Evaluation of a technology enabled garment for older walkers

Abstract

Abstract-Walking is often cited as the best form of activity for persons over the age of 60. In this paper we outline the development and evaluation of a smart garment system that aims to monitor the wearer's wellbeing and activity regimes during walking activities. Functional requirements were ascertained using a combination of questionnaires and two workshops with a target cohort. The requirements were subsequently mapped onto current technologies as part of the technical design process. In this paper we outline the development and second round of evaluations of a prototype as part of a three-phase iterative development cycle. The evaluation was undertaken with 6 participants aged between 60 and 73 years of age. The results of the evaluation demonstrate the potential role that technology can play in the promotion of activity regimes for the older population.

Human-Centered Design Smart Clothing for Ambient Assisted Living of Elderly Users: Considerations in the COVID-19 Pandemic Perspective

“…As an alternative to the smart shirt, Burns et al [24] proposed a bra for monitoring ECG and activity of older walkers through the city. Yeung et al [25] proposed smart socks for monitoring step count, cadence, and velocity in older and neurological patients as Parkinsonian.…”

Towards The Internet of Smart Clothing: A Review on IoT Wearables and Garments for Creating Intelligent Connected E-Textiles

“…For instance, the authors of [210] describe a smart shirt for monitoring the elderly that is able to collect physiological data (e.g., heart rate, respiration rate, underwear temperature) that can be transmitted through WiFi to a remote server where such data are processed and displayed. A similar approach is detailed in [211] but for collecting ECG and accelerometer data related to walking (in this case the information is transmitted through Bluetooth to a smartphone, which processes it and allows for performing emergency calls).…”