Fabrics Get Smart

Smart fabrics are textiles that can carry data and electrical power. By allowing the textiles to be conductive to electrical charges and data signals, they can then be used in applications such as flexible sensing systems, chemical detectors, or mobile power generators. Smart fabrics are usually constructed from a blend of textiles and electronically conductive materials. This article explores how smart fabrics can be used to construct switches for consumer electronics by using multilayered fabric. The switches have been used in flexible travel keyboards and fashionable light switches. Engineers would find smart fabrics useful by their ability to measure strain and monitor pressure. These strain sensing fabrics rely on nanocomposites or conductive polymers. Some current uses for these strain sensors include a dynamic pressure sensor for biomedical instrumentation and the design of custom footwear. While this is a fairly new technology, there are several problems still plaguing smart fabrics. Notably, the nanocomposites are expensive and cannot yet be developed on a large scale. As these problems are overcome, smart fabrics will quickly become accepted for countless applications.  Read the full article at Design News.

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