High performance apparel for protection

All animals have a protective covering of skin, generally supplemented by an additional layer of fur, scales, feathers or body armour. Consequently, we are surrounded by instructive models of protection – applicable to a great variety of environments and hazardous events. This chapter is particularly concerned with protection from injury resulting from impacts to the human body. The goal is the development of apparel (an additional layer designed for humans) that reduces risks of injury whilst maintaining usability and comfort for wearers. Understanding the mechanisms relevant to protection provides a starting-point for designing garments that absorb and diffuse the energies of impacts. However, a user-centred design approach must recognise that impact protection is just one of many factors to be considered during product development

Application of Pressure Sensors in Monitoring Pressure

Chapter 12, pages 289–310. Opening paragraphs: Monitoring pressure distribution using probes and sensors to ascertain the performance of a wide range of products in medical and clothing compression-wear is important for understanding the efficacy of products. The technology challenge is substantial, because surfaces are 3D contoured and deformable. Textiles can stretch and recover according to their construction and fibre type, and human bodies are covered in skin, below which are various permutations of fat and bone

Impact Protection for Functional Apparel

Whilst good impact protection using materials of 5-10 mm thickness can be achieved, the thickness of the resulting assemblage often creates difficulties of appearance, stiffness and loss of comfort. This creates problems for product developers and users. In the quest for efficient impact protection using thinner materials, research has been directed to understanding the mechanisms that provide protection. This has led to the adoption of a biomimetic approach, with consideration being given to composite materials. The research reported concerns the ability of composites to enhance impact protection without being bulky. The materials under investigation in this research are primarily commercially available in a variety of thicknesses and densities. The composites have been formed using double-sided adhesive tape. The testing work is undertaken using a customised rig that allows the forces and timescales of impacts to be recorded. The performances of the composites are compared with the test results of a variety of alternative materials, and conclusions are drawn about the mechanisms of achieving enhanced protection. Design principles are identified to assist the designers and product developers of functional apparel

A critical review of impact resistant materials used in sportswear clothing

This paper highlights the significance of impact resistant materials which are incorporated in sportswear and functional outdoor applications. In recent years, there have been interesting explorations on a wide range of composite materials such as coir/EVA as nonwoven impact protectors, polypropylene and flax fibre laminate, cellular textile materials as sports protectors for helmets. 3D spacer fabrics were explored by Dow Corning on varying thicknesses and levels of protection. In addition materials such as, D3O and visco-elastic polymer dough were also reported to have potential in sportswear applications such as the market for knee pads. In addition, Dow Corning's helical auxetic system is made up of an inelastic fibre spirally wound around a thicker elastic fibre that expands to absorb the shock while the inelastic one limited the expansion. Some concerns noted by researchers are that it has limited applications and the benefits of the impact resistant materials should be evaluated using precise monitoring systems. In this context, the authors have critically evaluated the literature, explored the importance of such materials in the context of functional clothing used for sportswear, and reported their limitations and implications. The study also is informed by experimentation using a custom-built measurement device to precisely monitor the pressure profile of various materials. This device is modelled on some of the ISO test procedures for assessing impact protection. The pressure sensors are located below the sample material and forces transmitted through the material by an impactor are recorded in the form of a load-vs-time dataset. Quantitative comparisons of a range of commercial materials used for impact protection have been obtained

Applications of Compression Sportswear

Chapter 7, pages 171–204. Second paragraph: The main aim of this chapter is to present research relating to compression garments and highlight the recent developments relating to specific sports such as cycling, skiing and rugby. The benefits of compression garments were documented in various settings (sports, clinical and non-clinical), although convincing evidence remains elusive. The reported benefits of using compression garments were mainly in enhancing blood circulation, reducing the recurrence of injury, aiding recovery, providing muscle support and reducing muscle soreness. However, the claims made by manufacturers in boosting athletes’ performance are debatable and the evidence gathered so far is less convincing. The research relating to the benefits and limitations of using compression garments for sportswear is critically reviewed. Most studies used different settings, small sample sizes and it is necessary to question whether the findings should be extrapolated to a wider group. Contextual factors that influence garment design and development such as body shapes, fabric panels, materials properties, sizing and comfort are discussed. In addition, market trends in compression sportswear and factors affecting new product development are discussed in the context of designing innovative compression sportswear

Impact resistant materials and Design Principles for Sportswear

Recently there had been a widespread use of high performance materials in sports wear with enhanced functionality. In sportswear, protection against impact is featured in products for skiwear, snowboarding, rugby, football, basketball, cycling, running shoes, and many others. There is a dearth of technical information about the range of materials being used and quantifiable measures of their effectiveness are rarely disseminated. An experimental set up is discussed with the scope of obtaining reliable and valid data relating to materials and commercial products. Two experimental methods have been used to gain understanding of material properties: an impact attenuation test (which captures peak forces over time) and Tekscan® pressure sensors (which capture the areal dispersal of impact forces). Alongside these dynamic tests are measures of thickness, flexural rigidity and bulk density. It was found that thicker materials (10 mm) were effective in protecting against 5J impacts. However bulky inserts resrticted free movement, which was a concern in designing garments. The outcomes from pressure sensors enabled to precisely measure and monitor profile of impact force applied on to the substrate. Based on this work, three parameters identified which would determine the characteristics of materials, the energy absorption properties, the ability of materials to extend the duration of an impact and the ability of materials to broaden the area affected by an impact. Using the above parameters the research is able to design smart protective garments which will have materials to prevent impact injury by absorbing the impact, delaying the point impact force and distributing it across a wider area

An Electrocorticographic Brain Interface in an Individual with Tetraplegia

Brain-computer interface (BCI) technology aims to help individuals with disability to control assistive devices and reanimate paralyzed limbs. Our study investigated the feasibility of an electrocorticography (ECoG)-based BCI system in an individual with tetraplegia caused by C4 level spinal cord injury. ECoG signals were recorded with a high-density 32-electrode grid over the hand and arm area of the left sensorimotor cortex. The participant was able to voluntarily activate his sensorimotor cortex using attempted movements, with distinct cortical activity patterns for different segments of the upper limb. Using only brain activity, the participant achieved robust control of 3D cursor movement. The ECoG grid was explanted 28 days post-implantation with no adverse effect. This study demonstrates that ECoG signals recorded from the sensorimotor cortex can be used for real-time device control in paralyzed individuals

Identification of fibre composition of apparel for recycling

We present the results of a recent review of fibre identification technologies for apparel recycling. The review focuses on tagging and labelling approaches that can help apparel recyclers identify the material composition of the recycling grades of apparel, in preparation for the introduction of more material-specific recycling technologies. We conclude that the adoption of the 2D barcode linked to an external database will both contain sufficient bits to encode useful information, and that such an approach could also give consumer (and hence brand) benefits that would help make the business case for their introduction

Interactive effects of inbreeding and endocrine disruption on reproduction in a model laboratory fish

This is the final version of the article. Available from Wiley via the DOI in this record.Inbreeding depression is expected to be more severe in stressful environments. However, the extent to which inbreeding affects the vulnerability of populations to environmental stressors, such as chemical exposure, remains unresolved. Here we report on the combined impacts of inbreeding and exposure to an endocrine disrupting chemical (the fungicide clotrimazole) on zebrafish (Danio rerio). We show that whilst inbreeding can negatively affect reproductive traits, not all traits are affected equally. Inbreeding depression frequently only became apparent when fish were additionally stressed by chemical exposure. Embryo viability was significantly reduced in inbred exposed fish and there was a tendency for inbred males to sire fewer offspring when in direct competition with outbred individuals. Levels of plasma 11-ketotestosterone, a key male sex hormone, showed substantial inbreeding depression that was unaffected by addition of the fungicide. In contrast, there was no effect of inbreeding or clotrimazole exposure on egg production. Overall, our data provide evidence that stress may amplify the effects of inbreeding on key reproductive traits, particularly those associated with male fitness. This may have important implications when considering the consequences of exposure to chemical pollutants on the fitness of wild populations.Thanks to NERC's Post Genomics & Proteomics Programme NE/F0077871/1 and AstraZeneca's Safety, Health and Environment Research Programme for funding this work. We thank Alexander Scott (11-ketotestosterone radioimmunoassay) at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Jan Shears and Luanne Wilkes at University of Exeter, Gareth Readman, Vicki Cammack, Kate Hurd and Yohanna Glennon at Brixham Environmental Laboratory for their assistance

Motor-related brain activity during action observation: A neural substrate for electrocorticographic brain-computer interfaces after spinal cord injury

After spinal cord injury (SCI), motor commands from the brain are unable to reach peripheral nerves and muscles below the level of the lesion. Action observation (AO), in which a person observes someone else performing an action, has been used to augment traditional rehabilitation paradigms. Similarly, AO can be used to derive the relationship between brain activity and movement kinematics for a motor-based brain-computer interface (BCI) even when the user cannot generate overt movements. BCIs use brain signals to control external devices to replace functions that have been lost due to SCI or other motor impairment. Previous studies have reported congruent motor cortical activity during observed and overt movements using magnetoencephalography (MEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Recent single-unit studies using intracortical microelectrodes also demonstrated that a large number of motor cortical neurons had similar firing rate patterns between overt and observed movements. Given the increasing interest in electrocorticography (ECoG)-based BCIs, our goal was to identify whether action observation-related cortical activity could be recorded using ECoG during grasping tasks. Specifically, we aimed to identify congruent neural activity during observed and executed movements in both the sensorimotor rhythm (10-40 Hz) and the high-gamma band (65-115 Hz) which contains significant movement-related information. We observed significant motor-related high-gamma band activity during AO in both able-bodied individuals and one participant with a complete C4 SCI. Furthermore, in able-bodied participants, both the low and high frequency bands demonstrated congruent activity between action execution and observation. Our results suggest that AO could be an effective and critical procedure for deriving the mapping from ECoG signals to intended movement for an ECoG-based BCI system for individuals with paralysis. © 2014 Collinger, Vinjamuri, Degenhart, Weber, Sudre, Boninger, Tyler-Kabara and Wang