Design and Development of an e-Textile Sock for the Monitoring of Distress in People with Dementia

Dementia, a condition affecting over 55 million people globally, impairs cognitive function and presents challenges in patient care. Wearable technologies are increasingly being used to monitor the health and wellbeing of individuals with dementia, providing non-intrusive methods for detecting physiological changes before behavioural symptoms escalate. Building on previous research and development conducted by the industrial partner, Milbotix Ltd., this work presents the design and development of an e-textile smart sock incorporating knitted electrodes suitable for early distress detection in individuals with dementia. Using Shima Seiki WHOLEGARMENT® technology, the sock integrates silver-coated conductive yarns to measure changes in electrodermal activity (EDA), a marker of physiological arousal. The study investigates various yarns and knitting structures to create insulated electrodes that remain stable during washing and provide adequate compression to ensure reliable contact between the electrodes and skin.