Ideas worth spreading

A smart bra for better heart health

1,917,136 views | Alicia Chong Rodriguez • TEDMonterey

Could an everyday clothing item help protect your health? In this quick talk, TED Fellow Alicia Chong Rodriguez introduces us to a smart bra designed to gather real-time data on biomarkers like heartbeat, breath and temperature. Learn how this life-saving gadget could help close the gender gap in cardiovascular research -- and, finally, usher women's health care into the 21st century.

Could an everyday clothing item help protect your health? In this quick talk, TED Fellow Alicia Chong Rodriguez introduces us to a smart bra designed to gather real-time data on biomarkers like heartbeat, breath and temperature. Learn how this life-saving gadget could help close the gender gap in cardiovascular research -- and, finally, usher women's health care into the 21st century.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Participate in accelerating women's health by testing new technologies or sharing your health care experiences.

About the speaker

Alicia Chong Rodriguez

Alicia Chong Rodriguez

Health care technology entrepreneur

See speaker profile

TED Fellow Alicia Chong Rodriguez is building a bra that could save your life.

Karen Weintraub | MIT Technology Review, 2018 | Article

"This bra could save lives"

An MIT startup, Bloomer Tech reimagines the bra as a heart monitor — and aims to fill the data gap for women's heart disease.

MedTech Insights | Vanguard.Health, 2021 | Watch

"MedTech Insights"

MedTech Insights with guests Colleen Harrington (governor-elect of the Massachusetts American College of Cardiology and assistant professor of medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School) and Alicia Chong Rodriguez (founder and CEO of Bloomer Tech).

Cheddar Innovates | Cheddar News, 2019 | Watch

"This Bra Can Monitor Women's Heart Health"

Aceil Halaby, COO of Bloomer Health Tech, joins Cheddar Innovates to break down how her team is creating a bra to monitor women's heart health by combining fabrics engineering and machine learning.

Alicia Chong Rodriguez | Thrive Global, 2021 | Article

"The future of cardiac monitoring is FEMALE!"

Thrive Global shares three ways to strengthen your knowledge on heart disease in women.

Caroline Criado Perez | Abrams Press, 2019 | Book

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Coded Bias

This documentary investigates the bias in algorithms after MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini uncovered flaws in facial recognition technology.

Dr. Brittany Barreto, PhD, et al. | Femtech Landscape, 2021 | Article

Femtech Landscape Annual Report

Research by Femtech Focus on the femtech industry as trillion-dollar opportunity.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Participate in accelerating women's health by testing new technologies or sharing your health care experiences.