Philips Blood Pressure-Sensing Underpants

Blood pressure is not hard to measure, but the necessary equipment for clinically accurate measurements – a cuff, a pump, and stethoscope or electronics – is bulky and heavy.

Philips, the electronics giant has recently filed a patent for blood-pressure sensing underpants which can be calibrated to give accurate readings whenever they are worn. The technology makes use of “pulse wave velocity” - pulse waves generated when the heart pumps which then moves through the blood circulatory system. The researchers have found pulse wave speeds correlate to blood pressure.