Scientists at NUI Galway are conducting clinical trials with a new 'smart vest' to try to establish whether diabetes can have a damaging effect on the heart. The sensor-packed garment can wirelessly and remotely monitor a patient's heart activity and other vital signs in real time over a prolonged period. The device, developed by Israeli company Healthwatch, is a sleeveless vest that has electrocardiograph sensors woven into the fabric. It is also capable of recording a range of other variables, including the patient's respiratory rate, temperature and whether they are moving, sitting or lying down. The data is collected in real time in a pack built into the vest and transferred wirelessly via a smartphone to a cloud based storage server. Once there, doctors, researchers and the patient can view the information on either a laptop or smartphone. "It allows the cardiologist to have a really in-depth