Smart Health Body Sensor Textiles based on recycled fibers
Digital design workflow and rapid prototyping of Body-worn sensor shirt
Workpackage 5: Industrial Use-Cases
Abstract
As healthcare shifts toward personalized monitoring, smart textiles offer a non-invasive solution for real-time data acquisition. This study presents a seamless digital workflow for producing custom-fit ECG smart shirts. By integrating 3D body scanning, generative design (Rhino + Grasshopper), and advanced CAD-knitting technology, the framework ensures precise sensor placement and superior wearing comfort. This data-driven approach bridges the gap between digital modelling and automated manufacturing, providing a scalable pathway for next-generation telemedicine.
Problem
The primary challenge for wearable health systems is maintaining consistent skin-to-sensor contact for high signal quality while ensuring long-term comfort. Conventional sizing often fails to account for diverse body shapes, leading to sensor displacement and data noise. The goal was to develop an automated process that translates individual body metrics into ready-to-manufacture knitting data, reducing prototyping cycles and material waste.
Solution
- Digital Acquisition: High-resolution 3D body scans generate a torso mesh, which is annotated with anatomical landmarks using the MSoft platform.
- Parametric Design: Utilizing Rhino3D, Grasshopper, and Python scripts, optimal contact zones are identified. The MeshMap component is used to transfer geometric data between meshes, ensuring an accurate, low-distortion translation of sensor locations from the 3D body model to the 2D textile pattern.
- Technical Engineering: Exported DXF block patterns are transferred to STOLL Create Plus, where optimized yarns, stitch densities, and conductive pathways are integrated to generate a machine-ready knitting program.
Fig. 1: Contact zones recognition and Mapping from 3D to 2D
Results and Application
The result is a reconfigurable design framework that enables "first-time-right" production of body-adaptive smart clothing. Integrating ECG sensors directly into the knit structure ensures reliable signal acquisition and high user compliance. Key applications include post-discharge monitoring, personalized cardiology, and elite sports. Furthermore, the CAD-based "knit-to-shape" strategy promotes sustainable manufacturing by significantly reducing material and energy consumption.
Fig. 2: Smart health body sensorshirt with recycled fiber for Healthcare Telemonitoring
About Convert2Green
The project Convert2Green ran from 1st January 2023 to 31st March 2026. The project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101092347.
Convert2Green consortium consists of 17 European partners, including research and development facilities, business experts, and IP experts:
- National Technical University of Athens, GR
- Fraunhofer Society for the Advancement of Applied Sciences, DE
- Technical Research Center of Finland, FI
- International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, PT
- Textile Research Institute Thuringia-Vogtland e.V., DE
- University of Burgos – Institute for critical raw materials, ES
- DIGNITY, GR
- STAM S.r.l., IT
- KETMarket GmbH, DE
- Amires Business Innovation Management Institute z.ú., CZ
- Inlecom Commercial Pathways, IRE
- Fiat Research Center, IT
- Biokeralty Research Institute AIE, ES
- NetCompany Intrasoft, LUX
- Enfucell Oy, FIN
- Stryker Trauma, DE
- Polivouga, PT
Contact
Mr. Pulkit Mishra
Mail:
