TEXTILES.ORG
A researcher at Louisiana State University (LSU), Baton Rouge, La., is exploring ways to use “smart clothing” to track a newborn’s temperature. Sibei Xia, assistant professor in the LSU Department of Textiles, Apparel Design, and Merchandising, is developing body-tracking wearable technology using thermochromic yarn.
The material has been used to make a baby hat that will display a color change in the threads to alert caregivers if the baby has a spike in temperature. The use of this thermochromic technology may reduce the need to monitor a newborn’s temperature using thermometers or other more invasive technology. The hat also has the potential to reduce the number of times the infant is disturbed for a temperature check.
The prototype for the hat was produced using the department’s flatback knitting machines, which are fully computer-controlled, allowing the operator to customize patterns and tension. The thermochromic yarn threshold temperature can be changed by adding additional yarns or changing the knitting pattern.
Xia’s research has been exploring different yarn colors, knitting structures and threshold temperatures to determine which combination produces the desired color-changing effect.