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Properties and performance of textiles

Emerging textile technologies: Intelligent polymers and integrated technology

In the Area of study: Properties and performance of textiles you will develop a critical approach towards the effects of innovations and emerging technologies. These innovations and technological advances occur in the use of textiles to enhance performance, machinery to improve construction or to save time, decorative techniques and finishing techniques. This tutorial focuses on the use of textiles to enhance performance.

Outcomes
This material addresses aspects of the following syllabus outcome:

H3.2 The student develops knowledge and awareness of emerging textile technologies.

Extract from Stage 6 Textiles and Design Syllabus © Board of Studies NSW 2007.

Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is the ability to do things on the scale of atoms and molecules. Traditionally, nanotechnology is defined as being between 0.1 and 100 nanometres. A nanometre being one thousandth of a micron (micrometre), which is, in turn, one thousandth of a millimetre.

It is important to realize the diversity of nanotechnology. It is an enabling technology, allowing us to do new things in almost every conceivable technological discipline. Like other enabling technologies, such as the Internet, the internal combustion engine, or electricity, its impact on society will be broad and often unanticipated.

Nanotechnology is not just about miniaturizing things. At the nanoscale different laws of physics come into play (quantum physics), properties of traditional materials change ... the behavior of surfaces starts to dominate the behavior of bulk materials, and whole new realms open up for us. Additionally, making materials atomically exact radically changes their properties.
Extract from Nanobusiness, viewed 6.2.03 <www.nanobusiness.org/overview.html>

Companies are working on 'smart' fabrics that can change their physical
properties according to surrounding conditions, or even monitor vital signs. The incorporation of nanoparticles and capsules in clothing offers some promise and nanotubes would make extremely light and durable materials. Fabrics are already being marketed that are highly resistant to water, stains and wrinkling.
Extract from Nanobusiness, viewed 6.2.03 <www.nanobusiness.org/applications_materials.html>

Intelligent polymers

Another example of smart fabrics has been the development of the intelligent knee sleeve. The knee sleeve has been developed in a collaboration between the Intelligent Polymer Research Institute (IPRI) and Biomedical Science at the University of Wollongong together with CSIRO Textile and Fibre Technology.

The CSIRO and Wollongong Univeristy scientists have already developed a knee-pressure sleeve coated with conductive polymers that can teach athletes, from footballers to winter Olympians, how to land safely after a jump.

Sensors detect the angle at which the knee is bent. When the best angle is reached the sleeve beeps.
Extract from: Macey, M. 2002, "Smart outfit has everything sewn up", The Sydney Morning
Herald, 20 Feb 2002.

Click here for a full copy of the article.

Director of IPRI is Professor Gordon Wallace. Professor Wallace was interviewed by Richard Aedy, Radio National, 26 November 2001. To read a transcript of the interview click here .

Activity 1

What are intelligent polymers?
As the properties of the textile change, changes occur in the output of an electronic circuit. What is the result?
One area of research is photovoltaic fabrics that can generate their own electrical energy. This research focuses on the molecular level of fibres. What are the potential uses of this type of fabric?
Another research topic is fibre batteries. Suggest a use for a fibre battery.

Wearable technology

Wearable technology is not a new concept, but as the miniaturisation of technology allows functional devices to be made smaller and smaller a greater range of devices can be integrated into clothing.

Compartments in bags for mobile phones are quite common, but what about wearing your computer?

The CharmIT is Charmed Technology's first wearable system. The
CharmIT is a fully working personal computer enclosed in a
lightweight aluminum case suitable for carrying on the body or
embedding into infrastructure ... With the addition of a wireless network card,
the CharmIT allows mobile connectivity.
Extract from Charmed Technology web site, viewed 12.2.03 <www.charmed.com/>

The Amp jacket

The Amp jacket (you will need to type in Amp jacket in the search menu) offers an interior sound pocket customised for the Apple iPod (a portable sound system).

Just touch the control pad on the jacket sleeve to change songs or volume levels. By collaborating with SOFTswitch, a company that makes fabrics touch sensitive and interactive, we were able to integrate a textile data strip directly into the fabric of the jacket sleeve.
Extract from Apple, viewed 21.3.03, http://www.apple.com/ipod/burton/

SOFTswitch is a company based in the UK that specialises in textiles with touch intelligence, that is, fabrics that are touch sensitive and interactive.

Imagine a roll-up QWERTY keyboard, a jacket that interfaces with your mobile phone, a television remote control sewn into the arm of a sofa or light switches embedded in curtains and carpets.

These are just a number of innovative products made possible using SOFTswitch, a unique technology developed to enable textiles to function as interfaces to control any type of electronic device. Essentially, this means that soft flexible fabrics can be used in place of conventional hard switches, keypads, keyboards, buttons or knobs. SOFTswitch fabrics are touch sensitive so they can also be used for proportional control or pressure sensing. Softswitch fabrics can interface directly with any type of electronic device without the need for signal processing or complex software.
Extract from SOFTswitch, viewed 21.3.03, http://www.softswitch.co.uk

Activity 2

Select the Technology button and complete the following questions

Explain in point form how SOFTswitch works.
Identify a range of applications for such technology.

Land warrior system

The US Army has developed the Land Warrior system

... is designed to increase the ability of its fighters on the battlefield. Each soldier is connected to a wireless network, and relevant information about the battlefield is presented to the soldier on a helmet-mounted display. The system also montiors the vital signs of each soldier via sensors in their clothing, enabling field medics to identify immediately which troops need assistance, and even the type of wound that needs to be patched up.
Extract from Ring, B. 2003, Techno fashion, The Sydney Morning Herald, Icon, March 1-2, p. 6.

For more information on wearable technology:

Wearable computing

Techno fashion

Activity 3

Select two of the emerging technologies discussed in this tutorial and identify the advantages and disadvantages of the technology for:

consumer
manufacturer
employee
environment.

Activity 1 answers

What are intelligent polymers?

Intelligent polymers are conducting polymers which create an electrical circuit and can act as sensors or actuators (devices that do something).
As the properties of the textile change, changes occur in the output of an electronic circuit. What is the result?

As the fabric stretches or strains a sound is emitted. The tone of the sound will relate to the degree of change in the textile.
One area of research is photovoltaic fabrics that can generate their own electrical energy. This research focuses on the molecular level of fibres. What are the potential uses of this type of fabric?

Some applications could be tents and blankets for military personnel or temporary tent housing for refugees or survivors of natural disasters.
Another research topic is fibre batteries. Suggest a use for a fibre battery.

Fibre batteries may be suitable for outdoor wear, in particular in remote locations visited by mountaineers where they can be used as a power source.

Activity 2 answers

Explain in point form how SOFTswitch works.
- Conductive textile materials plus a quantum tunnelling composite (QTC) are used to produce a fabric with insulating properties.
- Pressure is applied to the fabric
- Resistance decreases until the fabric becomes conductive resulting in switching capability.
Identify a range of uses for such technology.

Toys, wearable technology, interiors.

Technology update/ Tutorial extension: Visit the following web site http://www.toyobo.co.jp/e/rd/kt/profile/awards/awards.htm and note the 2009 award given to Toyobo of Japan. Then visit the Takino shirt site http://www.takinoshirt.com/nanotechnology-for-shirts.asp for how nanotechnology has impacted on the business shirt.

The following sites offer an update on intelligent textiles:

http://www.csiro.au/people/Richard.Helmer.html
http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/172855
also view the video about an award winning flexible and resilient polymer found at http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/next/archives/2007/07/intelligent_tex.html