A review of contemporary techniques for measuring ergonomic wear comfort of protective and sport clothing

Protective and sport clothing is governed by protection requirements, performance, and comfort of the user. The comfort and impact performance of protective and sport clothing are typically subjectively measured, and this is a multifactorial and dynamic process. The aim of this review paper is to review the contemporary methodologies and approaches for measuring ergonomic wear comfort, including objective and subjective techniques. Special emphasis is given to the discussion of different methods, such as objective techniques, subjective techniques, and a combination of techniques, as well as a new biomechanical approach called modeling of skin. Literature indicates that there are four main techniques to measure wear comfort: subjective evaluation, objective measurements, a combination of subjective and objective techniques, and computer modeling of human–textile interaction. In objective measurement methods, the repeatability of results is excellent, and quantified results are obtained, but in some cases, such quantified results are quite different from the real perception of human comfort. Studies indicate that subjective analysis of comfort is less reliable than objective analysis because human subjects vary among themselves. Therefore, it can be concluded that a combination of objective and subjective measuring techniques could be the valid approach to model the comfort of textile materials

Proetex: protective e-textiles to enhance the safety of emergency/disaster operators: current state of the projects' achievements

Proetex is a European Integrated Project dedicated to the realization of a micro- and nano-technology-based wearable equipment for emergency operators. During the first 3 years of work, two different and progressively improved versions of a complete “smart” uniform for fire-fighters and emergency rescuers have been realized. These garments aim at monitoring both physiological parameters, position and posture of the operators and the presence of external potential sources of danger and to send these data to a remote coordinating unit. In the following, the main issues of the design and realization will be described and discussed

Camouflage Fabric - Fabric for Today’s Competitive Era

Innovation is the foremost requirement of today’s competitive era. Innovation refers to improving on an existing concept or idea using a stepwise process to create a commercially viable product. Food, clothing, and shelter are the basic needs of a human being. Clothing is made from textiles; with the help of textiles, the shelters are made more comfortable and attractive. Traditionally, fabrics are used for apparel and home furnishing purpose, but these days, application is diversifying in order to satisfy technical and protective functions. Camouflage fabrics are the ones most suitable for technical and protective purposes. Over the past few years, researchers have put emphasis on the development of camouflage fabrics for security measures for troops, and for activities intended to hide facts and mislead the enemy. Years of investigations have been invested into innovation in the manufacture of these fabrics which are providing the ultimate performance and reliability. In this review paper, an attempt is made to comprise principle, manufacturing techniques, properties and application. This paper also highlights the modern development and recent trends in the field of camouflage fabric. Camouflage and multispectral universal camouflage are the main areas of recent trends on camouflage fabrics. Camouflage fabrics are mostly used for hunting, survival prepper, tactical and military protective wear

Nanotechnology and Protective Clothing for Defence Personnel

Defence personnel face multiple threats from different quarters, like terrorist groups and rogue nations, who own not only advanced lethal weapons but also chemical and biological warfare weapons. The present day protective clothing system used by the defence sector is vulnerable to modern weapons and also have some inherent weaknesses like high cost, bulkiness and discomfort in wearing. Nanotechnology- based materials offer a promising future in this areadue to their extraordinary physical, chemical, mechanical, and electrical properties at nano-level.This paper outlines the various developments related to the application of nanotechnology inproducing lightweight and comfortable protective clothing for the military personnel and also some new developments like sensor, energy storage, conductivity, and decontaminant fabrics.Defence Science Journal, 2008, 58(4), pp.451-459, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.58.166

Smart Technical Textiles Based on Fiber Optic Sensors

Biochemistr

Smart Textiles for Soldier of the Future

The textile-based materials, equipped with nanotechnology and electronics, have a majorrole in the development of high-tech milltary uniforms and materials. Active intelligent textilesystems, integrated to electronics, have the capacity of improving the combat soldiers performanceby sensing, adopting themselves and responding to a situational combat need allowing thecombat soldiers to continue their mission. Meantime, smart technologies aim to help soldiersdo everyth~ngth ey need to do with a less number of equipment and a lighter load. In this study,recent developments on smart garments, especially designed for military usage owing to theirelectronic functions, and intelligent textlle-based materials that can be used in battlefield, areintroduced