Wearable monitoring systems for psychological and physiological state assessment in a naturalistic environment

Wearable monitoring systems based on Smart Fibers and Interactive Textile (SFIT) platforms combine imperceptible sensing and computing functions with an interactive communication network. The integration into clothes of bio-potential sensors for health monitoring provides daily physiological parameters through a continuous, personalized, self-made detection of vital signs and the tracking of behavioral indicators of the subject. SFIT platforms can be used unobtrusively into the routinely daily activity to perform remote monitoring of persons in different circumstances and situations: during controlled exercises and diagnostic procedures as a biofeedback tool, during the usual daily life, during sleep or even to monitor behavioral indexes and mood disorders. Treatment of stress may include also training in cognitive-behavioral skills. Moreover, physiological signs and behavioral monitoring based on a multivariable approach leads to an enhanced sensitivity and specificity of these systems for the prediction of critical events. This paper presents two applications: a platform used in the frame of PSYCHE project, based on textile platforms and portable sensing devices for the long term and short term acquisition of data from patients affected by mood disorders and a platform addressing healthy subjects, based on biofeedback methodology, designed for the training of professional drivers named Mental Bio.