With this new time and age of technological advancements, the manufacturing of smart clothes has brought about a textile revolution. This involves the integration of electronic components and Nano-technology within fabrics and fibres resulting in the birth of intelligent fabrics possessing specific properties.
Smart materials are capable of ‘thinking’ and ‘acting’ by sensing the conditions of the immediate environment. These are sensitive to the wearer’s body conditions (sweating & trembling), temperature requirements & stability and their movements.
Classification of Smart Textiles:
Passive Smart Textiles- These can only sense the environment conditions or stimuli, and hence are also known as 1st Generation Smart Textiles.
Active Smart Textiles-These 2nd Generation Smart Textiles have both sensors and actuators. The actuators act upon the signal or stimuli detected either directly or from a central control unit. They are chameleonic, water resistant, shape memory, vapor absorbing, heat evolving fabrics or electrically heated suits.
Ultra Smart Textiles- These are the 3rd Generation very Smart Textiles which can sense, react, and adopt themselves to the environment conditions and stimuli.
Applications of Smart Textile can be very interesting to know.
The usage of Smart textiles range from protective wear, sports, medical and fashion to clothes having anti stress properties.
Functional Textiles” are designed to serve a specific purpose having added features. Therefore, we now have fabrics that protect against U.V Radiation and anti-bacterial products. Fibres designed with moisture management systems help in quick evaporation of sweat & perspiration. Similarly, there are Reflective Textiles used for preparing safety garments.
Some interesting examples of such extraordinary Functional Textiles used today are:
The jacket that can see: This technology boasts the development of GPSoverIP Jacket which has an inbuilt mobile phone,