A new "smart" textile with inbuilt sensors that could turn your curtains, carpet or sheets into TVs has been developed by an international team of researchers headed up by the University of Cambridge.
The textile can display images like a television or generate and store energy and could see countless innovative applications with everyday objects. Credit: University of Cambridge
The 116 cm (46-inch) woven fabric has smart functions, energy harvesting and data storage embedded into its fibres and yarns, which the team claims could lead to applications straight out of science fiction and claim this is the first time tech of this kind has been embedded into textiles.
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The results of the research, which were published in the Nature Communications journal, and goes into more detail about the manufacturing process used in its creation.
Despite recent advancements in the field of smart textiles, their applications are currently still limited by the technology of our day, but it could represent an interesting development in the coming decades. Integrating sensors into everyday objects could offer countless applications.
Typically, these kinds of applications have been incompatible with the textiles industry and the weaving process and so this stands as a major breakthrough.
"Our approach is built on the convergence of micro and nanotechnology, advanced displays, sensors, energy and technical textile manufacturing," said Professor Jong-min Kim, from Cambridge’s Department of Engineering, who co-led the research.
"This is a step towards the full exploitation of sustainable, convenient e-fibres and e-textiles in daily applications. And it’s only the beginning."
To integrate smart technology and textiles, the researchers coated each fibre with materials that can withstand enough stretching so they could be woven into fabrics. Some components were also braided to increase durability and connected multiple components together using conductive adhesives and laser welding techniques.
The final product can act as a display, similar to a TV or computer monitor, handle various inputs or even store energy for a later date. It can also detect radio frequencies, touch, light and temperature.
Due to being a fabric, it can also be rolled up.
"By integrating fibre-based electronics, photonic, sensing and energy functionalities, we can achieve a whole new class of smart devices and systems,” said Dr Luigi Occhipinti, also from the Department of Engineering.
“By unleashing the full potential of textile manufacturing, we could soon see smart and energy-autonomous Internet of Things devices that are seamlessly integrated into everyday objects and many other sector applications", he added.
The team claim this new textile could be used in the creation of more smart or more energy-efficient buildings that can generate and store its own energy or even bring about Industry of Things applications such as communication that can be more easily implemented into wearable tech, like the creation of uniforms without the need for extra electronics.
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The team are currently working with European partners to make the tech more sustainable and look into ways of using it in everyday objects.
Outside of potential wearable tech, the fabrics could see use in the creation of solar panels, batteries, supercapacitors and other devices.
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