by [TC]²
Smart Textiles Will Take Care of Us for Life
By Textiles Intelligence
September 5, 2005
Smart textiles and interactive fabrics are set to look after us at all stages of our lives. Existing products and future developments will lead to clothing which is capable of looking after itself and the wearer, according to the latest issue of Performance Apparel Markets.
Smart and interactive textiles are new textiles which offer new functions through the integration of technology into a fabric. New products and developments occur on a regular basis moving ever nearer to clothes that will look after the wearer from the cradle to the grave. From life monitoring vests to entertainment jackets, a whole range of smart clothing products are already on the market or will soon be launched. Such products include:
• a sensory vest which monitors newborn babies in an effort to reduce the incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS);
• self-illuminating jackets to ensure the safety of school-aged children;
• communication and entertainment jackets for work and pleasure; and
• a shirt that monitors vital body data such as heart, lungs, skin and body temperature and can be used in the early detection and monitoring of heart and circulatory illness.
Developments involving smart and interactive textiles are not just confined to specialized garments. Consumers are demanding more from their everyday clothes too. According to Performance Apparel Markets, clothes are expected to be multi-functional and adapt to changing surroundings. The production of such clothes is now possible, thanks to the development of methods such as nanotechnology, phase change materials, shape memory materials and wearable electronics.
Nanotechnology -- the science of structures less than 100 nanometres in size -- has led to new ways of instilling a permanent capability into fabrics, whether it is anti-bacterial or stain resistance. This permanence lasts through washing and wearing. In the future, smart clothes will need less cleaning and repairing because they will perform these tasks themselves.
Wearable electronics constitute a rapidly growing sector. To date, many of the products launched have been outdoor performance wear such as ski jackets and medical wear that monitors vulnerable individuals such as newborn babies and post-operative heart patients.
Progress in electronic textiles has meant that it is now possible to produce a control panel which is made entirely from fabric and is washable. Hard or plastic computer components can be replaced with fabric keypads, fabric joysticks and fabric wireless controls. Some companies now offer “off the shelf” smart fabric controls for manufacturers who are looking to launch wearable technology garments.
Using a variety of technologies, smart and interactive textiles have enabled clothes to be designed with a wide range of capabilities, including anti-microbial, anti-odour, anti-static, bullet-proof, colour changing, communication controls, entertainment controls, insect repellency, moisture management, non-iron, non-tear, physiological monitoring, stain-resistance, thermally-adaptive and wireless controls.
Combinations of capabilities are also becoming more commonplace. Technology is enabling manufacturers to offer a mix and match of capabilities in a variety of fibres and fabrics.
Although the smart and interactive textiles market is still in its infancy, it is set to grow rapidly in the next few years. Many new developments are predicted for the military, performance sportswear, healthcare and work wear sectors. Current research funding is coming from governments for military uniforms. Developments in smart and interactive textiles also has commercial use in the medical and sportswear sectors including the monitoring of physiological functions, as well as self-repair and self-clean capabilities.
Clothes of the future will have the functionality of a personal office or a hospital monitoring system with built-in phones, computers and health monitoring devices. They will let wearers know if they need to contact a doctor or if they have forgotten their keys when they leave the house. Some of this technology is already on the market, such as in garments that monitor the wearer's wellbeing. Some of it is still in development. Nevertheless, it is predicted that smart textiles will be commonplace within 20 years from now.
“Smart and interactive textiles ” was published in issue No 13 of Performance Apparel Markets, a quarterly publication from Textiles Intelligence. Each issue includes business information and analysis of the market for high performance activewear and corporate apparel. http://www.textilesintelligence.com/til/press.cfm?prid=350
September 2005