Electronic textiles charge ahead
RF Service - 2003 - science.org
RF Service
2003•science.orgWall of sound. Textile-based sensor nets could enable army units to triangulate the location
of opposing forces. to $1 billion. But discounting the hype and bandwagon effect that follow
any new technology, many experts caution that ironing the bugs out of advanced e-textile
applications will likely take some time. Researchers must find ways to integrate flexible wires
into clothing; link them to electronics that can withstand bending, twisting, and stretching;
and power the whole ensemble. Only then will geek chic become truly prêt-à-porter. Power …
of opposing forces. to $1 billion. But discounting the hype and bandwagon effect that follow
any new technology, many experts caution that ironing the bugs out of advanced e-textile
applications will likely take some time. Researchers must find ways to integrate flexible wires
into clothing; link them to electronics that can withstand bending, twisting, and stretching;
and power the whole ensemble. Only then will geek chic become truly prêt-à-porter. Power …
Wall of sound. Textile-based sensor nets could enable army units to triangulate the location of opposing forces. to $1 billion. But discounting the hype and bandwagon effect that follow any new technology, many experts caution that ironing the bugs out of advanced e-textile applications will likely take some time. Researchers must find ways to integrate flexible wires into clothing; link them to electronics that can withstand bending, twisting, and stretching; and power the whole ensemble. Only then will geek chic become truly prêt-à-porter.
Power suit Inventors began integrating electronics and textiles about 80 years ago, when doctors pushed rudimentary electric blankets to encourage tuberculosis patients to sleep outside in fresh air. The blankets were little more than a resistive heating coil stitched between twin sheets of fabric. Modern e-textiles, by contrast, weave conductive threads right into fabrics themselves, making them often indistinguishable from traditional fabrics.
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