We have covered Hexoskin in the past for their smart garments that incorporate sensors that can gather biometric data. The company recently made an announcement that is out of this world; their clothing is headed into space.
As part of a $24 million contract with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), Hexoskin will develop an “Astroskin” product that will be worn by a Canadian astronaut during a 6-month stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in 2018 and 2019. The shirt will measure blood pressure, blood oxygen levels, heart rate, ECG data, skin temperature, breathing rate, breathing volume, and activity level. This data will be forward to a controller in the ISS, and then send back to Earth where researchers will be able to study the data.
This project is designed to demonstrate the utility of a smart garment, which has potential applications back here at ground level. In addition to aiding athletes and exercise enthusiasts track their fitness, it could also be used to monitor patients in clinical settings and at home, and could provide richer information in support of telemedicine services.
