Smart shirt measures lung function to monitor COPD

The smart shirt has proved to be accurate when compared to traditional testing equipment, according to research presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress.

Researchers have used the smart shirts and a mobile app to measure breathing in healthy people as they go about everyday activities. They now plan to test the garment with patients with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) with doctors monitoring for early signs that their condition is getting worse.

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The research was presented by Denise Mannée, a technical physician and PhD candidate at Radboud University Medical Centre in The Netherlands.

"COPD is a growing problem with around 64 million people suffering with the condition worldwide,” said Mannée. “When patients suffer an increase in their symptoms, such as coughing and breathlessness, they need to be monitored more closely. Symptoms first occur during daily activities like climbing stairs and housework, but respiration is hard to monitor in such conditions. This is traditionally done in the clinic with equipment such as an exercise bike, facemask and computer. The equipment is not very practical for measuring everyday activity.