Resistively heated fabrics for use in wearable therapeutic devices by Aria H. Reynolds.

Abstract

Wearable technology is an emerging multidisciplinary field. When designing wearables, one must draw upon an understanding of: the available soft materials; the motion of the body; as well as comfort, fashion, and social implications. There is a lot of current research exploring manufacturing processes and user's needs for wearable products, but there are not many products available on the market. Medicine is one field that can benefit from the use of these design principles, however. Patients that require constant care or treatment for chronic diseases have few choices available to them in terms of medical devices. Many available medical products focus only on their functionality, and neglect fashion, convenience, and comfort. Arthritis and other rheumatic diseases are the cause of most disabilities in the United States, and cause chronic pain in joints all over the body. There are few non-invasive treatments available to patients suffering with these diseases, so this project seeks to fill that gap in the market. The Selectively Heated Therapeutic Sweater allows the patient freedom to choose where and when heat treatment is applied to their joints throughout the day. It also takes into consideration their right to privacy and makes the treatment as unobtrusive to daily life as possible. Conductive fabric was used as a resistive heater powered by low-profile button batteries. The connections of this battery pack were made by using fabric snaps which allow for temporary placement and easy removal for washing. The sweater functioned as anticipated, but could have been improved through the use of soft battery holders and conductive threads.