Application for rehabilitation medicine using wearable textile “hitoe”

NTT, Toray Industries, Inc., Fujita Health University, and NTT DOCOMO have begun trials on patient rehabilitation support using the functional material called “hitoe,” which can take continuous measurements of biological data simply by having patients wear it. As innovation progresses in medical and nursing care, it is necessary to improve the quality of rehabilitation, especially for elderly patients, in the recovery progress and return to daily life, and in preventing the recurrence of debilitation. This article introduces new initiatives to develop wearable technology in light of these social issues.