This technology is being examined in its potential for soldiers as well as the general public.
Although wearable technology is becoming relatively well known in terms of its potential benefits in counting steps and in calculating the number of calories that are burned in a day, but now researchers are wondering whether or not there could be a potential to help soldiers who are on the field, or to assist in the prevention of greater health problems.
These researchers are from Sentient Science as well as from the University of Buffalo and they see considerable potential.
Sentient Science is a sensor and software development company. It is currently working with an engineering professor from the University of Buffalo, Albert H. Titus. They have been looking to be able to investigate the potential of wearable technology and the way in which it can be used with real time physiological and medical data in combined with computer models for practical purposes.
This wearable technology system would provide personalized alerts in times of increased risk.
The types of alerts that are sent to the individual with the wearables would be indications of stress level, fatigue, and overall resilience that could increase their risk of certain events such as a heart attack.
The work being conducted by this team was funded by an Office of Naval Research grant of $150,000 through its Small Business Technology Transfer program. That program works to enlist small research institutions and businesses in order to develop technology that can be used for applications within the commercial and military environments.
Professor Titus is the chair of the University of Buffalo’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, and he said that “Whether carrying 100 pounds of gear up a mountain or avoiding makeshift bombs, today’s soldiers face incredible physical and mental stress.” He added that “Our wearable system aims to measure how the body reacts to those challenges and combine that information with algorithms designed to help keep soldiers as safe as possible.”
This wearable technology is currently still in the development phase, but it will involve a number of electrodes that will be able to measure certain forms of biofeedback and vital signs such as brain activity and heart rate.
