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Can These Underwear Save Your Life?

One day these smarty pants may save your life.

Scientists in California say they have developed a pair of briefs that can detect blood pressure, heart rate, and other vital signs.

The innovation is a tiny biosensor that can be printed directly onto fabric and can stand up to the push and pull of every daywear, according to a report in the journal "Highlights in Chemical Technology."

Professor Joseph Wang of the University of California at San Diego is leading the charge via a U.S. military-funded project that is trying to develop uniforms that keep soldiers alive on the battlefield.

But it's not just soldiers Wang wants to save.

"We envision all the trend of personalized medicine for remote monitoring of the elderly at home, monitoring a wide range of biomedical markers, like cardiac markers, alerting for any potential stroke, diabetic changes and other changes related to other biomedical scenario," Wang told British newspaper the Daily Mail.

Wang also sees a role for new sensors that could detect alcohol levels in drivers.

Look out, Lindsay Lohan. They might make it in a thong.

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