Sports Therapy, Physical Activity and Health Research Group (HRG)

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Respirator

Knowledge transfer partnership – Wearable technology

Summary

To create innovative wearable technology which will identify healthy and pathological respiratory patterns. The unique functionality of the technology will grow Smartlife’s sports and fitness market share and enable expansion into health and wellbeing, medical and military markets.

Objectives

  • Develop a wearable device that can accurately track breathing movements in a field-based setting.
  • Share knowledge between the University of Kent and Smartlife Inc.

People

Dr John Dickinson, Reader in Sport and Exercise Sciences, School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Kent.

Dr Sam Winter, Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Sciences, School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Kent.

About

Smartlife Inc [1], a Manchester-based SME, has been awarded funding to embark on a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project with The School of Sport and Exercise Sciences [2] (SSES) at the University of Kent.

Smartlife are specialists in smart garment technology. The company was founded in 2010 and has developed innovative textile sensors, electronics and firmware capable of detecting the body’s biophysical signals delivering actionable insight to users via mobile apps. Their technology is protected by five patent families registered in 23 global territories. Dr John Dickinson [3] and Dr Sam Winter [4], from SSES, are looking forward to working with Smartlife, and with the soon-to-be-appointed postgraduate Associate who will deliver the project. The two-year project, partly funded by Innovate UK, will enable Smartlife to create innovative wearable technology to identify healthy and pathological respiratory patterns. This unique functionality will grow not only their sports and fitness market share but facilitate expansion into new markets such as the health and wellbeing, medical and military markets.

Smartlife are looking forward to the project getting underway and collaborating with the University. Martin Ashby, CEO of Smartlife, said: “we’re delighted to be working with such a well-respected academic institution and believe that our partnership will allow Smartlife to deliver insight to our customers that is at the cutting edge of current thinking on respiration”.

KTPs are a UK-wide Government programme helping businesses to improve their competitiveness and productivity through better use of knowledge, technology and skills that reside within the UK academic knowledge base.