E-textiles

Cholesteric liquid crystals, a man-made material with properties between liquids and solid crystals, can mimic the colors of butterfly wings. Liquid crystals are used in televisions and smartphones, but future applications for healthcare sensors or decorative lighting are difficult as the materials can't be used in advanced, rapid production methods like 3D printing.

The emerging field of printed electronics promises to radically change the way we view and use electronics through energy- and cost-efficient printing of electronic inks onto everyday surfaces such as paper and textiles. However, a severe problem from a sustainability perspective is that many current inks used during the printing include solvents that are unsafe and damaging for both workers and the environment.

Invisibly small carbon nanotubes aligned as fibers and sewn into fabrics become a thermoelectric generator that can turn heat from the sun or other sources into energy.

Nextiles' patent-protected manufacturing process blends traditional sewing techniques with printed circuit boards to embed flexible sensors directly into fabrics for the new mom uniform - a breastfeeding-friendly bra.

The development of new technology often creates new opportunities to provide value to customers in new products. Electronic textiles have hundreds of potential use cases, many of which are being explored by different companies around the world. So where is the "killer app" for e-textiles?

Researchers have spent nearly two decades trying to develop skin-like integrated circuits that can be stretched, folded, bent and twisted - working all the while - and then snap back without fail, every time. Such circuits presage a day of wearable and implantable products, but one hurdle has always stood in the way.

A sweat-proof "electronic skin" — a conformable, sensor-embedded sticky patch that monitors a person's health without malfunctioning or peeling away, even when a wearer is perspiring.

Seizing on the observation that most of the world's keyboards up until this point have been somewhat rigid, the KnittedKeyboard II seeks to spark a paradigm shift in expectations by way of an interactive, textile-based musical device with the familiar layout of piano keys. And the unfamiliar nature of being a piece of musical knitwear.

In a new study researchers have demonstrated they could print layers of electrically conductive ink on polyester fabric to make an e-textile that could be used in the design of future wearable devices.