SmartTextiles < Openloop

You are here: Openloop > MaterialScience > SmartTextiles

Start of topic | Skip to actions

Smart Textiles

Online resourses:

Related nodes: WearAbleTechnologies & TextileDisplays

Online resourses:

http://www.tut.fi/units/ms/teva/projects/intelligenttextiles/index.htm

textile sensors

Softswitch

Softswitch is made possible by combining conductive textile materials and a conductive
polymer with unique pressure controllable switching properties. In their normal state Softswitch
fabrics are insulators until pressure is applied at which point the resistance decreases until
the fabric achieves metal-like conductivity. For example, using finger pressure the resistance
can be reduced from billions of Ohms to less than one Ohm. Such behaviour lends itself to many
applications where proportional control of electronic devices is required.

http://www.softswitch.co.uk/

FibreTronic

Fibretronic is a premier developer and manufacturer of soft electronic component
solutions. Our platform technologies are available globally for a broad range of
advanced product applications. Using flexible electronic solutions from Fibretronic
the seamless integration of electronics into soft environments allows designers to
create revolutionary products of the future

ibretronic patented platform technologies allow us to offer a wide range of products
and highly functional components for integration into environments where softness
and flexibility is required, such as:

Flexible switches and keypads systems
Textile cable systems for signal or power transport
Flexible lighting and display systems.
Integrated flexible light sensors
Integrated flexible moisture sensors
Integrated flexible pressure sensors

http://fibretronic.com/

world's first single-atom-thick fabric

Researchers at The University of Manchester and Chernogolovka,
Russia have discovered the world's first single-atom-thick fabric,
which reveals the existence of a new class of materials and may
lead to computers made from a single molecule. The research is
to be published in Science on 22 October.

http://www.physorg.com/news1667.html

EMFIT® film – the unique technology behind the heartbeat monitoring armchair

EMFIT film (EMFIT = Electro Mechanical Film Technology) is a patentd Finnish
invention, manufactured by Emfitech Oy in Vaajakoski, Finland. EMFIT film is
used to construct thin and highly sensitive sensors. Placed in an armchair, an
EMFIT sensor is capable of detecting the heartbeat of the person sitting in it,
even through their clothing and the chair upholstery.

EMFIT film is an extremely thin plastic film with flat, gas-filled bubbles between
the plastic layers. The cavities have been swelled in high-pressure during the
manufacturing process, and the film retains a permanent internal electric charge.
The function of dynamic EMFIT film is based on the variation in its internal electric
charges. When the external force on the film changes, a measurable electric charge
forms between the electrodes on its surfaces.

Newly developed, our Stretchable Tactile Array (STA) sensor offers the ability to stretch up to 10% without degrading sensor performance. This unique feature makes this sensor ideal for applications where the sensor must be deformed during use, such as sitting on a soft cushion or stepping in a mold. The simple design of the STA gives a great deal of freedom for designing solutions with PPS engineers.

Stretchable Tactile Arrays can be built in both a 1D and 2D layout with spatial resolution as fine as 5mm and can cover large areas of up to 50cm x 40cm. Maximum pressures can be anywhere from 20psi to 80psi depending on your requirements. STA sensors are compatible with all TactArray^? systems.

http://www.pressure-profile.com/sensorTypeComparison.php?tech=tactArray

SmartTextiles links & publications

SmartandInteractive Nonsence document, http://www.electronics.ca/reports/materials/textiles.html

http://www.photonicslabs.com/research/materials_research.htm

Nano Sphere

Learning from nature... (see also BioMimetics)

The Nano Sphere® finishing technology is based on the self-cleaning principle and
is nearly a perfect copy of nature....keeps textiles clean.

Inspired by nature

Nano Sphere® finishing technology is revolutionizing the textile industry. Nature's
phenomenal “self-cleaning principle” is now also available in textiles.

Nano Sphere® is ideally suited to the area of clothing. Further applications, for example
in home textiles or in the medical sector, are undoubtedly also conceivable.

Nature leads the way: The leaves of certain plants and the wings of insects always stay
clean because dirt and water cannot adhere to their structured surface.

Structure is the key: This natural surface owes its self-cleaning properties not to its
smoothness, but rather to its finely-structured surface

Water, stains and other substances such as ketchup, honey, oil, red wine or blood simply
run off the nano-surface.

http://www.nano-sphere.ch/main.asp?site=nanosphere&language=english&webpageID=255

Intelligent Textiles Limited

Welcome to this very special first glimpse of a new 21st century world. A wonderful world
of soft, safe, stylish, comfortable, colourful fabrics which not only do all the traditional fabric
things but which discreetly and unobtrusively include a host of additional attributes.

DETECT is a pressure sensitive fabric, with a surface covered byt thousands of tiny, woven,
electrical switches.

http://www.intelligenttextiles.com/

Lea Lea Group

Nano Red

Nano Red is made from the polyester and mixed with nano-powders (the size of nano-powders
is 70nm~100nm). Nano Red can absord the energy of light and body then release 4um~14um Far-IR
to improve the blood circulation and expand capillaries. That's why Nano Red can keep the body
warm, healthy and comfortable.

UV-CUT

UV-CUT fabrics are high persistent functional fabrics mixedwith UV-CUT agent(Optical whitent or
TiO2^?) during production. They can absorb and resist UV rays efficiently; prevent our skin from
hurt and keep the body comfortable & safety.

1945.0325_000~0u00c0(090).jpg

http://www.lealeagroup.com.tw/LL018/pub/News.asp

electro conductive fabric

Gorix

weave%202.gif

There's a new fabric development in the UK that keeps you warm, and just warm enough, because it regulates its own temperature.

Gorix a new electro conductive fabric, not only heats the wearer but reacts to body heat to maintain a desired temperature without overheating. It was developed by Robert Rix and is produced as heater pads and temperature sensors by his company Gorix Ltd.

SENSORY FABRICS

Much of the development work that has been carried out on Gorix E-CT has concentrated on heating, there are however numerous other areas where Gorix Ltd have collaborated with academic institutions and offered Gorix E-CT to be experimented with in an attempt to move the frontier of science that little bit further on. One such pioneering effort has been carried out at the Design for Living Centre at Brunel University - Egham, Surrey where Dr Stan Swallow and Asha Peta have worked toward creating new and innovative products, the team has recently been complimented by appointment of Andy Wolfenden who's recent Gorix work has concentrated on innovative temperature controlled clothing.

http://www.gorix.com/new%20fabrics.htm

EMF Shielding & Conductive Fabrics

Stretchy silver coated sheer nylon weave. Will shield low intensity radiofrequency and microwaves (with a shielding effectiveness up to 67 dB at 1 MHz and 33 dB at 1 GHz, actual results may vary depending on your shield design and other factors), and is an excellent E-field shield when grounded. Resistivity: <5 Ohms/sq.