Smart Textile Manufacturers: 4 examples showing Important trends in the Fitness Apparel Industry
Textiles surround us all the time. This qualifies them as the ideal carrier for smart technology. A completely new human-machine interaction is possible. But smart textiles can also develop capabilities apart from clothing that one would not have expected a fabric to be capable of. In this blog post you can read about specific applications and collaborations that make interesting trends in smart textiles visible.
Itchy skin irritation below the chest torments amateur and professional athletes alike. Because the chest strap including the heart sensor, which measures the pulse, leaves traces. Especially if the wearer trains often and for a long time. So hard work is punished here and not rewarded. Optical heart rate monitors, which record the heartbeat directly on the wrist, solve this problem. At the same time, they deliver in some sports extremely imprecise values. This technology quickly reaches its limits, especially when swimming, CrossFit or strength training. Anyone who regularly participates in different sports will therefore stick to the more reliable chest strap — even if they itch.
Micro sensors measure vital signs
This problem is one of many that smart textiles manufacturers can solve. One solution for this has about san Sirro developed. The manufacturer custom fitness apparel wholesale and active wear wholesale from southern Styria is currently developing textiles with integrated micro sensors. These then collect the athlete’s vital data as well as speed and GPS data. The data ends up in a cloud and can also be transferred to sports watches or smartphones.
Trend collection textile
As the example from SanSirro shows, smart textiles enable completely new forms of interaction between humans and machines. The user uses his whole body to communicate something to the machine. The monopoly of keyboard and mouse in relation to control elements is now really coming to an end.
Google makes intelligent material vulnerable
Example from Levi and Google
Another example of this whole-body interaction between humans and machines is given to buy it already. The joint project by Levi’s and Google has produced a jacket that is particularly suitable for pedestrians and cyclists in city traffic who do not have a free hand for their mobile phones. Developed by Google Jacquard technology clothing manufacturers for startups can integrate a technology into their products, which then connects to the smartphone. For this, conductive threads are simply woven into the fabric. The material is so thin that it hardly differs from usual textiles. The user can control his smartphone in his pocket by gestures made by the wearer, such as swiping or tapping on the sleeve. For example, answering a call, using voice navigation to guide you to the desired location, or listening to music.
Washing more than ten times is not yet inside
The chic “Levi’s Commuter Trucker Jacket with Jacquard by Google” costs 350 dollars, but has one major disadvantage: The providers do not guarantee that the full range of functions will still be available after more than ten washes. Experts do not expect the smart garment to be a box-office hit. But it makes at least one new technology vulnerable to consumers and some early adopters will still be able to afford the good piece.
Why a telecom company is suddenly interested in fashion??
May the capabilities of the intelligent jacket not be so impressive? The possibilities that arise from the merging of technology and fashion are definitely there. This is what the Deutsche Telekom initiative called “Fashion fusion” convey. In its own challenge, the telecom giant has announced an ideas competition for young talent. In connection with this project, T-Mobile Austria organized Discussion evening with fashion show who demonstrated what the fusion of high tech and clothing could look like. Even more interesting than the pieces presented, however, was the fact that an IT company suddenly became so interested in clothing.
Startup knits innovative electricity storage
The examples of Texible Wisbi
Digitization brings together many different companies and industries that previously didn’t know what to do with each other. So works Texible, a startup from Hohenems, is working on a knitting technology that can also process materials such as fiberglass, copper or steel. The company, which was founded as an offshoot of the University of Innsbruck, already has a solution on the market for the care sector: a smart mat for people with dementia that sounds the alarm if the patient is in the wet. The bed insert called Texible Wisbi is already in use in nursing homes and hospitals and is also available for private households.
Texible’s technology is also intended to revolutionize completely other areas. The smart fabric can be used in batteries, accumulators and fuel cells, ensure more efficiency. Equipped with such batteries, e-vehicles, for example, could drive longer and farther — with shorter charging times. The basic idea of Texible is to use the existing capacities of the embroidery companies for the production of the smart fabric. The invention therefore also has an economically very interesting aspect.
More cooperation could inspire intelligent textiles
“Smart textiles” are still in an early phase, argues the German Industry association textile + fashion. The reason: So far, the various actors from business and science have not cooperated enough with one another. But that should change. In the not so distant year 2021, almost 238 million intelligent items of clothing are to be produced. There are currently almost 132 million pieces. Especially for the European textile industry does that mean a chance? After all, smart textiles can open up an area for growth. Because technical textiles are already driving the sales of European companies, like the Textile + Mode Association stressed.
Conclusion: 4 examples that show important trends in smart textiles
As the examples described show, smart textiles can put human-machine interaction on a completely new footing. Specific applications, such as sportswear from san Sirro or the denim jacket from Levi’s and Google, show where the journey is headed. However, the topic of smart textiles also brings industries together that previously had little contact with each other. Newly formed teams always provide interesting and sometimes surprising solutions. So we can be excited to see what else these new partnerships will bring about. A fabric that stores electricity better and thus fuels e-mobility is definitely very respectable.
