Your next heart test could be a wearable T‑shirt: AI smart T-shirt from Imperial College London aims to catch inherited heart rhythm disorders
Researchers at Imperial College London have developed an AI-powered smart T‑shirt that records continuous heart electrical signals through up to 50 woven ECG-style sensors, aiming to detect intermittent inherited rhythm disorders that standard short ECGs and home monitors can miss.
Key takeaways
- Continuous monitoring: The T‑shirt uses up to 50 woven ECG-style sensors to record sustained cardiac signals rather than brief snapshots.
- AI‑driven detection: Algorithms trained on ECGs from over 1,000 people help flag patterns linked to inherited disorders such as Brugada syndrome.
- Feasibility study: About 200 volunteers will wear the shirt for up to three months at Hammersmith Hospital to test real‑world performance.
- Timeline: Researchers estimate potential clinical availability in roughly five years, pending larger trials and regulatory approval.
Why a shirt, not just a clinic ECG?
A clinic electrocardiogram captures a brief moment of the heart’s electrical activity. For many conditions that is sufficient, but inherited heart rhythm disorders can be intermittent — a dangerous pattern may appear briefly and then disappear. If a standard ECG is recorded when the heart is calm, the test can look normal even though risk remains.
Current home monitors use sticky electrodes and leads attached to separate recorders. They work, but can be awkward: patients remove and reattach systems to shower and during daily life, making long monitoring periods harder to sustain. The T‑shirt approach aims to make extended monitoring as simple as putting on clothing.
Design and daily life
The AI smart T‑shirt is made from sportswear-style fabric with as many as 50 ECG-style sensors woven into the fabric. The material is soft, meant to be worn under everyday clothes, and intended for sleeping, working and regular washing. Rather than a snapshot, the shirt records continuous electrical signals so clinicians can review days or weeks of data to spot subtle or intermittent abnormalities.
Researchers describe the garment as comfortable and practical — designed to fit into daily life so patients are more likely to wear it for extended monitoring periods. (Sources: Imperial College London; Fox News)
AI training and data
Artificial intelligence is central to the project. The algorithm has been trained on ECG data from more than 1,000 people, including individuals known to have inherited heart rhythm disorders (such as Brugada syndrome) and those without such conditions. This mix helps the system learn to distinguish normal signals from those suggesting elevated risk.
“Far too many people die from inherited heart conditions which could be treated if they were identified earlier. We hope our AI‑assisted T‑shirt will provide a practical and comfortable solution.” — Professor Zachary Whinnett, National Heart and Lung Institute
How it will be tested
A feasibility study led by Professor Zachary Whinnett will recruit about 200 patients and volunteers at Hammersmith Hospital’s Peart‑Rose Research Unit. Volunteers are expected to wear the shirt for up to three months to assess how well it detects abnormal rhythms in everyday life. If initial results are promising, the team plans larger trials and will seek regulatory approval before routine clinical implementation. (Source: Imperial College London)
Funding and study plan
The work is supported by a grant of more than £340,000 from the British Heart Foundation and by the NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre. The initial feasibility study will inform larger, definitive trials and regulatory submissions.
Scope of the problem
Inherited heart rhythm disorders are not rare. Imperial researchers estimate about 340,000 people in the UK may be affected. Symptoms such as chest pain, dizziness, breathlessness or fainting can presage sudden cardiac death. Early detection allows treatments that can prevent fatalities; extended monitoring may help identify people at risk before catastrophic events occur. (Sources: Imperial College London; British Heart Foundation)
Expert views and caution
The project has drawn a warm response from clinical experts. Professor James Leiper of the British Heart Foundation said the work could “leverage the power of AI to help clinicians unmask these hidden conditions and identify patients at risk of sudden death.” At the same time, researchers emphasize that rigorous testing and regulatory review are required: AI tools can err or reflect biases in training data, and trials will evaluate accuracy, usability, comfort and integration into clinical pathways.
Testing beyond adults and future uses
Initial testing focuses on adults. If accuracy and safety are demonstrated, the team plans to extend studies to children and explore the shirt’s usefulness for other conditions such as atrial fibrillation. Researchers estimate a potential timeframe of roughly five years for clinical availability, contingent on successful trials and regulatory clearance. (Source: Imperial College London)
Implications for Los Angeles, California
Economic impact: A wearable that improves early detection could shift costs from emergency care to outpatient screening and treatment, prompting investment in monitoring programs and partnerships with tech suppliers.
Political consequences: Policymakers may need to address regulation of wearable medical devices, funding for trials, data protection and equitable access across income groups.
Social effects: A comfortable, washable T‑shirt could reduce barriers to extended monitoring for working people and underserved communities, improving diagnosis where repeated clinic visits are impractical.
Cultural relevance: A discreet sportswear‑style device aligns with preferences for practical, lifestyle‑friendly health tech in Los Angeles.
Practical applications: Local cardiology clinics, primary care providers and university medical centers could pilot the technology for patients with unexplained fainting, family histories of sudden cardiac death or intermittent symptoms, with clear patient education and data-use policies.
Sources and further reading
Imperial College London: AI-assisted smart T‑shirt being developed to improve detection of inherited heart rhythm disorders
Imperial College London: AI T‑shirt could improve heart monitoring
British Heart Foundation press release: Smart T‑shirt could reveal heart conditions in danger of being missed
Related coverage: Fox News — AI T‑shirt could detect hidden heart risks
Research led by Professor Zachary Whinnett at Imperial’s National Heart and Lung Institute and funded by the British Heart Foundation underpins the project: Project details at Imperial College London
