Fit for purpose? Pattern cutting and seams in wearables development

This paper describes how a group of practitioners and researchers are working across disciplines at Nottingham Trent University in the area of Technical Textiles. It introduces strands of ongoing enquiry centred around the development and application of stretch sensors on the body, focusing on how textile and fashion knowledge are being reflexively revealed in the collaborative development of seamful wearable concepts, and on the tensions between design philosophies as revealed by definitions of purpose. We discuss the current research direction of the Aeolia project, which seeks to exploit the literal gaps found in pattern cutting for fitted stretch garments towards experiential forms and potential interactions. Normative goals of fitness for purpose and seamlessness are interrogated and the potential for more integrated design processes, which may at first appear ‘upside down’, is discussed

Aeolia: textile enquiry and design

In this essay we introduce ongoing research in the field of technical textiles at Nottingham Trent University involving specialists from a range of disciplines. We will reflect on the roles and experiences of people as they worked within and across their usual boundaries of practice. In particular, the key aspects of risk, unfamiliarity, and criteria for success will be discussed. The project emerged from a strategic investment by the University in a number of interdisciplinary fellowships, in this case across Product Design and Textiles. A commercially available but under researched fibre had been identified as a starting point with the potential for contribution to the field. This carbonised rubber cord, 2mm in diameter, changes its electrical properties when stretched, meaning it may be used in conjunction with a circuit to drive outputs such as light, sound or movement

Singing Knit: Soft Knit Biosensing for Augmenting Vocal Performances

This paper discusses the design of the Singing Knit, a wearable knit collar for measuring a singer's vocal interactions through surface electromyography. We improve the ease and comfort of multi-electrode bio-sensing systems by adapting knit e-textile methods. The goal of the design was to preserve the capabilities of rigid electrode sensing while addressing its shortcomings, focusing on comfort and reliability during extended wear, practicality and convenience for performance settings, and aesthetic value. We use conductive, silver-plated nylon jersey fabric electrodes in a full rib knit accessory for sensing laryngeal muscular activation. We discuss the iterative design and the material decision-making process as a method for building integrated soft-sensing wearable systems for similar settings. Additionally, we discuss how the design choices through the construction process reflect its use in a musical performance context

Revolutionizing digital healthcare networks with wearable strain sensors using sustainable fibers

Wearable strain sensors have attracted research interest owing to their potential within digital healthcare, offering smarter tracking, efficient diagnostics, and lower costs. Unlike rigid sensors, fiber‐based ones compete with their flexibility, durability, adaptability to body structures as well as eco‐friendliness to environment. Here, the sustainable fiber‐based wearable strain sensors for digital health are reviewed, and material, fabrication, and practical healthcare aspects are explored. Typical strain sensors predicated on various sensing modalities, be it resistive, capacitive, piezoelectric, or triboelectric, are explained and analyzed according to their strengths and weaknesses toward fabrication and applications. The applications in digital healthcare spanning from body area sensing networks, intelligent health management, and medical rehabilitation to multifunctional healthcare systems are also evaluated. Moreover, to create a more complete digital health network, wired and wireless methods of data collection and examples of machine learning are elaborated in detail. Finally, the prevailing challenges and prospective insights into the advancement of novel fibers, enhancement of sensing precision and wearability, and the establishment of seamlessly integrated systems are critically summarized and offered. This endeavor not only encapsulates the present landscape but also lays the foundation for future breakthroughs in fiber‐based wearable strain sensor technology within the domain of digital health

Embodied textiles for expression and wellbeing

To date, experiences with technical textiles have largely been focused on performance related aspects of a fabric developed for specific applications such as sports, health or safety (Shishoo 2005), and methodological problems remain with the techniques employed to measure what is a complex of effect and affect (Bartels 2005, Jordan 2000). However, there has been little in the way of empirical research into personal human experience with technical fabrics in context, with the notable exception perhaps of Entwistle who examines in depth the kinesthetic properties of particular garments, resulting in heightened awareness of the body (Entwistle & Wilson 2001) and Candy, who analyses feelings of well being and the performance of socially meaningful demeanours (Candy 2007a, Candy 2007b). We wish to extend this embodied view of textiles in order to realise the potential of smart and technical fabrics and sensory environments as tools for wellbeing, mental health and personal expression. This paper describes the work of an interdisciplinary group of practitioners and researchers investigating the development and application of textile stretch sensors on the body (Breedon et al 2008), figures 1 and 2. Understanding that such tactile products and materials may offer beneficial contexts for in-the-moment and expressive therapeutic techniques (Jones 2010, Jones & Wallis 2005), we describe the early stages of our collaborative development of an evaluation framework based on person-centred principles and outline the future work planned

Electronically active textiles

Electronically Active Textiles (e-textiles) are a type of textile material that has some form of electronic functionality. This can be achieved by attaching electronics onto the surface of the textile, incorporating electronic components as part of the fabrication of the textile itself, or by integrating electronics into the yarns or fibers that comprises the textile. The addition of electronic components can give textiles a wide range of new functions from lighting or heating to advanced sensing capabilities. As such, e-textiles have provided a platform for developing a range of new novel products in fields, such as healthcare, sports, protection, transport, and communications. The purpose of this volume is to report on the advances in the integration of electronics into textiles, and presents original research in the field of e-textiles as well as a comprehensive review of the evolution of e-Textiles. Topics include the fabrication and illumination of e-textiles and the use of e-textiles for temperature sensing

Review on Smart Electro-Clothing Systems (SeCSs)

This review paper presents an overview of the smart electro-clothing systems (SeCSs) targeted at health monitoring, sports benefits, fitness tracking, and social activities. Technical features of the available SeCSs, covering both textile and electronic components, are thoroughly discussed and their applications in the industry and research purposes are highlighted. In addition, it also presents the developments in the associated areas of wearable sensor systems and textile-based dry sensors. As became evident during the literature research, such a review on SeCSs covering all relevant issues has not been presented before. This paper will be particularly helpful for new generation researchers who are and will be investigating the design, development, function, and comforts of the sensor integrated clothing materials

Flexible Multifunctional Sensors for Wearable and Robotic Applications

This review provides an overview of the current state-of-the-art of the emerging field of flexible multifunctional sensors for wearable and robotic applications. In these application sectors, there is a demand for high sensitivity, accuracy, reproducibility, mechanical flexibility, and low cost. The ability to empower robots and future electronic skin (e-skin) with high resolution, high sensitivity, and rapid response sensing capabilities is of interest to a broad range of applications including wearable healthcare devices, biomedical prosthesis, and human–machine interacting robots such as service robots for the elderly and electronic skin to provide a range of diagnostic and monitoring capabilities. A range of sensory mechanisms is examined including piezoelectric, pyroelectric, piezoresistive, and there is particular emphasis on hybrid sensors that provide multifunctional sensing capability. As an alternative to the physical sensors described above, optical sensors have the potential to be used as a robot or e-skin; this includes sensory color changes using photonic crystals, liquid crystals, and mechanochromic effects. Potential future areas of research are discussed and the challenge for these exciting materials is to enhance their integration into wearables and robotic applications.</p