Soon, hi-tech undies to save men from heart attack and stroke

Melbourne, June 5 : Men should get ready for new high-tech undies that would not only make women drool over them, but would also save them from health risks like heart attack and stroke.

Technology giant Philips is developing new "smartpants" that will keep a check on the blood pressure of males who wear them, through sensors in the waistband that can perceive the speed of blood flow through arteries.

The underpants are part of a four-year project to incorporate health-monitoring systems into clothes, bedding and home appliances.

While high blood pressure is one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease, there are many who are not aware that they are living with the time bomb of high blood pressure.

In fact, according to the findings of a recent National Stroke Foundation screening project, 46 per cent of 4000 people tested were having dangerously high blood pressure. And fifty percent of those tested had no knowledge about their blood pressure.

"We often call it the silent killer because there's no symptoms of high blood pressure, and the only way to know that you have it is to have it checked," News.com.au quoted the foundation chief executive Dr Erin Lalor, as saying.

These new age underpants make use of electrodes made of conductive rubber in the waistband.

These electrodes then collect electric signals from the central aorta, a major artery running down the middle of the body. Then, these signals tell the time taken by blood to travel through the artery.

While the blood has an easy cruise through a healthy body, it has to struggle through diseased vessels and arteries that have become hardened and clogged.

This data is then transferred to a clip-on monitor attached on a trouser belt, which can be downloaded to computer for later analysis.

However, this new technology cannot be used for women's underwear, as it is not possible to fit them into the thinner waistbands.

ANI