Smart Fabrics: Sensing beyond Fashion
Textiles are everywhere — from the clothing we wear to the roads we travel on. From a pair of socks that identifies injury-prone running techniques to a shirt that can deliver hugs, Perhaps a construction worker would be interested in wearing a hard hat that can provide a warning about carbon monoxide poisoning, Fabrics these days are not just limited to clothing materials but also do various other functions and are now intelligent fabrics.
Adding to the typical value of a fabric, Smart Fabrics are more beautiful, functional, and responsive. They can perceive or communicate ambient circumstances and detect as well as process the wearer's state. They can sense and react to external stimuli with the help of numerous sensors incorporated into them.
From the traditional fibers to an exceptionally elastic fabric launched by Lycra in the 1960s to a line of activated yoga clothes — Nadi X which assists you in improving Yoga practice using integrated sensors and haptic feedback, Such is the evolution!
The term ‘Smart Material’ was coined for the first time in 1989 in Japan.
What makes a piece of cloth our Second Skin?
Smart fabrics are created by fusing fibers and technology.
At the crux, technical textile manufacturing is a broader picture of advanced yarn systems blended with various textile formation techniques. Building its roots from the electronics and photonics industries, The integration of sensor arrays and plastic optical fiber (POF) creates an extension of functional fabrics commonly known as smart textiles.
Before this new technical development, Semiconductors were attached to these fabrics creating the ‘Power-up’ ability. Its heavyweight was a barrier to the wearability and softness of the cloth hence diodes were re-molded into sand-like particles to infuse them into fibers itself.
We call Smart Fabrics as second skin nevertheless they are simple computer systems embedded with five fundamental functions.
- Sensors: Sensors are the components that transform one type of signal into another type of signal.
- Data processing: Data processing is one of the components that is used to process every collected information and data and obtain the desired output.
- Actuators: Actuators are devices designed to perform the necessary action according to signals from the sensor or processor.
- Storage: Storage is not a fundamental component but a smart fabric is expected to need a storage capacity usually to store information or energy and operate on its own.
- Communication: If one element of the garment itself; can be mounted between two different elements of the garment; and in order to command the garment by the wearer, contact is made to inform the wearer of his surroundings. In such situations, the communication component is used.
These components interact with each other and also with an external stimulus — such as temperature or pressure — creating a transfer of energy. Once completed and functional, the fabric responds to the users or modulates itself according to its design and application.
Aesthetic Fabrics
Its ability to light up and change color, including an interactive aspect such as altering itself in response to the surroundings, set an example for beauty with brains in the fabric world. A blend of trend and technology convinced designers to create entire lines of smart materials. These days when people never stop discovering new dimensions of their life, The company CuteCircuit developed a garment that assists differently-abled to express themselves.
The SoundShirt was released in 2016, installed with an integrated haptic to enable a deaf person to sense music. It delivers augmented and virtual reality experiences.
Performance Enhancement Fabrics
With the focus on function over fashion, These fabrics give the users an unparalleled experience with a destined application. It serves intended purposes few of them being:
- Protection against radiation using optical brighteners and UV absorbers
- Monitoring bodily functions, such as heart rate or muscle exertion
Wearing layers and layers of clothes to keep our bodies heated during winters is a tedious task. One of the smart fabric products, A jacket has three back heating sections that provide warmth and comfort in any environment.
Recently, Technology brand Loomia released a winter coat with a textile substrate layered heating system. It uses its patent technology, the Loomia Electronic Layer (LEL) to make a slimline and season-less heated jacket specifically for women.
The Scale of Smartness
Fabrics that can perceive or perform sensing functions are called Passive Smart. Those which can even react to it are known as Active Smart, whereas the fabrics which can adapt to the environment after sensing or reacting are known as Ultra Smart Fabrics.
Smart Fabrics are not limited to fashion, they are being widely used in various other industries like Medicine, Architecture, Entertainment, Safety, Military, Transportation, Sports, and fitness, etc. Few issues are common to multiple sectors such as temperature regulation is crucial in athletics, military, and also to common people. For this purpose, Smart Fabrics can adapt to temperature shifts fluidly.
Speaking of safety, Women’s safety has always been a topic of the limelight, especially in India. Nyoka Technologies, an Indian Startup designed and manufactured Zeal- a safety jacket for women that detects an attack and give the attacker a mild electric shock. The jacket is soft and flexible plus has a feature to send the current location and an SOS alert.
Challenges and Opportunities
It’s not as easy as it sounds, there are a few attached risks and challenges. One of them is the privacy risk of all the data being collected, the processing, and storage. This comes more into the picture when the fabric is connected to another device for communication purposes as faced by many other devices that use IoT. Sensor-laden clothing is a little less comfortable and permeable compared to natural fabrics. While these textiles are currently expensive, incorporating them into all areas of everyday life will make them more readily available and also beneficial for all of us.
What does the future hold?
There has been a growing demand for more sophisticated and smarter textile products. Various Startups like MesoMat for conductive textiles, Clim8 for thermal textiles, and Myant enables textile computing are working towards the growth of the industry. Grandview Research projects show that the compound annual growth rate for smart fabrics will soar over the next few years. This growing demand creates opportunities for manufacturers who may have thought smart fabrics were out of their reach. As its usage expands and demand increases, the market will widen.
Myriad sciences blend with each other to form fashionable textiles which can think for themselves. Textile is one of the industrial sectors with great tradition in India, which could have the opportunity to resurface and make it the next biggest revolution if it adds this technological component. Everyone seeks ways to improve their lifestyle, this multi-faceted technology which is incredibly versatile and customizable can serve people from all walks of life being it from a fabric consumer to an astronaut.
