Hi-Tech Clothes to Help Elderly
From: BBC News - 06/01/2009

Researchers in the University of Ulster's New Dynamics of Ageing Programme
are exploring the use of technology-enhanced clothing to improve the lives of
older citizens. "This project is particularly exciting as we will be working
with partners with complementary expertise that will enable our research in
sensor technologies, data fusion, and intelligent data analysis to have a
real impact on people's everyday lives," says Ulster professor Bryan Scotney.
Sport and Exercise Sciences Research Institute (SESRI) director Eric Wallace
says the project is at the forefront of examining active lifestyles.
"Essentially, once the data on the movements of older people is recorded, it
is then passed to SESRI and we will make sense of it in a lifestyle
capacity," Wallace says. "This information can then in turn be used by those
developing the garments, to understand better the most effective usage of the
technology in the clothing." The researchers say the technology could be used
in a variety of applications, including monitoring room temperature and
automatically adjusting the thermostat, or alerting caregivers or family
members if the subject's heart rate drops. The University of Wales also is
participating in the project through its Smart Clothes and Wearable
Technology group. "Little has been done to address the design requirements of
older wearers in terms of human factors such as sizing, fit, predominant
posture, thermal regulation, moisture management, protection, and the
psychological 'feel good factor,'" says group director Jane McCann. "This
project will develop a shared 'language' to enhance communication between
older wearers and bring together the traditional clothing and textile
designers with electronics and healthcare experts."  

Read the entire article at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8077240.stm

Links:
Bryan Scotney
http://www.ulster.ac.uk/staff/bw.scotney.html

New Dynamics of Ageing Programme
http://www.newdynamics.group.shef.ac.uk/

Design for ageing well: improving quality of life for the ageing population
  using a technology enabled garment system 
http://www.newdynamics.group.shef.ac.uk/projects/36