TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A research team at National Chung Hsing University has developed “hearing-enabled” clothing that uses signals from static electricity and sound waves to assist in medical diagnostics.

Lai Ying-chih (賴盈至), a professor in the university’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the team leader, said the clothes can remotely monitor heartbeats, allow users to communicate at a distance, and access information from the cloud, per CNA.

Lai explained that when a person speaks, sound waves make the fabric vibrate and generate tiny electrical signals. Nanomaterials in the clothing amplify these signals, letting the AI-powered system recognize speech and giving the clothes the ability to “hear.”

The clothes are expected to advance telemedicine and smart wearables. The research has been published in international journals including Science Advances and Advanced Functional Materials.

Lai said the project was challenging because the complex structure of fabric fibers weakens sound vibrations, and traditional microphones are not suitable for long-term wear. The clothes also overcome limitations of traditional stethoscopes, which require in-person contact and pose infection risks. Heart monitors can also return false readings with slight movement, he added.

The technology has completed initial testing but requires more data and machine learning development before moving to mass production.

Since 2016, Lai’s team has developed several innovations, including sensor-equipped robotic skin and clothing capable of collecting environmental data, the university said.