A study on application of the ribbing stitch as sensor of respiratory rhythm in smart clothing designed for infants.

The development of textronic and miniaturization of textile sensors allow them to be used as elements of an innovative system for measuring the vital functions of young children. One of the important functions of this system is the measurement of respiratory rhythm, which is based on the variations in the resistance of a knitted fabric made of electrically conductive strands, integrated into baby underwear. The research presented in this article was carried out in order to select the optimum type of stitch used for knitting. The tests were carried out on five samples made of different types of stitches. The resistance studies of individual samples were performed during their operation. The selection of suitable stitches for stability and reliability of measurements was made. In the second stage of the study, two samples selected on the basis of stage 1 were subjected to continuous cycles of 5 h. Based on this two-step analysis, a stitch selection was made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]