Smart fabrics technology for next generation (1)

“ Smart Fabrics”

INTRODUCTION

Enable digital and electronic components to be embedded in them

Gives response in whichever way the user desires

Can respond to environmental stimulus……

These stimuli could be a)thermal

b)chemical c)mechanical d)electric e)magnetic etc

FEATURES OF SMART FABRICS

GLOVES CONTAINING VITAMINS

Easily blend into the fabrics without causing much discomfort…

Smart Fabrics have sensors made through nanotechnology elements that can measure important data about a person’s body or surroundings.

As such, they can be used for medical, athletic and a multitude of other purposes

This organic electrochemical transistor was made with cotton fibers.

1. Passive smart fabrics:-

Sense environmental conditions or stimulus

2. Active smart fabrics:- Actuators and

sensors Central control unit present

3. Ultra smart fabrics:-

Sense,react and adapt themselves to the environment

Cognition,reasoning and activating capacities

TYPES OF SMART FABRICS

electric fibers woven into silk organza material.

1. Temperature Sensitive Fabrics:-

Fabrics are really going to give a tough competition to human intelligence!

Protect human body against heat and cold….

Mostly used to make outdoor garments such as hats, jackets etc

USES OF SMART FABRICS IN DIFFERENT FIELDS

One of ways of making it is treating it with parrafins..

As the body gets hot the paraffins become more

liquid to let the heat pass out

the body gets cold

it solidifies so that it keeps back the heat with the wearer

TEMPERATURE SENSITIVE FABRICS

2. HEALTH MONITERING FABRICS:-

Now regular visits for health related tests can be forgotten!

Most used health smart fabrics are the microencapsulated fabrics….

The clothings enriched with substances like vitamins, algae or nutrients along with other substances to delay ageing or for improving blood circulation….

Medically beneficial electrically conductive smart fabrics like life vests can track heart rate, body temperature etc….

A carbon nanotube-coated "smart yarn" that conducts electricity could be woven into soft fabrics that detect blood and monitor health

3. Emergency Fabrics:-Although health monitoring fabrics are in a way

emergency fabrics only, yet certain developments in the field of smart fabrics are in the pipeline that can really be called Disaster wear!...

A system is being developed to monitor the wearer and the outside environment which can be helpful for rescue workers like fire fighters.

Some projects are aiming at stretchable electronics by developing conducting substrates within the very weave of fabric, which will allow sensors to move with the body….

It can find applications in oximetry – a smart non-invasive way to measure the oxygen content of blood.

WORN BY FIREMEN

PULSE OXIMETER

4. MILITARY:-US special forces could soon be

wearing smart fabrics that monitor how they cope during combat situations.

The fabric gathers information on heart beat, skin temperature, posture, activity and breathing rate when against the skin.

One such fabric has been developed by a US company called ZEPHR

Military uniform that integrates information technology is being made by the South Korean Army….

5. COMMUNICATION:-

Clothing that can communicate could help alert others about where a missing person is, or other data communicated through smart fabric…

Embedded into one's tshirt or fabric swatch worn somewhere into your body could be a device that communicates your GPS…

6. ENTERTAINMENT:-

Jackets are being made with mini music systems…

BMW is going to have touch sensitive smart fabrics…

Coloured fabrics

1. Nomex is a smart fabric used to provide thermal protection. It is incorporated into firefighter’s gear.

2. The smart fabric Kevlar is about five times stronger than steel.

3. Thermo-chromatic smart fabric changes color as the temperature changes. It is used in sun wear to warn of impending burning of the skin…

EGS OF SOME FABRICS

FUTURE OF SMART FABRICSSmart Fabric technology has the potential to radically change the mobile computing industry……

Imagine pants that are also batteries to power various mobile devices…….Hats with cellular antenna boosters

keypad on cloth

Hospital bed sheets that monitor patients; medical monitors that are impossible to forget because they are part of your clothing.

Shirt sleeves with data storage….