Smart Clothing: A New Life

SMART CLOTHING: A NEW LIFE
Paul KIEKENS, Lieva VAN LANGENHOVE, Carla HERTLEER Ghent University – Department of Textiles Technologiepark 907 – 9052 Zwijnaarde – Belgium Tel: +32-9-264 57 34 Fax:+32-9-264 58 46 Paul.Kiekens@UGent.be

Abstract
After technical textiles and functional textiles, also smart textiles came into force a few years ago. The term ‘smart textiles’ covers a broad range. Theapplication possibilities are only limited by our imagination and creativity. Hence it is not simple for the readers of the many articles that have been published to distinguish where reality ends and where fiction begins. In this presentation, it is further explored what smart textiles precisely mean. In a second part, an analysis is made of the possibilities, the state of affairs and the needsfor further research, including research the Department of Textiles at the Ghent University (Belgium).

Keywords : Smart textiles, smart suits, textile electrodes

Introduction
The term ‘smart textiles’ is derived from intelligent or smart materials. The concept ‘Smart Material’ was for the first time defined in Japan in 1989. The first textile material that, in retroaction, was labelled as a‘smart textile’ was silk thread having a shape memory (by analogy with the better known ‘shape memory alloys’ which will be discussed later in this article). The continual shrinkage of the textile industry in the Western world has amply raised the interest in intelligent textiles. Smart textile products meet all criteria of high-added value technology allowing a transformation to a competitivehigh-tech industry: from resource-based towards knowledge-based; from quantity to quality; from mass-produced single-use products to manufactured-on-demand, multi-use and upgradable product-services; from “material and tangible” to “intangible” value-added products, processes and services.

Definition of intelligent clothing
What does it mean exactly, ‘smart textiles’? Textiles that are able tosense stimuli from the environment, to react to them and adapt to them by integration of functionalities in the textile structure. The stimulus as well as the response can have an electrical, thermal, chemical, magnetic or other origin. Advanced materials, such as breathing, fire-resistant or ultrastrong fabrics, are according to this definition not considered as intelligent, no matter howhigh-technological they might be. The extent of intelligence can be divided in three subgroups [1]: passive smart textiles can only sense the environment, they are sensors; active smart textiles can sense the stimuli from the environment and also react to them, besides the sensor function, they also have an actuator function; finally, very smart textiles take a step further, having the gift to adapt theirbehaviour to the circumstances. On principle, two components need to be present in the textile structure in order to bear the full mark of smart textiles: a sensor and an actuator, possibly completed with a processing unit which drives the actuator on the basis of the signals from the sensor.

Although smart textiles find and will find applications in numerous fields, this presentation islimited to clothing. However, clothing can be interpreted in a broad sense. It involves for example wearable smart textiles meant for medical applications, designed to fulfil certain functions, but apart from that without any fringes. Also casual clothing is possible, which is expected to be functional as well as fashionable. It also embraces sports clothing, where the comfort factor is even morecritical. Finally, smart textiles could be sold as a gadget, where the intelligent character will be more an accessory (Spielerei). Initially, smart clothing will find applications in those fields where the need for monitoring and actuation can be of vital importance, such as a medical environment, and with vulnerable population groups, in space travel and the military. However, as experience and...