Medical smart textiles based on fiber optic technology: an overview

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Smart textiles are increasingly important for continuous physiological monitoring in medical applications.
• Fiber optic sensors (FOSs) are emerging as superior alternatives to traditional electrical sensors due to their metrological properties, small size, flexibility, and electromagnetic field immunity.
• A key advantage of FOSs is their compatibility with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) environments, where electronic sensors fail.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of the current state-of-the-art in textiles utilizing FOSs for monitoring physiological mechanical parameters.
• To describe the working principles, advantages, and disadvantages of FOSs in this context.
• To review the applications of FOS-based textiles for monitoring physiological mechanical parameters.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on fiber optic sensors (FOSs) and smart textiles for medical monitoring.
• Analysis of FOS working principles relevant to textile integration.
• Compilation of current applications in physiological parameter monitoring.

Main Results:

• Textiles integrated with FOSs are rapidly advancing for wearable sensor development.
• FOSs offer excellent performance and unique advantages, particularly for monitoring during MRI scans.
• These sensors are suitable for monitoring mechanical parameters like respiration and heartbeat.

Conclusions:

• The integration of FOSs into textiles represents a significant advancement in wearable medical monitoring technology.
• FOS-based smart textiles are particularly valuable for applications requiring electromagnetic field immunity, such as MRI.
• Further research and development in this area promise enhanced patient mobility and continuous health monitoring.