This paper provides a review of recent developments in the rapidly changing and advancing field of smart fabric sensor and electronic textile technologies. It summarizes the basic principles and approaches employed when building fabric sensors as well as the most commonly used materials and techniques used in electronic textiles. This paper shows that sensing functionality can be created by intrinsic and extrinsic modifications to textile substrates depending on the level of integration into the fabric platform. The current work demonstrates that fabric sensors can be tailored to measure force, pressure, chemicals, humidity and temperature variations. Materials, connectors, fabric circuits, interconnects, encapsulation and fabrication methods associated with fabric technologies prove to be customizable and versatile but less robust than their conventional electronics counterparts. The findings of this survey suggest that a complete smart fabric system is possible through the integration of the different types of textile based functional elements. This work intends to be a starting point for standardization of smart fabric sensing techniques and e-textile fabrication methods.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0964-1726/23/5/053001/pdf

Smart fabric sensors and e-textile technologies: a review

Increasing customer demand for durable and functional apparel manufactured in a sustainable manner has created an opportunity for nanomaterials to be integrated into textile substrates. Nanomoieties can induce stain repellence, wrinkle-freeness, static elimination, and electrical conductivity to fibers without compromising their comfort and flexibility. Nanomaterials also offer a wider application potential to create connected garments that can sense and respond to external stimuli via electrical, color, or physiological signals. This review discusses electronic and photonic nanotechnologies that are integrated with textiles and shows their applications in displays, sensing, and drug release within the context of performance, durability, and connectivity. Risk factors including nanotoxicity, nanomaterial release during washing, and environmental impact of nanotextiles based on life cycle assessments have been evaluated. This review also provides an analysis of nanotechnology consolidation in the textiles ...

/pdf/nanotechnology-in-textiles-31w22yxxky.pdf

Nanotechnology in Textiles

Smart textiles research represents a new model for generating creative and novel solutions for integrating electronics into unusual environments and will result in new discoveries that push the boundaries of science forward A key driver for smart textiles research is the fact that both textile and electronics fabrication processes are capable of functionalizing large-area surfaces at very high speeds In this article we review the history of smart textiles development, introducing the main trends and technological challenges faced in this field Then, we identify key challenges that are the focus of ongoing research We then proceed to discuss fundamentals of smart textiles: textile fabrication methods and textile interconnect lines, textile sensor, and output device components and integration of commercial components into textile architectures Next we discuss representative smart textile systems and finally provide our outlook over the field and a prediction for the future

Smart textiles: Challenges and opportunities

In this paper, we present textile sensors for the equipment of a wireless monitoring suit. The suit is intended for the monitoring of electrocardiogram (ECG) and respiration rate of children in a hospital environment. Special attention is given to the dedicated sensor interface circuits. The sensors, which are entirely fabricated out of textile, are integrated in a prototype belt of the monitoring suit. The complete suit will not contain only the sensors, but also the interface, data handling, storage and transmission electronics. Therefore, distributed, miniaturized circuitry, textile interconnections, a textile antenna and hermetic packaging are developed.

Towards the integration of textile sensors in a wireless monitoring suit

This paper describes the early conception and latest developments of electroactive polymer (EAP)-based sensors, actuators, electronic components, and power sources, implemented as wearable devices for smart electronic textiles (e-textiles). Such textiles, functioning as multifunctional wearable human interfaces, are today considered relevant promoters of progress and useful tools in several biomedical fields, such as biomonitoring, rehabilitation, and telemedicine. After a brief outline on ongoing research and the first products on e-textiles under commercial development, this paper presents the most highly performing EAP-based devices developed by our lab and other research groups for sensing, actuation, electronics, and energy generation/storage, with reference to their already demonstrated or potential applicability to electronic textiles

Electroactive polymer-based devices for e-textiles in biomedicine

Enabling technologies for 'wearable electronics', such as packaging and interconnect, are the key to the integration of electronics in textiles. A silicon-based micromachined thermoelectric generator chip for energy harvesting from body heat, and an interwoven antenna concept for textile radio frequency identification labels are presented.

Enabling technologies for disappearing electronics in smart textiles

In this paper, applications are discussed that describe achievements along the road towards 'Ambient Intelligence' Appliances and devices disappear into the environment of the individual; instead services come into focus Key to this development are system solutions that lead to a significant improvement of the human-machine interface Along this line, we present important technologies and key system components ranging from low-cost electronic technologies and systems, to ubiquitous sensor networks and electronics in smart textiles In conclusion, this presentation relates the semiconductor technology roadmap to a future world in which electronics meets human needs in a pervasive, intuitive and beneficial way

S. Jung

Papers

Enabling technologies for disappearing electronics in smart textiles

Ambient intelligence - key technologies in the information age