The new connected and innovative textiles in all their states

On 18 and 19 January 2017, researchers, users, specifiers and manufacturers of technical textiles met at FUTEX, the European Convention for Interactive Textiles, to try to answer questions about innovative textiles. What vocation do they have in the hospital environment? How are they going to help the home environment? How can they improve our sports practices?

An opportunity to take stock of the latest innovations and current projects, presented at the Futurotextiles MIX exhibition, curated by Carline David - Creation of lille3000.

 

Christine Browaeys, in her very interesting book "Les enjeux des nouveaux matériaux textiles" (The challenges of new textile materials). (1) announcement that "The text materialt is undergoing an extremely rapid revolution that is not unlike the tremendous evolution of ICTs in recent decades. Today, textiles concern all industrial sectors, as they are used for their technical performance and functional properties with the help of several disciplines, such as chemistry to design new fibres or graft all sorts of molecules onto the surface of a fabric, physics and mechanics to study the properties of fibres, mathematics and computer science to imagine and stimulate new interlacing, biology to genetically optimise antured fibres, or even to imitate them. »

Technical textiles, that's what specialists call high-tech fibres, offering new functions. Intended for industrial use, this textile is made up of technical fibres with characteristics chosen for one or more well-defined applications (fireproof, mechanical resistance, electrical conductivity, protection, insulation, etc.). Thus, the fields of application are very diverse: fireproof clothing for firefighters, seals for nuclear power stations, building insulation, airbags, antibacterial clothing, anti-dust mite duvets, etc.

Interactive or "intelligent" textiles are a sub-category of technical textiles. They interact with the wearer or with their environment.

Specifically, they contain electrical circuits or conductive fibres that conduct electronic signals and electricity to enable communication and work through the use of intelligent textiles.

The energy required to operate these tools can come from solar energy, batteries and from the human being himself.

 

 

For example, being antibacterial, anti-odour, thermoregulating or anti-UV, the new textiles become bioactive to improve our comfort and revolutionize the practice of sports. Other applications are connected phones in jackets, GPS integrated in mountain boots or ski jackets, heating or light signals in cycling gloves.

 

In the health sector, the integration of sensors in textiles and small display panels allow the measurement of heart rate, tension during exercise and performance information. For example, it is possible to record heartbeats, perform an electrocardiogram, measure the quality of breathing, correct back posture, monitor bleeding inside a bandage, prevent pressure sores in a hospital bed or diagnose epilepsy. These are just some of the promises articulated by the new textiles and connected fibres.

In fact, until now, a physician had no knowledge of the events that had taken place between two visits and could only rely on the patient's statements. This is going to change completely since the connected objects will allow real-time and continuous monitoring of the patients' state of health (lenses measuring blood sugar levels, connected patches, smart clothes with sensors, etc.).

 

There are different types of materials. Passive which are sensors for sound, pressure, light or voltage. They perceive signals from the environment or stimuli. The assets can be shape memory alloys, light emitting diodes, electroluminescent materials, photovoltaic cells, optical fibres, thermo chromatic or photochromatic inks. They perceive signals and react to them. The last category are the highly intelligent materials: they perceive signals, react to them and adapt to them.

 

Here is a summary of the innovations in connected textiles presented at the European Convention for Technical Textiles FUTEX 2017, within the exhibition Futurotextiles MIX, curated by Carline David - Creation of lille3000 :

 

CAL JACKET / VITRUVIAN PROJECT - PROTOTYPE C1

Feminine jacket that recharges the batteries thanks to the Seebeck effect. This effect corresponds to the appearance of a voltage produced by a difference in temperature between conducting bodies that convert this flow into electrical current. Worn directly on the skin, this 3D textured jacket explores the potential of thermal exchanges between the body and the ambient air. The sleeves are made of S.Café fabric.

This "streetwear" is a first example of a garment that continuously recovers part of the energy produced by the human body.

Developed by Design Percept, Vitruvian Power, EDF, IFTH and Tresse Industrie

 

Sol Jacket Prototype S1 Jacket

SOL JACKET / VITRUVIAN PROJECT - PROTOTYPE S1

Men's jacket that captures light to retransmit it to recharge batteries. This jacket under development produces more than 4 Watts by capturing light during the day. It integrates photovoltaic cells and OLED lamps. The systems and connectors are removable. The anti-odour and anti-bacterial lining is made of S.Café® fabric. 

Developed by Design Percept, Vitruvian Power, EDF, IFTH and Tresse Industrie  

 

Psyche T-shirt

INTELLIGENT T-SHIRT PSYCHE AND ELECTRONIC BOX FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL MONITORING

Built into the fabric of this intelligent t-shirt, discreet sensors record the heartbeat, respiratory rate, and movements of the wearer. The objective: to have indicators on the activity, sleep or stress of the person, particularly in the context of remote monitoring of mood disorders. This information is stored on a removable flash memory and transmitted in real time by Bluetooth technology to a mobile phone that serves as a relay, allowing the treatment or recommendations to be adapted.

Design Jean Luprano Developed by CSEM and Smartex

    

SMART COMFORTER / COLD COMBI-PILOTE

Stickers integrated into garments are sensitive to thermal variations and UV rays. They change colour gradually to inform parents when a child's body temperature changes.

Developed by MySenses

 

BODYCONNECT

French startup specialized in the creation and manufacture of sportswear for amateurs and professionals. These products integrate Biosensors which, thanks to their DATA-LOGGER, are able to measure the activity of sportsmen and women in order to allow them to read the heart rate and variability, the distances covered, the speed of movement, the energy expended, the number and power of impacts.

 

WOMAN'S WarmX

Warming underwear collection for outdoor use. Designed from a mapping of the human body, they are powered by a micro regulator. The textile is composed of silver fibres with conductive and antimicrobial properties.

 

LUMIGRAM by JACQUELINE LUMI

Ready to wear vest made of optical fiber fabric, made for Futurotextiles.    

 

Spinali Swimsuit

NEVIANO LINE BATHROOM by Spinali Design

Swimsuit made up of SD UV electronics connected to the Smartphone via an IOS/Android application giving access on smartphone to services that indicate the UV and when to apply cream. Neviano UV Protect is equipped with an RFID chip, invisible to sight and touch, capable of withstanding water.

Developed by SPINALI DESIGN EN

 

The Hövding

A BICYCLE AIR BAG, THE HÖVDING 

This neck hole for cyclists is equipped with accelerometers and gyroscopes to detect falls, so that the nylon bag fills with helium to protect against shocks at the moment of impact. It takes only a tenth of a second to inflate the helmet.

Design Anna Haupt and Terese Alstin Developed by ALVA

 

Wair Scarf

THE ANTI-POLLUTION WAIR SCARF

The WAIR anti-pollution scarf (prototype) is composed of 3 parts: a scarf, a pollution mask and an active filtration module.

Used alone, the anti-pollution mask and its interchangeable filter will filter out micro-particles. A silicone comfort and sealing element makes the connection between the face and the anti-pollution mask. When activated, the active filter module will blow clean air to the user's breathing apparatus.

In addition to this scarf, an application will be available on IOS and Android: SUP'AIRMAN (under development). This application allows to know the quality of the surrounding air in order to optimize our route to avoid pollution.

Developed by WAIR EN

 

DEFROST DEMO SLEEVE

Tibtech produces yarns and fabrics allowing the transfer of electrical or optical energy in order to functionalize carbon or glass composite materials.

The TIBGRID heating mat inserted between two layers of composite material to optimize and provide the power necessary to decipher the material.

Developed by TIBTECH Innovations EN

 

SMARTEX WWS NATURAL T SHIRT

The Portable Wellness System (WWS) is specially designed to continuously monitor a group of physiological parameters. This natural fibre bra is composed of an electronic device dedicated to data acquisition, processing and storage.

The electronic device is equipped with a powerful processor that, through use, elaborates the acquired signals to extract several parameters such as heart rate and respiratory rate.

Breathing signals, posture and/or classification of activities (resting, standing, walking, running), estimation of energy expenditure, etc.

All these data are obtained by means of sensors integrated in the textile structure that makes up the garment.

Developed by Smartex IT

 

SMARTEX PPE T SHIRT FOR FIREFIGHTERS

T-shirt composed of a monitoring system consisting of an electrode meshed with a certified flame retardant fabric. The physiological signals that can be retrieved are electrocartography, respiration, respiratory rate.

Developed by Smartex IT

 

Alphaco e-textile

ALPHACO

Alphaclo develops and produces the world's first e-textile that can measure and monitor your muscle activity in real time. Alphaclo has versatile applications in muscle monitoring. This product uses extremely flexible textile sensors to measure the mechanical signals of your muscles when you play sports.

This technology is called mechanomyography or MMG. Thanks to built-in textile sensors and conductive tissues, all recorded muscle activity data can be tracked via accompanying devices.

Developed by Korea Textile Trade Association KR

 

Running Bra

RUNNING BRA WOMAN KALENJI

This running bra allows the sportswoman to obtain her data during her sports session on her phone and/or connected watch.

The cardio sensors integrated in the elastic under the chest are compatible with the cardio frequency meter having a belt with a removable transmitter that clips on.

Developed by Décathlon FR

 

T SHIRT RUNNING MAN KIPRUN

This t-shirt has built-in electrodes for measuring heart rate. It is worn close to the body like a second skin to limit the movements of the product as much as possible and thus avoid irritation. Moreover, it is designed with "seamless" technology that allows no seams on the torso and therefore avoids all friction. This t-shirt is designed with the "equarea" technology which allows you to stay dry throughout its run. Your perspiration is absorbed and dries quickly.

Developed by Décathlon FR

 

Bag SOLOGNE

Bag created by Dognin especially for the museum of the castle of Chambord. Inside this linen bag with shape memory is integrated a QR code and a Bubble Code, a real 3D fingerprint that allows to receive directly on his Smartphone the product information, the traceability and the guarantee of origin.

Developed by Dognin EN

 

E THREAD

Primo1D discreetly integrates microchips into a wire that can be embedded in textiles or molded and extruded into plastics. E-Thread® yarns are handled like any other yarn. They integrate intelligence into the heart of materials and objects throughout their life cycle, from creation to recycling, thanks to an identity card invisible in a seam.

A single 20 cm piece of E-Thread® with an invisible RFID tag, sewn into a seam or embroidered in a logo can be used as an anti-theft device, for authentication, production control ...

Developed by Primo1D EN

 

SMARTEX PPE Jacket

Fire jacket with slots included for external temperature sensors, gas, radio transmitter, smartphone, locator. The protective sheath is wired to allow recharging of the various devices without removing them from their housing.

Developed by Smartex

 

ENERGY VEST

This solar electric generator fits on a combat jacket or backpack to provide, on isolated areas, a 12V power supply to power an LED projector, radio, jamming system... Thanks to a multiple socket included and a USB 2.5A output, the device also charges smartphones and tablets.

Developed by Tecknisolar FR

 

LEGGING OM-IH

Very soft to the touch, these leggings incorporate Seacell technology, an artificial fibre based on algae that promotes blood circulation and skin cell regeneration.

 

CONNECTED SHOES THAT DETECT FALLS AND AVOID CROSSING A DANGER ZONE.

The French company Parade has designed two types of connected shoe models. The first one integrates a fall detector which is of interest for the safety of isolated workers. While the second embeds a Geofencing system which warns the user of the proximity of a dangerous area.

These two models should be available for rent from the 2nd or 3rd quarter of 2017. Views on Expoprotection 2016 and presented at FUTEX 2017.

The first pair of connected shoes embeds in its sole a device that detects the loss of verticality followed by an immobile position. This intelligent system then sends an SMS alert to a dedicated platform. The message transmitted to an operator contains the operator's geolocation coordinates necessary to call for help. Once the accident is taken in hand, a tactile message is sent to the victim who will receive it in the form of a vibration in the shoe. This electronic system as big as a sugar square was designed in partnership with the stéphanois company Nov'In.

The second pair of shoes, this time designed to prevent operators from going into forbidden zones thanks to a Geofencing technology developed with Eurogiciel, a company specialising in on-board computing. The detection system is based on two different technologies: GPS and Beacon. In the first case, the sole integrates devices that geolocate the operator's position by triangulation marker. It also carries the cartographic data of the danger zones. As a result, when the person approaches it, a vibration in the shoe warns him. In the second case, detection is done by Beacon beacons installed on the site. The result is that as soon as the shoe enters the detection perimeter, an alert is triggered by a phone call, text message or email while triggering a vibration to warn the wearer.

 

We will also conclude with the words of Christine Browaeys (1) : "The real role of textiles is not easy to grasp, we often consider it as banal, ordinary, so familiar to us. However, textiles are a versatile material that will never cease to surprise us. ...] Contemporary textile activities are undergoing a tremendous revolution, which is creating new social and economic realities. These upheavals are not without effect on the consciousness that "textile people" can have of themselves, even in the apprehension of their own identity. »

 

(1) « The challenges of new textile materials " by Christine Browaeys - Edition InterSections, 2014