TWINMED T-SHIRT, a Smart Wearable System for ECG and EMG Monitoring for Rehabilitation with Exoskeletons

Wearable devices have become increasingly popular in recent years and have been utilized in a range of different fields, including healthcare, fitness, and entertainment. In particular, the development of smart textiles has been a major breakthrough in the wearable technology industry. This paper discusses the design and development of a wearable system for muscular and cardio-respiratory evaluation for rehabilitation with exoskeleton. The paper is focus on the Twinmed system which consists in an exoskeleton and a smart t-shirt that records cardiac and muscle signals through silver-based 3D textile electrodes. The t-shirt has been designed tailored onto the patient's measurements for optimal sensor placement, and each sensor is connected to a device that can monitor the two main signals: muscular and cardiac. The system was developed with a focus on evaluating the progress of rehabilitation and proper use of crutches during exoskeleton walking. All the design features have been selected through collaboration and interaction with project stockholders: patients, therapists, and engineers. The system has been pretested in laboratory both without and with the exoskeleton and have been shown to be effective for monitoring EMG signals and provide physicians with a clearer view of the cardiovascular exertion required, while allowing patients to have quantitative feedback on their health status.