a smart health connected adornment to save lives

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The Environment Dress 2.0 is a smart health connected dress created by two Spanish artists. It is able to detect environmental threats, and potentially save lives.

smart health connected objects are spreading more and more. From Apple Watch to virtual reality headsets, wearables of all kinds meet a hit with consumers. For now, however, this success is limited to activity trackers such as Fitbit or Jawbone Up bracelets.

These devices are for the most part measure users' biometric data, such as heart rate or blood pressure. Few accessories collect and analyze user environment data.

Detect environmental threats

This is what Environment Dress 2.0 offers. This smart health connected adornment is capable of detect ubiquitous hazards such as UV radiation or carbon monoxide. This smart outfit is potentially capable of saving lives.

Developed by Spanish artists María Castellanos and Alberto Valverde, this set is based on a prototype designed in 2015. The dress uses different sensors to detect the invisible environmental factors of everyday life, such as temperature, atmospheric pressure, noise, or dust level.

An application to protect yourself

The user is then notified in case of contamination. The sensors transmit their data to the companion application, controlled by the user. In case of noise pollution in a densely populated urban area, the user may order the application of close the helmet integrated to the dress to shelter from the noise. Peaks can also protect it from carbon monoxide.

The project, started in 2009, was inspired by a strong interest for the human body, and more specifically by the ability to improve human capabilities through technology. During his doctorate at the University of Vigo, Spain, Castellanos presented a thesis on bionic skin, exploring the hybrid possibilities between wearables and cybernetics. For its part, Valverde studied smart health connected objects from an artistic point of view. Both have come to the conclusion that wearables builders are unaware of the environment.

Determine the relationships between environment and mood

According to Castellanos, in our daily environment, many factors can influence our mood and our relationships with others. That's why they decided to create an intelligent dress that can measure environmental data and their impact on us. In addition to detecting environmental threats, the application collects the user's geographic position and mood in an attempt to establish the relationship between environment and state of mind. The user can then draw an emotional map of his city.

The dress can potentially help users to determine which parts of their cities are the safest by compiling useful data on the environment. The application records data continuously, and the user can study its path to check the levels of dust, carbon monoxide, and UV radiation.

However, even though this set may deliver real-time environmental scans and alerts for users, both artists are more interested in analyzing the data provided after use. These data can be viewed on the official website, and users can draw broader conclusions and plan their day accordingly. Castellanos does not guarantee that this dress can save lives, but confirms that it can help detect dangers that natural sensors of the human body can not perceive.

A political commitment

The purpose of collecting these data is also political according to the duo of artists. Most people do not have easy access to environmental data. A Pennsylvania study demonstrated a direct influence of hydraulic fracturing on respiratory and skin problems. Many cities around the world, including the hometown of Castellanos, are polluted by factories. Most citizens are unaware of the presence of these pollutants in the atmosphere. The two creators of the project are wondering about citizens' reaction if they become aware of the phenomenon.

In order to achieve this awakening, Castellanos and Valverde have made Environment Dress 2.0 an open source project. Anyone can access the original code and modify it. Their hope is now that other artists and designers are integrating this technology into their smart health connected clothing and accessories, to spread this awareness that is essential for the future.

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