In order to be able to offer clothing that analyzes sweating, Japanese researchers have developed a micro-electric fiber able to blend in with conventional materials and which makes it possible to monitor the signs of physical and mental health in real time.
This design was conducted within the Frontier Research Institute of Interdisciplinary Sciences installed of the region of Tohoku, in the city of Sendai (northeastern Japan). Under the direction of Professor Yuanyuan Guo, researchers have developed a flexible fiber integrating biosensors, optical fibers and electronic elements into a hair-thin thread. And of which it will still be necessary to demonstrate, beyond the technical capacities, the possibility of including it in textile production processes on an industrial scale.
The objective is to enable the industry to be able to offer fully connected parts in the future, analyzing the health of their wearer, with possible applications in particular in the world of sport or in the medical field. A concept which is not new, but which still came up against certain limitations, in terms of “connectable” textile surfaces without altering the flexibility and comfort of the rooms.
“Our breakthrough is the first successful attempt to use thermally stretched fibers in wearable bioelectronics to monitor biochemical signatures,” explains Professor Guo. “Although photolithography and traditional printing technology have enabled the emergence of wearable electronics, this often involves attaching fairly rigid electronic patches to existing tissue, or directly to the skin, which only covers a small part of the body.”
Ambitions in the field of smart and/or connected textiles have multiplied since the mid-2010s, the latter being notably propelled by the appearance of connected accessories such as watches. A Grand View Research study estimated in 2021 that the global smart textiles market could reach $3 billion in 2024.
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