Smart textiles

A method for incorporating solar cells into textiles so that they can withstand laundering is being developed by researchers at Aalto University in Espoo, Finland. 

A range of skin-like, smart fabric-based coverings for robots and prosthetics has been launched by BeBop Sensors of Berkeley, California, USA.

A quick, efficient digital tool for the design and production of sensor-enhanced soft pneumatic actuators using machine knitting is being developed by researchers in the USA. 

A network of sensors that can be used to monitor the processes involved in the manufacture of fabrics – generating data that can be used to ensure the quality of finished products – is being develo

Methods commonly used in the textiles industry, such as yarn-coating, dip-coating and screen-printing, are being used by researchers in the UK and Sri Lanka to produce energy-harvesting textiles. 

A textile-based sleeve that will generate electrical stimulation to reduce swelling and discomfort for patients with lymphoedema is being developed by researchers at Nottingham Trent University in

A technique that enables yarn-based supercapacitors to withstand repeated mechanical deformations – such as those created during weaving and knitting processes – without short-circuiting is being d

A fabric that works like a microphone, converting sound first into mechanical vibrations, then into electrical signals, is being developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technolog

A woven textile-based display that also features fibre-based devices capable of wireless power transmission, touch-sensing, photodetection, environmental/biosignal monitoring and energy storage is

Mesh-based heating elements made from fibres in which single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been embedded, thereby rendering the fibres electrically conductive, are to be launched by Amperetex

A method for incorporating sensors into carbon-fibre reinforcement fabrics so that they can collect data about the processes used to make composite parts from them has been developed by researchers

A long, fibre-based lithium-ion battery that could be woven into fabrics is being developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, USA. 

A prototype patch featuring flaps that open automatically in response to the presence of moisture and close again when dry has been developed by researchers at Duke University in Durham, North Caro

Thermal actuators that can be used to generate rapid movement in soft robotic devices are being developed by researchers at North Carolina State University (NCSU) in Raleigh, USA.

A wearable sensor that can monitor the condition of chronic wounds and wirelessly transmit the data it collects to an electronic device is being developed by researchers at the National University

A battery-free system that enables near-field communication (NFC) to take place between articles of clothing and nearby electronic devices is being developed by researchers at the University of Cal

A flexible and breathable fabric that can generate electricity from the movement of its wearer's body has been developed by researchers in Japan and China.

Actuating, sensing fibres that can be used to create clothing that detects the degree to which it is being stretched or compressed, and can then provide immediate tactile feedback in the form of pr

A shirt featuring integrated sensors that can gather data on the effects of the space environment on the human cardiovascular system, which can then be transferred to Earth via a wireless communica

A laboratory for the development of electronic textiles has been opened at the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration (IZM) in Berlin, Germany. 

Sewable electrodes and signal-transmission wires made from carbon-nanotube threads (CNTTs) have been used to create a shirt-based electrocardiogram (ECG) machine by researchers at Rice University i

A developer of a range of technologies that can be used to assess the risks faced by industrial workers, LifeBooster, has received an equity investment from WL Gore. 

A bra that facilitates lactation by massages the breasts of its wearer while collecting data related to breastfeeding has been developed by Lilu and Nextiles. 

A glove featuring a system of sensors that detect, measure and map small changes in pressure is being developed by researchers in the USA and China.  

Methods for producing a flexible, chain-mail-like fabric that could stiffen on demand are being developed by researchers from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and the Cal

Myant Inc has secured Class II medical device clearance from Health Canada for its underwear (Skiin Underwear) that can continuously monitor the health of its wearer. 

A knitted musical keyboard that can be easily folded or rolled-up and packed in a bag, much like an item of clothing, is being developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

A smart shirt that can monitor the vital signs – such as heartbeat, respiration, sweating, muscular effort and body temperature – of its wearer has been unveiled at the Mobile World Congress 20

A series of webinars that will provide attendees with a comprehensive introduction to smart textiles is being organised by the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) of Rese

Stretchable, washable silk-based coils that, when sewn into clothing, can harvest energy from radio waves and power wearable electronics wirelessly are being developed by researchers at Purdue Univ

A simple and effective inkjet-printing process that enables layers of electrically conductive ink to be deposited on a polyester (PES) fabric is being developed by researchers at North Carolina Sta

Textile-based triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) that, when integrated into clothing, could harvest energy from movement are being developed by researchers in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. 

Further smart textile-based systems for monitoring the vital signs of astronauts have been dispatched to the International Space Station (ISS), and they will also be used on a Virgin Galactic test

A method that enables the production of tens-of-metres of flexible fibre containing hundreds of interspersed digital temperature sensors and memory devices has been developed by researchers at the

A vapour-permeable, flexible, and highly elastic and electrically conductive mat could be useful in the production of health-monitoring devices, soft robotics and on-skin electronics, according to

The European Smart Textiles Accelerator, SmartX Europe⁽¹⁾, is to provide a little over €1 million to fund the development of ten new

Textile-based sensors that can be used to monitor strain and pressure simultaneously, and can be sewn into the fabric of clothing for athletes are being developed by researchers at Qingdao Universi

The first commercial-scale production run of electronic components for Myant's Skiin range of smart textiles is to be carried-out by electronics manufacturer URtech Manufacturing Inc.

A flexible, washable wearable device that – when screen-printed onto clothing such as a shirt – can harvest and store energy from the human body is being developed by a team of researchers from the

A series of webinars covering the development of smart textiles has been organised by the European Technology Platform for the Future of Textiles and Clothing (Textile ETP) of Brussels, Belgium, in

A comfortable knitted sleeve that can be worn on the knee and can be used to track its motion is being developed by Footfalls & Heartbeats.

A flexible, breathable and durable large-area textile display has been developed by researchers at Fudan University in Shanghai, China.

Threads made from electrically conductive cellulose could enable the environmentally sustainable production of smart textiles, according to the developers in Sweden. 

A method for depositing electrodes on microfibres that could enable the production of thin, flexible smart textiles is being developed by researchers at the Korea Institute of Science and Technolog

An armband that could be used to monitor the electrical activity of its wearer's heart – eliminating the need for conventional wired electrodes – is being developed by researchers at North Carolina

Wool fabric-based sensors that can be used to monitor such as human motion while remaining breathable, flexible and comfortable to wear are been developed by researchers at RMIT University in Melbo

A variety of smart textiles are being commercialised by Bally Ribbon Mills (BRM) of Bally, Philadelphia, USA, using its narrow woven base fabrics (E-Webbings).

A soft, flexible sensor made using electrically conductive yarns could be employed to determine pressure points in the socket of an amputee’s prosthetic limb, according to researchers from North Ca

A platform designed to encourage the exchange of ideas and enable the testing of new technologies has been established by Karl Mayer of Obertshausen, Germany.

A bandage that that can detect the presence of infections in a wound and monitor its condition has been developed by researchers at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, USA.