Bluetooth Low Energy‐Based Washable Wearable Activity Motion and Electrocardiogram Textronic Monitoring and Communicating System

Abstract The miniaturized, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) encapsulated, reliable, and fully washable system composed of three textile stretchable electrodes and connected electronic module is designed, realized, and integrated to a sportswear. The electronic module is specifically developed and made on a flexible print circuit board in order to facilitate its integration. The software developed enables the recording of the electrocardiogram (ECG) high quality signs together with the skin temperature, the breathing rate, and acceleration outputs that are used for an activity monitoring. The electronic module transmits all the data to a smart phone via low energy Bluetooth. The specific dedicated application displays the ECG signal, the respiration rate, and the activity performed in a real time. This information is sent to a cloud. The system is tested in real conditions of utilization and washed following standards to test its reliability and verify its readiness for the market. The system is a next step in the instrumentation of clothing, comparing to existing heart rate monitoring modules, having a capacity to monitor the activities in real time and being fully washable without mechanical disconnecting of the electronic module as it is a case for almost all existing monitoring devices.