By Karen E.Peterson

Feburary 15, 2002 – The next market for wearable-computing could be the battlefield – and the computer itself could be something as mobile, and comfortable, as a mesh undershirt.

Announced Friday, the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology has signed a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with VivoMetrics, a Ventura, California, developer of health-monitoring technologies.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Air Force will enhance the VivoMetrics' LifeShirt monitoring system with GPS and long-range wireless capabilities to create "an advanced method for real-time location and physiological monitoring of military personnel in the field."

Insurance for the Front Line

Said Lt. Col. Mikel Miller, head of the institute's Electrical Engineering Division, the data collected from the wearable system could "help us plan effective troop rotation, ensuring front-line soldiers are always at their best both physically and mentally, and ultimately saving lives,"

LifeShirt from VivoMetrics

Other projects outlined in the CRADA include developing an "intelligent" flight suit that could detect a fighter pilot's loss of consciousness during a "complicated aerial dogfight maneuver" and activate the plane's automatic navigation system.

Also planned: ways to improve the accuracy of GPS localization so that it can be used to track personnel inside buildings.

Products could be ready for field use by 2003.

The LifeShirt is a washable, mesh-like shirt that uses embedded sensors to collect and continuously monitor 30 physiological signs, including cardiac and respiratory functions.

The data collected can be correlated to produce an overall picture of the wearer's health, as well as his or her physicological status, such as determining the onset of fatigue. The data is delivered via handsets for monitoring by medical personnel.

In December 2001, the LifeShirt system received approval for commercial distribution in Europe. VivoMetrics is seeking approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market the product in the U.S.

Protection for Rescue Workers

Founded in 1999, VivoMetrics has called LifeShirt a solution for the health care, atheletics and pharmaceutical markets.

But as of Friday, LifeShirt was being termed a potentially "enormous benefit in air and ground-force management," said Lt. Col. Miller, who is also the lead investigator on the joint-effort CRADA

"Not only will we be able to detect injuries instantaneously and mount a quick, appropriate medical response, but we also believe it will help us predict when service members are at risk for exhaustion or are otherwise in trouble," he said.

Paul Kennedy, president and chief executive officer of VivoMetrics, added that the LifeShirt system could be expanded to "track and manage the location and health of civilian safety personnel, such as firefighters and law enforcement officers, during disaster and rescue operations."

For more information on the LifeShirt, visit VivoMetrics at www.vivometrics.com.

The Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), located at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the Air Force's graduate school and professional continuing education institution. A component of Air University, AFIT also does research and consulting on leading-edge technology for the Air Force and Department of Defense (DoD).

More information is available at www.afit.edu.