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When smart textiles (originally, just “e-textiles”) first emerged, the focus was, understandably, on small applications, especially what we came to call “wearables.” All that meant was that a conductive element had been incorporated into the textile in some fashion, which allowed for sensing and responding to the person wearing it or to some environmental stimulus. That hasn’t changed. What has changed is how seamlessly, comfortably and practically the “smart” elements are accomplished. We’ve also moved on to “bigger things”
It’s been a long time coming, but smart textiles are now found in much larger applications. When I attended TechTextil many years ago, I was quite taken with a presentation on textile products for sun control in homes or commercial buildings that didn’t just provide shade but could automatically open or close as the sun “moved” throughout the day–without intervention from a person. It was literally smart enough to do it all on its own.
I don’t know if that particular technology was ever successfully commercialized, but other innovators have run with similar ideas, and larger scale smart applications are now part of the smart textiles market space. Our feature by Dr. Marie O’Mahony, “Smart textile sensing technology for large-scale use,” picks up on this discussion, with innovations, such as haptic wayfinding for visually impaired persons, strain sensors for textile architectural structures, and heating textiles sandwiched in walls and floors.
Additional stories in this month’s first launch describe other projects that use fiber in innovative ways: improving an existing use in composites (Shape-shifting airplane wings), or offering eco-friendly uses for everyday end products (the Hemp Chair).
Even a personal, soft robotic companion is designed to rethink how AI interacts with humans and can engage on a level that keeps the human in charge of the smart product, rather than the other way around. I will readily admit that I’m mighty curious about this one. What a concept, right?
Janet Preus is senior editor of Textile Technology Source. She can be reached at janet.preus@textiles.org.