TEXTILES.ORG
In the early years of development, smart textiles (or e-textiles) were commonly referred to as “smart materials and systems.” In the 1990s early adopters (such as civil engineers) saw attendant technologies as necessary in order to deliver the performance needed, such as structural health monitoring or earthquake warning systems.
On one level, technology integration is making tremendous strides, but as the demand for remote monitoring grows, so also has the importance of systems. The growth in AI capability—and its anticipated potential—feeds into the broader potential of what added value systems can deliver in an increasingly phygital (physical /digital) world.
The benefit of bringing together these different dimensions is particularly apparent in developments for smart textile sensing technology aimed at large-scale use. TechTextil at Messe Frankfurt showcased a number of examples and approaches being taken.
Barrier-free wayfinding
TFI Aachen – Institute for Floor Systems at the RWTH Aachen e.V. originated as the German Carpet Research Institute eV in 1964 as a partner for research, testing and certification. It has evolved over the years, associated under its current name as an affiliated institute of RWTH Aachen in 2010. Core activities have been expanded to include the interior space as a whole, addressing walls, floor, ceiling systems and furnishing in buildings, as well as vehicles.
ModuLeiT was selected to be showcased in Frankfurt this year as a (German) Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy-funded research project directed to develop design guidelines for smart flooring that would benefit people who are visually impaired. The intention was to address the limitations of current systems, such as cost of installation in large buildings, and poor aesthetics in outdoor applications.
Tamara Thielman first came to the project as part of her Masters degree studies, going on to successfully complete the project as its manager. The design guidelines are provided for the development of modular, haptically and visually perceptible floor indicators with RFID tags and a navigation system within textile floor coverings. The system is linked to the Building Information Model (BIM) via an interface to develop a mobile phone navigation App to provide barrier-free wayfinding in real-time.
Monitoring textile membranes
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the advances that help to make it possible to monitor textiles in remote or hard-to-access locations. Architecture membranes are subject to challenging weather conditions from high winds to snow-loading over their lifetime. Continuous monitoring of the membrane’s load and structural integrity over its lifetime can be challenging.
Addressing this, Hung le Xuan, from TU Dresden (TUD) presented his work at the university’s booth and in a presentation titled “AI-assisted monitoring of textile membranes.” The solution presented combined textile-integrated piezoresistive strain sensors with AI-assisted data evaluation to enable detection of potential failure in real-time so that necessary steps can be taken.
The AI is used as part of a system that included yarn-based sensors, with AI used to predict position and force from data gathered by the sensors. The yarn can be incorporated during the weaving process, but it can also be applied after using a tailored fiber placement (TFP) technique that, as the name suggests, allows for precision placement.
This second process expands the possibility to retrofit the technology, such as during a repair process. It also allows for the system to be used with an array of membrane types and geometries, using techniques to compensate for sensor drift, boundary effects and manufacturing tolerances. A regressive AI model is used to gather the load position and magnitude directly from the sensor signals, eliminating the need for Finite Element Method (FEM) computation during the operation.
In his presentation le Xuan emphasized the scalability of the system being offered, pointing to additional advantages made possible by the AI-based evaluation process, such as the reduction in the number of sensors required without compromising accuracy.
Heated—and pressure sensing
Heated textiles are much in demand in applications from apparel to car seats and buildings. Kufner’s Textile Heating System (THS) uses low energy to achieve a quickly achieved temperature increase with a consistent heat distribution. It can be produced in defined lengths and widths and combined with a range of carrier materials. Washable and lightweight, it can also be over-stitched.
In a development with Austrian company Weitzer Woodsolutions, the heated textile is sandwiched between the wood panels for use in the walls and floors of buildings. Sefar have developed a PresSense Matrix textile pressure-sensing technology using a woven force-sensing resistor (FSR) fabric array. The sensor component allows the freedom to integrate pressure sensing into the product architecture.
The benefit of the integration is that it allows for pressure detection, quantification and location mapping in a single layer material. While pre-integrated connectors can reduce integration complexity and speed up development time, a complete sensing system that includes fabric, connectors, electronics and software enables an immediate data acquisition and visualization to accelerate product development and speed to market launch.
The company can work with clients during the development process, helping to define technical requirements suited to final system integration. Its versatility, breathability and washability means that it is well suited for applications, such as mattresses used to monitor and prevent pressure ulcers, wheelchairs to support the optimization of patient posture, and for rehabilitation therapy mats to enhance balance and posture.
Dr. Marie O’Mahony is an academic at the University of Southampton, U.K. She is also an industry consultant and the author of several books on advanced and smart textiles published by Thames and Hudson.