From e-media to e-textiles!!!!
Innovations proliferate at every phase of textile supply chain, from polymer production to final finished fabrics. The main drivers of change and innovation in textiles are the consumer demands for comfort, performance, safety and aesthetics. With the influence of advanced technology, electrconductive fibers have been incorporated in garments to protect the wearer from potentially harmful radiations.
In the recent years, there has been an upsurge in research activities for developing new polymers, fibers and fabrics with improved and enhanced properties. These materials are generally termed as “Smart Textile Materials”. Smart textiles tie the vision of scientists and textiles engineers with those of clothing physiologists and psychologists. A striking feature of these materials is the presence of certain degree of Stimuli Sensitive Polymers (S.S.P) that adapt and respond to changes in ph and temperature. These S.S.Ps have been used to develop a special category of smart textiles called as bio-textiles or e-textiles. These cover an enormous potential for the market of the “second skin” including clothing material, coatings, carpets, wall papers and other equipments.
With cell phones hanging off shoulder bag straps, pagers hooked to our belts, digital cameras dangling from our necks, PDAs bulging in our pockets and MP3 players clipped to shirts, all are beginning to look like electro gadget pack mules. For all these equipments, there is a more versatile and elegant alternative i.e. e-textiles. The shirts, coats, sweaters, carpets and even the wall papers are the device. Conductive fibers are woven into a fabric using the standard textile techniques that carry power to sensors, actuators and micro controllers embedded in the cloth. Software controls the communications inside the on-fabric network.
Application of such devices is astoundingly diverse. An army commander can monitor a platoon of soldiers clad in the smart shirt gear. The shirt communicates vital signs in real time and even when all the signals break on the battlefield, the commander still gets to see who has been hit, gravely injured and in need of immediate attention.
Closer to home, a fire chief could keep tabs on a unit as it enters a burning building. He could order his team out when the sensors they are wearing transmit data back to his command center telling him about the hazardous fumes and intensity of smoke at that place.
Safety enhancing grab has also been prototyped. A washable jacket, vest, trousers and two-piece under wear set for snowmobilers have been developed. The jacket is embedded with a GSM chip, sensors monitoring position, motion and temperature, and electric conductivity sensor and two accelerometers to sense impact. If a crash occurs, the jacket automatically detects it and sends a message to emergency medical officers via short messaging service. The message also conveys the local environmental conditions and data taken from heart monitor embedded in the under shirt.
A carpet can detect motion of unwanted intruders and also tight way to exits in the event of fire. Such a carpet is woven with conductive fibers and studded with pressure, temperature or vibration sensor chips and light emitting diodes (LEDs.) for those who cannot stand looking at the same décor day in and day out, there have come an electric-plaid wall papers. These wall papers slowly change colors and patterns as conductive fibers heat and then cool as threads are coated with thermal sensitive inks.
In this world of Information technology, mother boards are circuit boards that provide easily plug-in chips and processors for specific applications like graphics or wireless communications. Similarly, textile manufacturers can mix and match sensors, processors and communication devices that plug into knitted or woven garments made from cotton, polyester or blends. The garments are threaded with conductive polymers and metallic fibers that serve as data buses and power lines. These devices have the look and feel of garments and after the attachments are unplugged, the garments can be tossed into the washing machine. Such an e-textile shirt promises to put an end to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) by alerting parents he moment baby stops breathing, with sensors that monitor heart and respiration rates and body temperature. The shirt communicates wirelessly with parent’s PDA, watch or PC. Such a garment has tiny connectors called as T-connectors that measure 5mm in diameter. These are placed in the appropriate spots- over the heart and diaphragm.
In the recent years, there has been an upsurge in research activities for developing new polymers, fibers and fabrics with improved and enhanced properties. These materials are generally termed as “Smart Textile Materials”. Smart textiles tie the vision of scientists and textiles engineers with those of clothing physiologists and psychologists. A striking feature of these materials is the presence of certain degree of Stimuli Sensitive Polymers (S.S.P) that adapt and respond to changes in ph and temperature. These S.S.Ps have been used to develop a special category of smart textiles called as bio-textiles or e-textiles. These cover an enormous potential for the market of the “second skin” including clothing material, coatings, carpets, wall papers and other equipments.
With cell phones hanging off shoulder bag straps, pagers hooked to our belts, digital cameras dangling from our necks, PDAs bulging in our pockets and MP3 players clipped to shirts, all are beginning to look like electro gadget pack mules. For all these equipments, there is a more versatile and elegant alternative i.e. e-textiles. The shirts, coats, sweaters, carpets and even the wall papers are the device. Conductive fibers are woven into a fabric using the standard textile techniques that carry power to sensors, actuators and micro controllers embedded in the cloth. Software controls the communications inside the on-fabric network.
Application of such devices is astoundingly diverse. An army commander can monitor a platoon of soldiers clad in the smart shirt gear. The shirt communicates vital signs in real time and even when all the signals break on the battlefield, the commander still gets to see who has been hit, gravely injured and in need of immediate attention.
Closer to home, a fire chief could keep tabs on a unit as it enters a burning building. He could order his team out when the sensors they are wearing transmit data back to his command center telling him about the hazardous fumes and intensity of smoke at that place.
Safety enhancing grab has also been prototyped. A washable jacket, vest, trousers and two-piece under wear set for snowmobilers have been developed. The jacket is embedded with a GSM chip, sensors monitoring position, motion and temperature, and electric conductivity sensor and two accelerometers to sense impact. If a crash occurs, the jacket automatically detects it and sends a message to emergency medical officers via short messaging service. The message also conveys the local environmental conditions and data taken from heart monitor embedded in the under shirt.
A carpet can detect motion of unwanted intruders and also tight way to exits in the event of fire. Such a carpet is woven with conductive fibers and studded with pressure, temperature or vibration sensor chips and light emitting diodes (LEDs.) for those who cannot stand looking at the same décor day in and day out, there have come an electric-plaid wall papers. These wall papers slowly change colors and patterns as conductive fibers heat and then cool as threads are coated with thermal sensitive inks.
In this world of Information technology, mother boards are circuit boards that provide easily plug-in chips and processors for specific applications like graphics or wireless communications. Similarly, textile manufacturers can mix and match sensors, processors and communication devices that plug into knitted or woven garments made from cotton, polyester or blends. The garments are threaded with conductive polymers and metallic fibers that serve as data buses and power lines. These devices have the look and feel of garments and after the attachments are unplugged, the garments can be tossed into the washing machine. Such an e-textile shirt promises to put an end to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) by alerting parents he moment baby stops breathing, with sensors that monitor heart and respiration rates and body temperature. The shirt communicates wirelessly with parent’s PDA, watch or PC. Such a garment has tiny connectors called as T-connectors that measure 5mm in diameter. These are placed in the appropriate spots- over the heart and diaphragm.
All the cloths made of e-textiles can be worn, washed and torn. Carpets can be vaccumed, shampooed and trod upon. The e-textiles have been designed based on a fault-tolerant system that can cope with wear and tear. Smart textiles are widely used in medical and hygiene related products. Antimicrobial and odor preventing fabrics find wide applications in active wear and underwear fabrics. These e-textiles have already formed an integral part of our daily life as an “airbag” fabric in automobiles. The inflation/deflation mechanism of an airbag is a good example of sensible and intelligent response to mechanical shocks and vibrations.
These prototypes are a small of the vast variety of fibers and fabrics that can be woven into clothing, carpets, upholstery and wall coverings. Such e-textiles can constitute a platform for health monitoring, communications, multimedia devices and changing decors smart textiles are the foundation for a new fashion philosophy for the 21st century. Nevertheless, e-textiles are soon going to add functionality, fun and style in our attire. The new generation of textiles is so high-tech and smart that they take you into outer space, allow you to communicate and even save your life.
These prototypes are a small of the vast variety of fibers and fabrics that can be woven into clothing, carpets, upholstery and wall coverings. Such e-textiles can constitute a platform for health monitoring, communications, multimedia devices and changing decors smart textiles are the foundation for a new fashion philosophy for the 21st century. Nevertheless, e-textiles are soon going to add functionality, fun and style in our attire. The new generation of textiles is so high-tech and smart that they take you into outer space, allow you to communicate and even save your life.
