Bioengineered Textiles and Nonwovens – the convergence of bio-miniaturisation and electroactive conductive polymers for assistive healthcare, portable power and design-led wearable technology

Today, there is an opportunity to bring together creative design activities to exploit the responsive and adaptive ‘smart’ materials that are a result of rapid development in electro, photo active polymers or OFEDs (organic thin film electronic devices), bio-responsive hydrogels, integrated into MEMS/NEMS devices and systems respectively. Some of these integrated systems are summarised in this paper, highlighting their use to create enhanced functionality in textiles, fabrics and non-woven large area thin films. By understanding the characteristics and properties of OFEDs and bio polymers and how they can be transformed into implementable physical forms, innovative products and services can be developed, with wide implications. The paper outlines some of these opportunities and applications, in particular, an ambient living platform, dealing with human centred needs, of people at work, people at home and people at play. The innovative design affords the accelerated development of intelligent materials (interactive, responsive and adaptive) for a new product & service design landscape, encompassing assistive healthcare (smart bandages and digital theranostics), ambient living, renewable energy (organic PV and solar textiles), interactive consumer products, interactive personal & beauty care (e-Scent) and a more intelligent built environment

System on fabrics utilising distributed computing

The main vision of wearable computing is to make electronic systems an important part of everyday clothing in the future which will serve as intelligent personal assistants. Wearable devices have the potential to be wearable computers and not mere input/output devices for the human body. The present thesis focuses on introducing a new wearable computing paradigm, where the processing elements are closely coupled with the sensors that are distributed using Instruction Systolic Array (ISA) architecture. The thesis describes a novel, multiple sensor, multiple processor system architecture prototype based on the Instruction Systolic Array paradigm for distributed computing on fabrics. The thesis introduces new programming model to implement the distributed computer on fabrics. The implementation of the concept has been validated using parallel algorithms. A real-time shape sensing and reconstruction application has been implemented on this architecture and has demonstrated a physical design for a wearable system based on the ISA concept constructed from off-the-shelf microcontrollers and sensors. Results demonstrate that the real time application executes on the prototype ISA implementation thus confirming the viability of the proposed architecture for fabric-resident computing devices

Scent whisper

Scent Whisper is a jewellery set integrated with wireless sensor networks that offer social and therapeutic value in a desirable context. The jewellery incorporates sensors and microfluidics to initiate fragrance delivery, depending on the sensor response. A wireless humidity sensor is used to trigger scent output in these proof-of-concept devices. Future devices will use sensors to detect stress physiologically and release benefit chemicals in controlled ways responding to personal needs. About this conference: MEMS technology (micro-electro-mechanical-systems) is advancing rapidly, and over the last five years has allowed the construction of many integrated systems, including (for example) novel micro and nano structured materials, sensors based on movable mechanical components and self powered autonomous devices. Many involve nanotechnology. These components are allowing systems that were once confined to the laboratory to find new applications with a strong commercial potential. UK activity is now rapidly increasing, after a relatively slow start compared to the rest of the advanced industrial nations. The aim of this event is to bring together UK expertise in MEMS, to introduce the advantage of MEMS process technology and to highlight developments. The topics will be relevant to companies engaged in sensor manufacture and process control, equipment manufacturers for the semiconductor industry and academics engaged in MEMS, nanotechnology and sensor researc

Wearable and mobile devices

Information and Communication Technologies, known as ICT, have undergone dramatic changes in the last 25 years. The 1980s was the decade of the Personal Computer (PC), which brought computing into the home and, in an educational setting, into the classroom. The 1990s gave us the World Wide Web (the Web), building on the infrastructure of the Internet, which has revolutionized the availability and delivery of information. In the midst of this information revolution, we are now confronted with a third wave of novel technologies (i.e., mobile and wearable computing), where computing devices already are becoming small enough so that we can carry them around at all times, and, in addition, they have the ability to interact with devices embedded in the environment. The development of wearable technology is perhaps a logical product of the convergence between the miniaturization of microchips (nanotechnology) and an increasing interest in pervasive computing, where mobility is the main objective. The miniaturization of computers is largely due to the decreasing size of semiconductors and switches; molecular manufacturing will allow for “not only molecular-scale switches but also nanoscale motors, pumps, pipes, machinery that could mimic skin” (Page, 2003, p. 2). This shift in the size of computers has obvious implications for the human-computer interaction introducing the next generation of interfaces. Neil Gershenfeld, the director of the Media Lab’s Physics and Media Group, argues, “The world is becoming the interface. Computers as distinguishable devices will disappear as the objects themselves become the means we use to interact with both the physical and the virtual worlds” (Page, 2003, p. 3). Ultimately, this will lead to a move away from desktop user interfaces and toward mobile interfaces and pervasive computing

Wireless sensors and IoT platform for intelligent HVAC control

Energy consumption of buildings (residential and non-residential) represents approximately 40% of total world electricity consumption, with half of this energy consumed by HVAC systems. Model-Based Predictive Control (MBPC) is perhaps the technique most often proposed for HVAC control, since it offers an enormous potential for energy savings. Despite the large number of papers on this topic during the last few years, there are only a few reported applications of the use of MBPC for existing buildings, under normal occupancy conditions and, to the best of our knowledge, no commercial solution yet. A marketable solution has been recently presented by the authors, coined the IMBPC HVAC system. This paper describes the design, prototyping and validation of two components of this integrated system, the Self-Powered Wireless Sensors and the IOT platform developed. Results for the use of IMBPC in a real building under normal occupation demonstrate savings in the electricity bill while maintaining thermal comfort during the whole occupation schedule.QREN SIDT [38798]; Portuguese Foundation for Science & Technology, through IDMEC, under LAETA [ID/EMS/50022/2013