Page 65 - TEXtalks. July- August 2023

65
Advancing

unobtrusive

wearable

technology

The men’s Heptathlon Black Technology Down the back and waist.
Jacket from Chinese manufacturer Sundance
received a 2022 IPSO Award for its clever integration An inflatable neck pillow on the collar is controlled by
of various electronic functions to enhance outdoor a small, thin tube protruding from the inner pocket
performance. which can be stowed there again after use. The
jacket has various ports for the multifunctional
Made from premium Gore-Tex fabric and filled with charging of electronic devices such as smartphones
high-quality goose down, it has a heat-conducting and watches, powered by a lithium battery. All of
graphene inner lining that can be regulated in three these features are barely noticeable and the jacket is
stages by a button on the jacket’s inner pocket, as lightweight and slim-fitting. It has been on the market
well as an adjustable vibration massage function at in China since Autumn 2021.

cMaSK: Sensors

employed for better

fitting facemasks

Wearing a mask can help prevent the spread of the wearer’s face, can be applied to any kind of
viruses but a mask’s effectiveness depends on how mask. Using the sensor, the researchers analyzed
well it fits. To integrate their sensors into face masks, the fit of surgical masks on male and female
the researchers created a device that they call a subjects and found that overall, the masks fit
conformable multimodal sensor face mask (cMaSK). women’s faces much less closely than they fit men’s
Sensors that measure a variety of parameters are faces.
embedded in a flexible polymer frame that can be
reversibly attached to the inside of any mask, The cMaSK interface also has sensors that measure
around the edges. temperature, humidity, and air pressure, which can
detect activities such as speaking and coughing. An
Currently, there are no simple ways to measure the accelerometer within the device can reveal if the
fit of a mask, but a new sensor developed at MIT wearer is moving around. All of the sensors are
could make it much easier. The sensor, which embedded into a polyimide, which is used in
measures physical contact between the mask and medical implants such as stents.

July/August 2023