Topic outline

  • Welcome to the "Smart and Intelligent Textiles" course.

    The course will help you to understand the different types of smart materials that can augment garments, as well as their effects.

    Course materials are divided into three categories according to the three target groups:
    1. student trainees
    2. staff trainees
    3. teacher/researcher trainees


    Prepared by Dr. Benny Malengier and Dr. Granch Berhe Tseghai


  • Course Objectives

    Highlighted
    The course aims at

    • addressing the current status and way forwards of smart textiles
    • assisting experts and students in the field on how smart textiles are fabricated
    • assisting experts and students in the field in knowing ICT tools used in smart textiles

    The learning outcomes of this course are

    Knowledge
    • understanding of the different types of smart materials that can augment garments and their effects
    • understanding of models to simulate the effect the of smart materials
    • to create and program a basic intelligent garment with textile sensor, data processing unit and textile actuator
    • knowledge of the latest developments of smart textiles
    Skills
    • to suggest what smart materials to use for specific use cases
    • to create designs for augmented garments
    • to create models to simulate augmented garments
    • to construct an intelligent garment
    • to program an intelligent garment
    Responsibilities / autonomy
    • update an existing product portfolio with state-of-the-art smart materials
    • manage software engineers and non-textile specialists in creating a smart garment

  • Introduction to Smart and Intelligent Textiles

    • Smart textiles are fabrics that have been designed and manufactured to include technologies that provide the wearer with increased functionality. These textiles have numerous potential applications, such as the ability to communicate with other devices, conduct energy, transform into other materials and protect the wearer from environmental hazards. Research and development towards wearable textile-based personal systems allowing health monitoring, protection and safety, and healthy lifestyle gained strong interest during the last few years.

      Smart fabrics and interactive textiles’ activities include personal health management through integration, validation, and use of smart clothing and other networked mobile devices as well as projects targeting the full integration of sensors/ actuators, energy sources, processing and communication within the clothes to enable personal applications such as protection/safety, emergency and healthcare. The purpose of the course is to train an "Expert for research and innovation in the smart textile sector" by teaching the essential basics of textile technology and deepening the new development trends relating to materials, processes, ICT application and markets.

  • Components of Smart Textile System

    • Smart textiles with sensing and actuation capabilities have been produced as a single-purpose textile. However, certain function building blocks; may be included in the complete smart textile system.

      These consist of Sensor, Actuator, Communication, Interconnection, Control Unit and Power supply.

      components of smart textile system

  • Functional Materials for Smart Textiles

    • In order to turn standards textiles into smart textiles, functional materials are used. The main ones are

      • Conductive Materials
      • Responsive Materials
      • Fiber Optics Materials
      Important attention point for these functional materials is always that the resulting product must still have a handle that one expects from a textile product.
    • Smart textiles are defined as textiles (in the shape of shirts, socks, shorts, belts, etc.) that can sense and react to environmental conditions or stimuli, from mechanical, thermal, magnetic, chemical, electrical, or other sources to provide functions such as health monitoring and activity tracking.

      They are:
      1. Passive Smart textile are materials to which a specific function is added by means of material, composition, construction, and/or finishing (e.g., by applying additives or coatings)

      2. Active smart textiles, are those capable of sensing, reacting, and adapting to the environment or stimuli and integrate actuators and sensors 

  • Fabrication Methods of Smart Textiles

    • Several methods are used to integrate the different parts to get a smart textile structure. As a result, the integrating techniques of these starting materials differ.

      • Conductive or Responsive Compounds
      • Conductive or Responsive Yarn or Filament Fiber
      • Conductive or Responsive Fabric/Sheet


  • Application Areas of Smart Textiles

    • In civil, military, medical, and other high-risk areas and emergency services, smart fabrics are becoming increasingly popular.
      Smart fabrics that monitor the heart rate and immune system, gloves with microphones, mattress sensors, cooling and warming clothing, and reinforcing concrete are all on the market.
      Smart textiles can also be utilized to assess light absorption intensity, and smart textiles can detect the radiation zone, allowing environmental dangers to be identified.

      We consider examples from

      • Medical and Health Care
      • Military and Security
      • Sport and Human Performance
      • Fashion and Entertainment
      and more.
  • Future Outlook of Smart and Intelligent Textiles

  • ICT Tools for Smart and Intelligent Textiles

  • For Teachers