The Italian-based company, Smartex, is the partner who designs and creates the wearable sensor device WWBS (“Wearable WBAN system”) used by the clinicians in the FrailSafe study. It measures individual medical parameters related to heart, respiration and physical activity.
A prototype had been presented in December 2016 to the FrailSafe partners and tested out by the clinicians themselves (see Fig. 1).
Fig. 1Since May 2017, volunteers of the FrailSafe study in the different sites (Nancy, Nicosia and Patras) have worn it and have expressed their opinion about the 1.0 version of the smart vest to make it more user-friendly (Fig. 2).
Fig. 2Smartex has taken their feedback into account and will produce 15 units of the updated smart vest. The 2.0 version still has the same equipment in terms of sensors, namely 1 fabric electrode for 1 electrocardiography lead, 1 fabric sensor for respiration, 3 inertial platforms (1 on the chest and 2 on upper limbs). However, the 2.0 WWBS includes recommendations from the end-users: a well visible LED flashing information in a simple colour code; a stronger case (some of them were broken and replaced during the 9-month trial); simple connectors (the previous one was too hard for weaker people). Suggestions also came from the clinicians for a better data collection. They asked for a larger battery to enable longer monitoring period and a dedicated battery for the internal clock, to ensure a correct date recording in files.
The Italian company will deliver the 2.0 WWBS by the end of this year to the FrailSafe pilot sites