Catlin Arctic Survey Uses Equivital Physiological Monitoring System

March 26, 2009 - PRLog -- The Catlin Arctic Survey is a pioneering polar expedition organised by an international collaboration between polar explorers and some of the world’s foremost scientific bodies, including the US Naval Postgraduate School and WWF.
The key aim of the survey is to help scientists gain a better understanding of what is going on with the precarious and vulnerable floating sea ice of the Arctic Ocean. The Survey will help scientists in refining their predictions of when the ice will cease to be a year round feature of the Arctic Ocean.
The survey’s scientific findings will be taken to the national negotiating teams working to replace the Kyoto Protocol agreement at the UN Climate Change Conference of Parties in Copenhagen in December 2009.
The team members will be wearing Hidalgo’s Equivital™ physiological monitoring system throughout the polar expedition. The Equivital™ units will continuously measure and record the physiological condition of the explorers whilst on the ice and will provide an indication of their general wellbeing, as well as detailed physiological data.
The use of Equivital on the Catlin Arctic Survey offers an excellent opportunity to assess how the body responds in the extreme Arctic environment. Incorporating hi-tech sensors within a comfortable belt worn around the chest, Equivital™ measures ECG, heart rate, respiration rate and effort, skin temperature and body orientation and physical impact.

Team members will also ingest a ‘core pill’ containing a miniature temperature sensor which communicates core body temperature readings to the Equivital™ unit.
The Equivital™ unit will continuously record and transmit the wearer’s physiological data, which will be sent to the survey vessel’s onboard Central Data Unit before being transmitted back to the UK HQ. In particular, core body temperatures will be recorded and sent back to track team members’ physical and mental responses when exposed to extended periods in extremely low temperatures. What this ultimately means is, at the beginning of the expedition, when ambient air temperatures are still as low as -50C, website visitors can witness first hand the detrimental effect that such conditions have on the human body.
Equivital™ has been designed for use in a range of demanding applications, including telehealth, first responder and paramedic, military, occupational welfare, sports performance analysis and physical endurance research.  The Equivital system can display data in real time or store it on a memory card to be viewed retrospectively. It has been trialled extensively and exhibits optimum performance even when the wearer is engaged in rigorous activity.
You will be able to follow the activities of the Ice Team on the Catlin arctic survey website.
For more information on Equivital™ and its applications, or the work we are doing with the Catlin Arctic Survey email info@hidalgo.co.uk

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About Hidalgo
Hidalgo is part of the Jaltek Group and is based in Cambridge. Hidalgo is a technology design and development solutions company specialising in radio based communications systems development as well as software and hardware for consumer, medical and industrial systems. The Equivital™ personal physiological monitoring system developed by the Medical Systems division of Hidalgo presents significant opportunities in enabling the wireless monitoring of physical performance and well being of personnel engaged in a range of demanding activities including military operations, emergency services provision, hazardous environment inspection and sport. Equivital is extremely effective in the remote monitoring of patient condition within hospitals and at home following their release.