What is smart clothing technology and how does it work?

It seems that this type of clothing is more about some specialized function than beautifying people.

Modern fabric production technologies, including changing clothes in a smart way. These are clothes that are supported by technology with the ability to change color, block sunlight, collect medical data, emit vibrations or even display customized notifications. correction. Here we take a look at the most amazing advances in fabric technology along with smart fabrics that are sure to surprise you.

Fabric inspired by metal armor like an exoskeleton

Hauberks, or chain coats, were once used in the Middle Ages, and many people certainly think they are outdated. The answer is no. It did not disappear, but just transformed into another form in modern times. In 2021, engineers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore have created a material with a chain-like structure that can be controlled from soft to hard. and can bear up to 50 times its own weight when hardened.

To create the fabric, the team stacked layers of hollow plastic or 3D-printed aluminum together, allowing them to change shape but still retain their stiffness. If other similar fabrics are manipulated with an electromagnetic field when it is desired to make them shrink or stretch, the chain fabric uses a confounding transition, similar to the vacuum principle found in a bag of rice, it will harden when the gas is sucked out and the rice grains have no room to move. The chain fabric can withstand a load of 2 pounds (almost 1kg) when hardened.

"Particle materials will show a good example of a complex system, meaning that simple interactions will produce different structures. In this chain fabric application, the payload capacity is large. comes from the fact that the particle structure is a situation changer, the ability to simulate complex behavior will generate other extraordinary performance designs from these models of granular materials."

Potential applications for this fabric include protective armor during work, lungs that adapt to changes in stiffness as the patient recovers, bridges that can roll out and stay in place, and an exoskeleton with protective function, allowing people with mobility problems to walk normally.

Clothes that are self-washable

Scientists at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia, have developed a self-cleaning fabric by "growing" copper and silver nanostructures on its cotton fibers. The process of applying metal nanostructures to textiles involves priming cotton fabrics using a solution of tin chloride acid, further dipping the fabric in a solution of palladium salts (a rare metal) to create natural particles. formed on the fiber. Finally, soak the fabric in a solution containing copper and silver to create photoactive metal nanostructures.

The metal atoms of the nanostructures will react when exposed to light, so when exposed to light, the fabric material will decompose organic substances that clean themselves of stains and dirt within minutes. This invention could be very meaningful for the agrochemical or pharmaceutical industries, but a lot of work will need to be done to improve the technique and especially for these metal nanoparticles to be eliminated. , leading to environmental problems. In addition, silver nanoparticles have also been used to prevent odors by killing bacteria, but under certain conditions it can also turn into a toxic ion form.

Fabrics that help cool down the body

According to statistics, the use of air conditioners and electric fans consumes about 20% of the total electricity consumed in buildings. So can you imagine how much electricity will be saved if your body is regulated by the clothes you are wearing?

In 2020, a team of researchers from Stanford University (USA) and Nanjing University (China) tried to change a few pieces of silk (a fabric that feels cool on human skin due to its ability to reflect light). reflectivity when sunlight hits) to make it reflect up to 95% of the sun, maintaining a background temperature on silk that is 3.5°C cooler than ambient air under the same sunlight conditions God.

This fabric keeps the skin about 12.5°C cooler than cotton clothing.

The researchers successfully created this fabric by adding aluminum oxide nanoparticles to the silk fibers. This is a type of nanoparticle that can reflect the ultraviolet wavelengths of sunlight, keeping the skin about 12.5°C cooler than cotton clothing, an extremely cool way of cooling.

The testing steps start with using simulated silicone leather, they coat the fabricated silk over the simulated leather, which keeps the skin 8°C cooler in direct sunlight than natural silk. They then designed a long-sleeved shirt from technical silk and asked a volunteer to wear it and stand in the sun at about 37°C and found that the shirt did not warm up like natural silk or fabric. cotton.

This silk shirt is not the first invention, before that a team of researchers from the National Graphene Institute of the University of Manchester has also created a smart textile that adapts to heat by taking advantage of pink radiation. exterior of graphene (a form of carbon).

"The ability to control radiant heat is essential when it comes to controlling body temperature in extreme outdoor temperatures, thermal blankets being a common example for this purpose. However, the Maintaining these functions when the surrounding environment warms or cools is a big challenge," said Professor Coskun Kocabas, who led the research at the time.

Energy-collecting clothes

Also in 2016, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta created a fabric that captures energy from both sunlight and energy from motion. To create the fabric, the team knitted woolen fibers together, combined with photovoltaic cells, made from lightweight polymer fibers, and an optical fiber-based tribonoid nanogenerator that could generate a small amount of work. electrical power from mechanical movements. The fabric is about 320 micrometers thick and soft, breathable and lightweight, and the team hopes it will be used in tents, curtains, and even clothing. We can even dream of one day allowing us to charge our phones even on the go.

To create this fabric, the team knitted woolen threads together, incorporating photovoltaic cells.

The great goal is to harvest energy from our own surroundings. This research has attracted attention because at the moment small, "portable or wearable" electronic devices are very developed, more popular and fashionable, and it will require to the power source for operation".

Fabrics can save data, detect health problems

Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a high-tech fiber fabric that could allow us to carry data in our clothes. The fibers are made of silicon chips that are electrically connected together so they can store files for up to several months. These digital fibers act like a sensor to track our physical activity, even being able to detect diseases in the body when combined with an artificial neural network. Neural networks help predict body activity or state, then detect respiratory or health problems early.

This type of fiber is made from silicon chips that are electrically connected to each other.

Biometric monitoring clothing

Fitness trackers aren't the only wearables that help track your activity, heart rate, sleep habits, and more. We're also known for clothes that can do those things. This is through the sensor. Typically, a piece of underwear designed by a textile company is linked to an app that can measure your body's stress levels, how long you rest, or other options like on the device. wearable, in addition, it also predicts ovulation cycle in women or health while driving.

In 2020, MIT researchers also created a washable sensor with the ability to track the vital signs of the wearer, and is credited with revolutionizing the field of technology. remote healthcare. The Empa research center in Switzerland has integrated optical fibers into its textiles to control the circulation of the skin to prevent ulcers in comatose patients. Another company in Denmark has also designed a sock to detect abnormality in the feet, which is useful for patients with potential blood clots in the legs.

There are already smart clothing apps out there and the future is to come, although they haven't become mainstream yet, but hopefully one day we will completely revolutionize the way we eat. wear their own.