Interviews
Smart/interactive clothing to be next area of growth
26 Oct '09
9 min read
1) The smart clothes with sensors or devices in pocket or in fabric such as microcomputers, flexible TV screens, micro cellular phone, solar cells, energy recovery systems and flexible keyboard. These devices are used mainly for communication, displaying colors, pictures, indications of mood, messages. Other devices or sensors, e.g. GPS devices, fall detectors, data loggers, accelerometer and activity detectors, can be placed in special pockets or attached in the garment.
2) The smart clothes with sensors or devices in pocket or in fabric such as microcomputers, flexible TV screens, micro cellular phone, solar cells, energy recovery systems and flexible keyboard. These devices are used mainly for communication, displaying colors, pictures, indications of mood, messages. Other devices or sensors, e.g. GPS devices, fall detectors, data loggers, accelerometer and activity detectors, can be placed in special pockets or attached in the garment.
3) The smart clothes with sensors close to or in contact with the skin, which are more used for body sensing and monitoring. The sensors are enclosed in the layers of fabric, or it is the fabric itself which is used as sensors. Such sensors can be piezo-resistive yarns, optic fibers, and colored multi layers.
European researchers have developed a smart fabric that can monitor muscular overload and help prevent repetitive strain injury or RSI. But that is just the beginning. The team is also exploring a pregnancy belt to monitor baby's heartbeat, clothing to help coach hockey, and shirts that monitor muscle fatigue during training.
Smart fabrics promise to revolutionise clothing by incorporating sensors into cloth for health, lifestyle and business applications. In the long term, they could consist of circuits and sensors that provide all of the typical electronics we carry around today, like mobile phones and PDAs. Current, first-generation applications are far more modest, and pioneering medical smart fabrics are used to monitor vital signs like heart rate and temperature.
But two crucial hurdles – unobtrusiveness and reliability – impede widespread adoption of such clever clothes. A European research team has developed groundbreaking medical-sensing smart fabrics, and its work could lead to pregnancy monitoring belts, sports clothing that provide training tips, a wearable physical game controller, and a vest that helps to prevent repetitive strain injury.
2) The smart clothes with sensors or devices in pocket or in fabric such as microcomputers, flexible TV screens, micro cellular phone, solar cells, energy recovery systems and flexible keyboard. These devices are used mainly for communication, displaying colors, pictures, indications of mood, messages. Other devices or sensors, e.g. GPS devices, fall detectors, data loggers, accelerometer and activity detectors, can be placed in special pockets or attached in the garment.
3) The smart clothes with sensors close to or in contact with the skin, which are more used for body sensing and monitoring. The sensors are enclosed in the layers of fabric, or it is the fabric itself which is used as sensors. Such sensors can be piezo-resistive yarns, optic fibers, and colored multi layers.
European researchers have developed a smart fabric that can monitor muscular overload and help prevent repetitive strain injury or RSI. But that is just the beginning. The team is also exploring a pregnancy belt to monitor baby's heartbeat, clothing to help coach hockey, and shirts that monitor muscle fatigue during training.
Smart fabrics promise to revolutionise clothing by incorporating sensors into cloth for health, lifestyle and business applications. In the long term, they could consist of circuits and sensors that provide all of the typical electronics we carry around today, like mobile phones and PDAs. Current, first-generation applications are far more modest, and pioneering medical smart fabrics are used to monitor vital signs like heart rate and temperature.
But two crucial hurdles – unobtrusiveness and reliability – impede widespread adoption of such clever clothes. A European research team has developed groundbreaking medical-sensing smart fabrics, and its work could lead to pregnancy monitoring belts, sports clothing that provide training tips, a wearable physical game controller, and a vest that helps to prevent repetitive strain injury.
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