Cardio-vascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death in the western world. In Europe over 20% of all citizens suffer from a chronic CVD and 45% of all deaths are due to CVD. Europe spends annually billions of Euro's on the treatment of CVD. With the upcoming aging population, it is a challenge for Europe to deliver its citizens healthcare at affordable costs.

It is commonly accepted, that a healthy and preventive lifestyle as well as early diagnosis could systematically fight the origin of CVD and save millions of live-years. The MyHeart mission is to empower citizen to fight cardio-vascular diseases by preventive lifestyle and early diagnosis.

The starting point is to gain knowledge on a citizen’s actual health status. To gain this info continuous monitoring of vital signs is mandatory. The approach is therefore to integrate system solutions into functional clothes with integrated textile sensors. The combination of functional clothes and integrated electronics and process them on-body, we define as intelligent biomedical clothes. The processing consists of making diagnoses, detecting trends and react on it. Together with feedback devices, able to interact with the user as well as with professional services, the MyHeart system is formed.

This system is suitable for supporting citizens to fight major CVD risk factors and help to avoid heart attack, other acute events by personalized guidelines and giving feedback. It provides the necessary motivation the new life styles. MyHeart will demonstrate technical solutions. The outcome will open up a new mass market for the European industry and it will help prevent the development of CVD, meanwhile reduce the overall EU healthcare costs.

MyHeart project is an Integrated Project, funded by the IST programme of the European Commission's 6th Framework. It started on December 31st, 2003 and will run 45 months.

The MyHeart consortium consists of 33 different partners from 11 countries. It is a research effort of industrial partners, research institutes, academics and medical hospitals covering the whole value chain from textile research, via fashion and electronic design, towards medical and home-based applications.

Project Coordination

  • Project Management
    • Dr. Jörg Habetha
    • Dr. Harald Reiter
  • Project Office
    • For financial matters:
    • For operational matters: