A few years ago I covered an interesting innovation called the LifeTip, which was a wearable device that could be attached to a bra to provide real-time ECG sensing.  Unfortunately, it seems nothing came of the concept and it failed to make it to market.  The idea of wearable devices perform important health checks is one that refuses to go away however, and a Mexican student hopes to have better luck.

He has developed a special bra, called EVA, that he believes will be able to detect early signs of breast cancer in the wearer.  The bra is currently in the prototype stage, but having secured the $20,000 first prize in the recent Global Student Entrepreneur Awards, it will be tested further.

It works by monitoring the temperature of the user.  The theory is that cancerous tumors raise the temperature due to the increase in blood flow they cause.  Biosensors contained within the bra keep a constant watch for temperature changes, with data reported to an accompanying app.  Users would only need to wear the bra for around an hour a week to get useful feedback.

Suffice to say, the device is at an incredibly early stage in its development, and hasn’t yet undergone clinical trials.  Experts have cast doubts on the reliability of blood flow as a marker for breast cancer, and as such we should certainly reserve judgement until robust trials have been undergone.

Hopefully it will undergo that in the coming year and its claims can be put to the test.

https://youtu.be/jM5-xGsW4N8