Biometrx Inc’s wholly owned subsidiary, smarttouch Medical, Inc., has commenced development on a new system specifically designed to improve the overall protection of body armour for soldiers and law enforcement officers.

The smartvest Body Armor Enhancement System looks beyond the physical protection of these products by allowing the product to communicate vital information to field medical personnel, extending protection after injury.

The system includes a chip that is embedded into the actual vest that allows field medical personnel to scan the vest and have immediate access to the serviceman's complete medical record. The second feature includes a wireless finger-scan capture device that allows field personnel to scan an injured soldier's finger in the field, and wirelessly recall vital medical data for on-the-spot assessment and treatment. The latter feature is necessary in case the chip in the body armour is compromised or the armour is taken off and discarded after injury.

The system is expected to be ready for the marketplace in early 2007.