TH

Introduction
Electronic Textiles: electronic textiles, are
fabrics that can function electrically as
electronics and behave physically as textiles
which enable computing ,digital components
and electronics to be embedded in them. Part
of the development of wearable technology,
they are referred to as intelligent clothing or
smart clothing that allow for the incorporation
of built‐in technological elements in everyday
textiles and clothes.
History
 Early 1990s: MIT students started research
on smart clothing for military use.
Not wearable and very cumbersome to move
around in.
 1998: Beginning of the integration between
fashion and technology – most notably by
Levi and Phillips Electronics.
 2001‐present: Started to integrate medical
uses into clothing.
ZOLL LifeVest®
Life Shirt by Vivometrics
BENEFITS OF E TEXTILES
Electronic textiles, or e‐textiles, are a new emerging inter disciplinary
field of research, bringing together specialists in information technology,
microsystems , materials, and textiles. E textiles offers the following
advantages:
– Flexible
– No wires to snag environment
– Large surface area for sensing
– Invisible to others
– Cheap manufacturing
The focus of this new area is on developing the enabling technologies
and fabrication techniques for the economical manufacture of large‐area,
flexible, conformable information systems that are expected to have
unique applications for both the consumer electronics and
aerospace/military industries.
They are naturally of particular interest in wearable computing, where
they provide lightweight, flexible computing resources that that are
easily integrated or shaped into clothing.
Applications of E‐textiles Wearable electronics

The future of specialized fabrics — E‐textiles can

be used
•To sense tank movements,
• To monitor homes for noxious chemicals
•Help firefighters maneuver in smoky buildings,
and perhaps help stroke victims recover their
function.
•They can also be used in a smart home to detect
the movement of people and adjust the lighting or
sound systems.
• For sensor network communications
• Physical therapy
• Act as batteries or chemical sensors

Music jacket
Textile switches

Textile keyboards
Current Technology
 ZOLL Life Vest
Wearable defibrillator
If heart palpitations or an alarming rhythm
of the heart is detected, the vest gives a signal to
the patient.
If the signal is not stopped by the patient, then the
defibrillator gives off the conducting gel, then sending a
shock to the patient.
 Vivo Metrics Life Shirt
Places ECG sensors on the body, which
then the data is transmitted to the data
recorder, which is then transmitted to the doctor.
 Smart Shirt
Developed by Georgia Institute of Technology
T‐shirt with a fiber grid – data is then wirelessly
transferred to a PDA with Bluetooth technology.
Georgia Tech Wearable
Motherboard™:
The Intelligent Garment for the
21st Century
Georgia Tech Wearable Motherboard™ (Smart Shirt) for
Combat Casualty Care has led to the world's first Wearable
Motherboard™ or an "intelligent" garment for the
21st Century. The Georgia Tech Wearable Motherboard uses
optical fibers to detect bullet wounds, and special sensors
and interconnects to monitor the body vital signs during
combat conditions.
This Georgia Tech Wearable Motherboard (Smart Shirt)
provides an extremely good sensing, monitoring and
information processing devices
 How to Use the Smart Shirt?
To use this new technology, a combat soldier attaches sensors to his body, pulls
the Smart Shirt on, and attaches the sensors to the Smart Shirt. The Smart Shirt
functions like a motherboard, with plastic optical fibers and other specialty
fibers woven throughout the actual fabric of the shirt. To pinpoint the exact
location of a bullet penetration, a 'signal' is sent from one end of the plastic
optical fiber to a receiver at the other end. The emitter and the receiver are
connected to a Personal Status Monitor (PSM) worn at hip‐level by the soldier. If
the light from the emitter does not reach the receiver inside the PSM, it signifies
that the Smart Shirt has been penetrated (i.e., the soldier has been shot)
The soldier's vital signs‐heart rate, temperature, respiration rate, etc. are
monitored in two ways: through the sensors integrated into the T‐shirt; and
through the sensors on the soldier's body, both of which are connected to the
PSM. Information on the wound and the soldier's condition is immediately
transmitted electronically from the PSM to a medical triage unit somewhere
near the battlefield.
The Georgia Tech Smart Shirt can help a physician determine the extent of a
soldier's injuries based on the strength of his heartbeat and respiratory rate. This
information is vital for assessing who needs assistance first during the so‐called
'golden hour' in which there are numerous casualties
Limitations of Current
Technology
 Not waterproof
Can it be worn in the water for continual use? Can
it be worn in the rain?
 Cost
Is it covered by insurance?
If it is, are there additional costs that need to be
covered?
 Calibrations
Under FDA law, medical devices must go under
calibration to pass government requirements.
Future Technology
 Weather proof and waterproof systems
 Possibly smart textiles that can be worn outside the comfort
of the home.
 Wireless transmitters that can collect data even
outside 4G (Bluetooth) areas.
 Smart Textiles for children
 Commercialization
 Automatic calibrations
 Data can be sent to doctor via smart phone application
or tablet application
 The doctor can collect data in real time.
 Integration of other fabric materials that could help
improve versatility
 Yarn, spandex material for exercise clothing
SUMMARY
1.Electronic textiles or e‐textiles are a newly emerging
interdisciplinary field of research which brings together
specialists in information technology, microsystems,
materials, and textiles.
2.The focus of this new area is on developing the enabling
technologies and fabrication techniques for the economical
manufacture of large‐area, flexible, conformable information
systems which are expected to have unique applications for
both consumer electronics and military industry
3.E‐textiles will generate a significant body of research with
deep implications in everyday's life, consumer market and
applications requiring remote sensing, processing and
actuation (e.g. medical, space and military).