Italian company Smartex and coordinator of WEALTHY. The system’s goals are to benefit everyone from firefighters and other professionals with high-risk jobs to newborn babies and athletes. “There are a vast number of applications,” Paradiso said. “The garment would need to be customized for each task.” For more information, go to www.wealthy-ist.com.