Return to gtwm homeHow to Use the Smart Shirt? To use this new technology, a combat soldier attaches sensors to his body, pulls the Smart Shirt on, and attaches the sensors to the Smart Shirt. The Smart Shirt functions like a motherboard, with plastic optical fibers and other specialty fibers woven throughout the actual fabric of the shirt. To pinpoint the exact location of a bullet penetration, a 'signal' is sent from one end of the plastic optical fiber to a receiver at the other end. The emitter and the receiver are connected to a Personal Status Monitor (PSM) worn at hip-level by the soldier. If the light from the emitter does not reach the receiver inside the PSM, it signifies that the Smart Shirt has been penetrated (i.e., the soldier has been shot). The signal bounces back to the PSM from the point of penetration, helping the medical personnel pinpoint the exact location of the soldier's wound.
The soldier's vital signs-heart rate, temperature, respiration rate, etc. are monitored in two ways: through the sensors integrated into the T-shirt; and through the sensors on the soldier's body, both of which are connected to the PSM. Information on the wound and the soldier's condition is immediately transmitted electronically from the PSM to a medical triage unit somewhere near the battlefield. The triage unit then dispatches the appropriate medical personnel to the scene. The Georgia Tech Smart Shirt can help a physician determine the extent of a soldier's injuries based on the strength of his heartbeat and respiratory rate. This information is vital for assessing who needs assistance first during the so-called 'golden hour' in which there are numerous casualties. The Georgia Tech Wearable Motherboard (GTWM) can be used in several distinct modes: (i) GTWM-C in combat or field operations; (ii) GTWM-M in medical monitoring; and (iii) GTWM-P for personal information processing.