Applications of Smart Clothing – a Brief Overview

Smart clothing is the next evolutionary step in wearable devices. It integrates electronics and textiles to create functional, stylish and comfortable solutions for people's daily needs. The concept includes not only clothing, which is a covering mechanism for the body but also has the function of tracking body indicators in certain situations. The review introduces the classification and concept of smart clothing, the application areas such as sports, workwear, healthcare, military and fashion. It will also outline the current state of smart clothing and the latest developments in the field, and discuss future developments and challenges

Quality Function Deployment Method and Its Application on Wearable Technology Product Development

The purpose of this thesis was to investigate consumers and product developer’s expectations of wearable technology products in the context of the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) framework. The specific objectives were to: 1) Explore the quality features that consumers consider most important when purchasing wearable technology product. 2) Explore the technical features product developers consider most important in the development of wearable technology. 3) Identify the technical features that wearable technology product developers need to focus on to meet the customer requirements. The Qualtrix online survey system was used to collect demographic, quantitative and essay length written responses from participants. Three hundred seventy eight men and women who were either consumers of wearable technology or professionals involved in its design and manufacture participated in this research. Data were analyzed with Statistical Analysis System (SAS) Enterprise 6.1. Open ended questions were analyzed for content and coded on an Excel spreadsheet using the thematic method. Results indicate consumers considered the most important feature of wearable technology to be Product Safety whereas professionals involved in its design and manufacture regarded Materials Selection as the most important aspect. This study provides valuable information for both industry and academia and identifies areas that must be addressed by manufacturers of wearable technology to meet consumer’s demand for product features

The development of a process for the production of textiles with fully embedded electronics

Many attempts to combine Electronics and Textiles have been realised for many years now. At the beginning with the introduction of conductive wires, then with the introduction of sensors and more complex circuits onto an everyday garment. The next step of evolution of combining these seemingly different fields is to integrate the electronics inside a textile structure, so that it will provide a seamless implementation of both worlds into everyday life. The microelectronics, mechanical, electrical, computing and chemical engineering advances of the last years, can ensure that, nowadays, this is feasible. Because of the minuscule dimensions of the electronic components, so that can be integrated inside the thin-by-nature yarn, and the necessity of a flexible and bendable structure overall, the task required is not of a small scale and has no prerequisite. This Thesis provides the backbone of an innovative technique to achieve the above goal in an automated or semi-automated, accurate, repeatable, reliable and time-cost effective way, combining all the required procedures, outlining the issues and proposing solutions on a plethora of them. This research's outcome, after both manual and automated implementation of the microelectronic component encapsulation concept, proves that automation of the process is feasible with more research and funding in the future. Because this is an innovative and challenging in its implementation, as far as the tiny dimensions of the electronic components are concerned, more testing and physical implementation must be conducted with the contribution of a team of people from different disciplines, in order to finalise it and produce the first linear and continuous version of the machine that can automatically produce electronic yarns, i.e. yarn with electronic components inside its core. The importance of this Thesis is that it sets the foundations, guidelines and requirements for the development of an all-new manufacturing procedure and the creation of a new machine, i.e. the Electronic Yarn Machine -EYM- in the future

2009 Major Sponsored Programs and Faculty Awards for Research and Creative Activity

From discoveries in nanoscience, nutrigenomics and software engineering to innovative initiatives in math achievement, child welfare, water and climate change, UNL faculty are engaged in meeting the challenges of a changing world. This eighth annual “Major Sponsored Programs and Faculty Awards for Research and Creative Activity” booklet highlights the successes of University of Nebraska–Lincoln faculty during 2009. It lists the funding sources, projects and investigators on major grants and sponsored program awards received during the year; published books and scholarship; fellowships and other recognitions; start-ups and intellectual property licenses; and performances and exhibitions in the fine and performing arts. This impressive list grows each year and I am pleased to present evidence of our faculty’s accomplishments. Large grants in fields ranging from rural and math education to water and renewable energy to virology, redox biology and nanomaterials enable UNL faculty to address important challenges facing Nebraska, our nation and the world. Our external research funding reflects their achievements, reaching a new record total of $122 million in fiscal year 2009, marking a 13 percent increase over last year. We are harnessing this momentum to advance new initiatives with an innovative perspective and research that responds to a changing world. We are reaching beyond our institutional, state and national borders to build partnerships that seek solutions to global challenges, provide our students with an interdisciplinary, international perspective, and enhance our state’s economy. As you read the accomplishments in this booklet, I invite you to imagine how the innovative and collaborative research, scholarship and creative activity of our faculty is changing our world and meeting the complex global challenges that lie before us

2009 Major Sponsored Programs and Faculty Awards for Research and Creative Activity

From discoveries in nanoscience, nutrigenomics and software engineering to innovative initiatives in math achievement, child welfare, water and climate change, UNL faculty are engaged in meeting the challenges of a changing world. This eighth annual “Major Sponsored Programs and Faculty Awards for Research and Creative Activity” booklet highlights the successes of University of Nebraska–Lincoln faculty during 2009. It lists the funding sources, projects and investigators on major grants and sponsored program awards received during the year; published books and scholarship; fellowships and other recognitions; start-ups and intellectual property licenses; and performances and exhibitions in the fine and performing arts. This impressive list grows each year and I am pleased to present evidence of our faculty’s accomplishments. Large grants in fields ranging from rural and math education to water and renewable energy to virology, redox biology and nanomaterials enable UNL faculty to address important challenges facing Nebraska, our nation and the world. Our external research funding reflects their achievements, reaching a new record total of $122 million in fiscal year 2009, marking a 13 percent increase over last year. We are harnessing this momentum to advance new initiatives with an innovative perspective and research that responds to a changing world. We are reaching beyond our institutional, state and national borders to build partnerships that seek solutions to global challenges, provide our students with an interdisciplinary, international perspective, and enhance our state’s economy. As you read the accomplishments in this booklet, I invite you to imagine how the innovative and collaborative research, scholarship and creative activity of our faculty is changing our world and meeting the complex global challenges that lie before us

Major Sponsored Programs and Faculty Awards for Research and Creative Activity: July 1, 2010 – June 30, 2011

This tenth annual “Major Sponsored Programs and Faculty Awards for Research and Creative Activity” booklet highlights the successes of University of Nebraska–Lincoln faculty during the fiscal year July 1, 2010-June 30, 2011. It lists the funding sources, projects and investigators on major grants and sponsored program awards received during the year; published books and scholarship; fellowships and other recognitions; startups and intellectual property licenses; and performances and exhibitions in the fine and performing arts. This impressive list grows each year and I am pleased to present evidence of our faculty’s accomplishments. Large grants in a diverse range of fields—from water, food, energy and human health, to math and science education, digital humanities and nanotechnology— enable UNL faculty to address important challenges facing Nebraska, our nation and the world. Our external research funding reflects their achievements, reaching a total of $132.2 million in fiscal year 2011. With an eye to the future, we are enhancing and expanding our strengths by vigorously pursuing interdisciplinary initiatives necessary for tackling today’s complex issues. We are cultivating innovative collaborations across disciplinary, institutional, state and national boundaries to solve global challenges, address national needs and enhance Nebraska’s economy. And we are partnering with business, industry and entrepreneurs to ensure that we maximize the social, economic and environmental benefits of UNL research. I invite you to read about our faculty’s accomplishments in this booklet and envision the power of UNL’s innovative and collaborative research, scholarship and creative activity to solve problems and create opportunities for Nebraska, the nation and the world. Thank you for your interest in and support for research and creative activity at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln! Prem S. Paul, Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Developmen

THE INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT) IN DISASTER RESPONSE

Disaster management is a complex practice that relies on access to and the usability of critical information to develop strategies for effective decision-making. The emergence of wearable internet of things (IoT) technology has attracted the interests of several major industries, making it one of the fastest-growing technologies to date. This thesis asks, How can disaster management incorporate wearable IoT technology in operations and decision-making practices in disaster response? How IoT is applied in other prominent industries, including construction, manufacturing and distribution, the Department of Defense, and public safety, provides a basis for furthering its application to challenges affecting agency coordination. The critical needs of disaster intelligence in the context of hurricanes, structural collapses, and wildfires are scrutinized to identify gaps that wearable technology could address in terms of information-sharing in multi-agency coordination and the decision-making practices that routinely occur in disaster response. Last, the specifics of wearable technology from the perspective of the private consumer and commercial industry illustrate its potential to improve disaster response but also acknowledge certain limitations including technical capabilities and information privacy and security.Civilian, Virginia Beach Fire Department / FEMA - USAR VATF-2Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Conductive Textiles and their use in Combat Wound Detection, Sensing, and Localization Applications

Conductive textiles, originally used for electromagnetic shielding purposes, have recently been utilized in body area network applications as fabric antennas and distributed sensors used to document and analyze kinematic movement, health vital signs, or haptic interactions. This thesis investigates the potential for using conductive textiles as a distributed sensor and integrated communication system component for use in combat wound detection, sensing, and localization applications. The goal of these proof-of-concept experiments is to provide a basis for robust system development which can expedite and direct the medical response team in the field. The combat wound detection system would have the capability of predicting the presence and location of cuts or tears within the conductive fabric as a realization of bullet or shrapnel penetration. Collected data, along with health vitals gathered from additional sensors, will then be wirelessly transmitted via integrated communication system components, to the appropriate medical response team. A distributed sensing method is developed to accurately predict the location and presence of textile penetrations. This method employs a Wheatstone bridge and multiplexing circuitry to probe a resistor network. Localized changes in resistance illustrate the presence and approximate location of cuts within the conductive textile. Additionally, this thesis builds upon manually defined textile antennas presented in literature by employing a laser cutting system to accurately define antenna dimensions. With this technique, a variety of antennas are developed for various purposes including large data transmission as would be expected from multi-sensor system integration. The fabrication technique also illustrates multilayer antenna development. To confirm simulation results, electrical parameters are extracted using a single-frequency resonance method. These parameters are used in the simulation and design of single-element and two-element wideband slot antennas as well as the design of a wideband monopole antenna. The monopole antenna is introduced to an indoor ultra-wideband (UWB) localization system to illustrate the capability of pinpointing the wearer of textile antennas for localization applications. A cavity-backed dog-bone slot antenna is developed to establish the ability to incorporate conductive vias by sewing conductive thread. This technique can be easily extrapolated to the development of textile substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) technologies