Imperceptible Fabric-Integrated Wireless Batteryfree Fiber Temperature Sensor System (fID-T) for Remote Frostbite Detection and Prevention

Despite ongoing prevention efforts, including cold-weather training, enhanced protective gear, and risk awareness programs, cold injury rates in both military and occupational settings remain high at 31.1 per 100,000 person-years from 2019 to 2024. These figures underscore the limitations of current mitigation strategies. Over 9 cold weather field deployments in the past 2 years, International Fabric Machines Inc. (IFM) has collaborated closely with US Army and US Navy personnel operating in extreme cold to identify critical challenges. Out of these engagements, several significant insights have emerged: 1) Operators in cold weather frequently lack real-time awareness of their extremity temperatures, leading to inadequate preventive action and unrecognized progression to frostbite and hypothermia. 2)Impaired cognitive and physical function in the cold significantly exacerbates the risk of cold injury. To address these challenges, IFM has developed a hand-held, lightweight frostbite prevention system with several unique attributes that make it highly scalable and practical, based on proprietary, battery-free, temperature-sensing fibers seamlessly integrated into garments that come into contact with the toes, fingers, and face. These fibers enable field temperature monitoring and remote monitoring of fingers and toes that are particularly susceptible to frostbite. IFM’s frostbite prevention system has enabled timely intervention by identifying at-risk individuals, flagging inadequate or wet gear, and tracking energy loss to detect inadequate thermal insulation that could lead to hypothermia. Under this Phase II sequential study, IFM aims to further miniaturize the system and substantiate the effectiveness of IFM’s frostbite prevention system in both military and commercial settings. Additionally, we seek to broaden human studies to substantiate injury prevention claims, thereby facilitating the commercialization of this technology for mitigating injuries in extreme weather. This technology has also shown its potential for continuous garment-based wireless temperature sensing, opening up compelling opportunities in healthcare. Two recent developments include the identification of a need for monitoring prematurely born infant temperatures integrated into a comfortable knitted garment and the development of a bra for at-home continuous monitoring at-risk populations for early breast cancer tumor detection. Upon successful completion of the study, FDA submission for a Class I medical device will be commenced. Collectively, these capabilities offer a scalable path for diverse commercial applications, ranging from reducing cold injuries in extreme environments to medical thermography.