Kankaanpää Unit - Projects

Cyberia – Smart clothing for an arctic enviroment

Work done 1998 - 2000
Project team: TUT Personal Electronics Group - Reima-Tutta ltd
Co-operation with University of Lapland
Funding: TEKES (Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation), Reima-Tutta ltd, Polar ltd, Suunto ltd, DuPont and Nokia
Results: Working prototype - Cyberia
Contact: kankaanpaa@tut.fi

Smart clothing is a combination of electronics and clothing textiles. New fibre and textile materials and miniaturized electronic components make it possible to create truly usable smart clothes. These intelligent clothes are worn like ordinary clothing providing help in various situations according to the designed application.

Cyberia is snow suit prototype designed for arctic conditions. The suit consists of two-piece underwear, supporting vest and actual snowmobile jacket and trousers. The suite contains several electrical and non-electrical features. The goal of the project was to develop a suit which monitors user’s condition by measuring physiological signals.

The suit has integrated GPS-module which locates user position and GSM-module which sends coordinates and other information about user to pre-programmed number if accident or other abnormal situation happens. Physiological signals are monitored with heart rate belt, acceleration sensors, temperature sensors and humidity sensor. Heart rate belt measures heart rate and notice for example if user is in shock, accelerometer sensors measures in which position user is, for example is he/she in vertical or horizontal position. Position information added with shock information indicates in high probability that user has been in accident and is in bad condition. If the suit notices that kind of situation it can send a SMS message to pre-programmed number for example to emergency office’s number. Message consists of GPS coordinates and short description about user’s vital functions. The suit also contains heating equipment to increase wearer’s body temperature in accident. The suite’s functions were controlled through a Yo-Yo like user interface.

Links and other info:

Publications:

Rantanen J., Reho A., Tasanen M., Karinsalo T. and Vanhala J. (2001) Monitoring of the User's Vital Functions and Environment in Reima Smart Clothing Prototype. Edited by Arai E., Arai T. and Takano M. Human Friendly Mechatronics, Selected Papers of the International Conference on Machine Automation, ICMA2000, September 27-29, 2000, Osaka, Japan. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 25-30.
Rantanen J., Alfthan N., Impiö J., Karinsalo T., Malmivaara M., Matala R., Mäkinen M., Reho A., Talvenmaa P., Tasanen M., and Vanhala J. (2000) Smart Clothing for the Arctic Environment. Proceedings of the Fourth International Symposium on Wearable Computers, October 16-17, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, pp. 15-23.

Updated , Hokkanen Mirja