Hohenstein in heart-monitoring space mission
German textile research and testing organisation Hohenstein is scheduled to deploy its new SmartTex t-shirt (pictured) to help monitor and evaluate the effects of the space environment on the human cardiovascular system.
European Space Agency astronaut Dr Matthias Maurer will test the top during his six-month Cosmic Kiss mission on the International Space Station (ISS), which he will leave for on October 30. The project name for the mission is Wireless Compose-2 (WICO2).
Hohenstein developed the shirt in cooperation with the German Aerospace Center, DSI Aerospace Technologie and Bielefeld University’s medical department.
Integrated sensor patches on the garment will be able to transmit physiological data from the astronaut back to Earth via a wireless communication network, Hohenstein explained. This information will help build up a continuous picture of the vital functions of astronauts in space. (Dr Maurer’s ballistocardiographic data will be recorded before, after and during his stay on the ISS.)
The aim, the testing organisation said, is to take learnings from this data and apply these to plans for future long-term manned space missions to Mars and the Earth’s Moon. It added that there is an expectation that the SmartTex technology will be transferable to fitness and telemedicine applications.
Senior scientific expert at Hohenstein, Dr Jan Beringer, commented: “During previous projects we gathered valuable data on the interaction of the body, clothing and climate under microgravity conditions. [After applying learnings from past missions] Dr Maurer can wear his tailormade shirt comfortably during everyday work on the ISS.
“We used his body measurements for pattern development and production. We also integrated the sensors, data processors and communication modules into the shirt so that they interfere as little as possible and are always positioned in the right place, regardless of the wearing situation. This is the prerequisite for reliable measurement of physiological data.”
The experiments which will be conducted on Dr Maurer’s person fall under the Ballistocardiography for Extraterrestrial Applications and long-Term missions (BEAT) umbrella.
Dr Maurer will be the first astronaut to wear a shirt equipped with sensors that measure ballistocardiographic data such as pulse, relative blood pressure, the opening and closing of the heart valves and contraction rate.
Image: Hohenstein.
