T-Sense

A breakthrough in Smart Wearable Development for Mental Health

What is T-Sense?

Mental disorders, particularly anxiety disorders and mood disorders, are associated with significant loss in quality of life. Elitac Wearables and 2M Engineering have joined forces to develop a smart wearable, which monitors (constructive) stress and promptly informs the wearer and healthcare providers about it. This project is funded by the Provincie Utrecht.

Imagine a wearable that transcends norms, embedding innovative sensors measuring Heart Rate Variability, Heart Rate, breathing, galvanic skin response, temperature, sweat, and more into textiles. Depending on the patient’s indication, they can be informed about stress build-up using haptic feedback, or the healthcare provider (or someone from the immediate environment) can directly contact the patient to calm them down either via phone or by quickly being present. Our goal is to merge technology with comfort, redefining wearables.

Interested in developing a health care wearable with us? Get in touch!

Mental Health

Over 4 in 10 individuals of the Dutch population have experienced one or more mental disorders at some point in their lives. Anxiety disorders are the most common main group, with depression being the most prevalent among all individual disorders. Nearly every mental disorder related to anxiety disorders and/or depression is distinct and requires a separate approach.

Why T-Sense?

The development of a smart wearable for this target group is highly desired. Practical experiences, including those in mental healthcare, demonstrate the enormity of the issues. Uncontrollable stress and resulting anger outbursts lead to extremely high societal costs. Early recognition of escalating stress levels is crucial to prevent escalations. The idea is that the smart wearable measures the stress build-up in an early stage, the caretaker, or the patient themselves can calm down in time to prevent an anger outburst or breakdown.

T-Sense project goals

Preventing anger outburst or breakdown

The Smart Wearable will measure the stress build-up in an early stage. When the stress builds up, the patient or caretaker will be notified. With this notification the patient can be calmed down before an anger outburst or breakdown.

Safer work environment for care takers

Next to the impact on the users, the anger outbursts also have significant impact on the care takers. Because the care takers are the closest to the patients they often get hurt during an outburst, either physically and/or mentally. When the outbursts can be prevented with the Smart Wearable, it will also mean a safer work environment for the care takers.

Non-intrusive wearable for highly sensitive patients

The patients that the T-Sense project targets can be highly sensitive. Therefore, it is important that the technology is integrated into the Smart Wearable in a non-intrusive way. In this way all users/patients can use the Smart Wearable which they do not even notice that they are wearing a Smart Wearable.

Project result:

A working prototype of a smart wearable with haptic feedback for people with mental disorders, so the stress build-up can be identified at the earliest stage possible.
The prototype is equipped with imperceptible sensors that can monitor and record the patient’s bio signals.

Research consortium partners

Elitac Wearables focuses on developing wearables based on electronics integrated in textiles. Elitac Wearables works as a wearable development partner specialising on the product development, haptic feedback design and integration, electronic hardware development, integration of electronics into textile, prototyping and the coordination and scaling of production of the final product. Elitac Wearables typically partners with organisations active in specific niche markets to commercialise the technology and wearables developed. Elitac Wearables sells standard, off-the-shelf haptic feedback R&D and rapid prototyping hardware and custom-made tactile displays. This hardware is used by universities, research centres and commercial organisations worldwide. Elitac Wearables develops all software and hardware for this product in house and values its relationships with suppliers to be able to manufacture new high-quality products rapidly.

2M Engineering Limited is a high-tech SME based in North Brabant. The company boasts a multidisciplinary team comprising 15 employees with diverse backgrounds, including software/hardware engineers, biomedical engineers, and mechanical engineers. 2M specializes in developing innovative sensor (hardware) solutions for various companies and organizations. Their mission is to develop technologies and products that contribute to a healthier and more sustainable world.

2M’s sensor product development service offers end-to-end solutions and products. Their expertise in miniaturization, embedded algorithms, and low-power optimization aids in creating reliable multifunctionality in applications for healthcare, fitness, navigation, and more. Integrated medical certification capabilities make 2M an ideal partner for medtech product developers and scaling operations.

Specializing in the development of Photonic Medical Devices, Professional Wearables, and High-Tech industrial sensor solutions, 2M serves a diverse clientele ranging from large multinational corporations and hospitals to startups. They support these clients in their efforts to meet the ever-evolving technological demands of their respective industries.

Current status

The T-Sense project started in March 2023. Currently, we have done first in-house tests with proof-of-concept prototypes and parts. These parts will be optimized and combined to run more tests and build a working system. We started the project with interviewing care takers to get a good and complete vision for the Smart Wearable. When we have all sensors accurately working, we start with building the complete working prototype for more tests.

Contact us

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