Wearable systems and embedded sensors for physiological monitoring have been gaining large interest over the last decade in research and commercial fields. The key benefits introduced by these systems include their small size, lightness, low-power consumption and wearability. Major applications of such systems are related to medicine and healthcare allowing for out-patient care and enhancing the quality of life for chronic disease patients, and preventing unnecessary hospitalizations.

Human activities in space environments have a negative effect on the astronauts’ health. the STAMAS (Smart technology for artificial muscle applications in space) consortium will develop a new type of astronauts’ suit, a “smart-suit”, which will mitigate the pernicious effects of weightlessness and motor inactivity and, thus, maintain the astronauts’ health and physical fitness during and after a space mission. The project will utilise existing terrestrial experience in Shape Memory Alloys (SMA) and Electroactive Polymer (EAP) technologies.

OS4BME (Open Source for Biomedical Engineering) was conceived at the Research Center E. Piaggio of University of Pisa and FabLab Pisa by Arti Ahluwalia (Professor of Bioengineering), Daniele Mazzei and Carmelo De Maria (Biomedical Engineers, co-founders of FabLab Pisa and researchers at the Center).