Wearable Physiological Monitoring
Non-invasive, textile-integrated cardiovascular monitoring for spaceflight and other extreme operational environments.
Wearable systems enable continuous physiological monitoring without the burden of rigid hardware or adhesive electrodes. In spaceflight, where crew mobility, comfort, and autonomy all matter, a garment-based platform can provide continuous insight into cardiovascular state across training, transit, and operational phases.
Our research develops an e-textile monitoring platform for continuous cardiovascular sensing. The system is designed to measure more than heart rate, with a focus on hemodynamic variables that reflect adaptation, workload, and fluid redistribution.
The platform combines smart textile design with embedded sensing, garment engineering, and signal processing to support reliable operation under high-motion and altered-gravity conditions.
- Garment-integrated electrodes: embroidered conductive pathways maintain stable skin contact across body types and prolonged wear
- Cardiovascular monitoring: impedance cardiography and ECG support estimation of stroke volume and cardiac output
- Wearability: layered textile construction preserves comfort, flexibility, and reuse while minimizing motion artifacts
The prototype garment uses a seven-electrode e-textile ECG/ICG layout with embroidered transmission lines and a removable electronics module mounted on the upper back. The design is intended to preserve signal integrity while remaining comfortable and unobtrusive during wear.
Prototype e-textile garment with embroidered electrodes and transmission lines for continuous cardiovascular monitoring.
The current system focuses on cardiovascular and physiological state estimation, with sensing elements selected to support long-duration monitoring in operational settings.
- Electrocardiography and thoracic impedance sensing
- Stroke volume and cardiac output estimation
- Motion-tolerant signal acquisition
- Adaptation to fluid shifts and changing loading conditions
The project addresses a key limitation of existing wearable systems: most are comfortable, but they do not provide clinically meaningful hemodynamic parameters. This platform is intended to close that gap.
Bench validation has focused on electrode stability, insulation, garment construction, and signal-routing integrity. Ongoing work extends to human wear testing and the robustness of impedance-derived metrics under motion and altered-gravity analog conditions.
Embroidered electrode layout and insulated transmission routing designed to preserve signal quality during wear.
- Continuous, noninvasive cardiovascular monitoring in a wearable garment form factor
- Textile-integrated sensing that reduces discomfort and motion-related signal degradation
- Extraction of hemodynamic variables beyond heart rate
- A platform suitable for EVA training, analog missions, and other extreme environments
This work establishes a practical foundation for long-duration physiological monitoring in spaceflight. By combining wearability with clinically relevant cardiovascular sensing, the platform supports crew health assessment, operational monitoring, and future expansion to multimodal physiological systems. It is also being developed with analog and terrestrial applications in mind, including remote or high-risk work environments.