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Though 2024, like any year, was imperfect, it saw progress in smart textiles research, sustainability efforts and product development, especially in areas focused on solving problems in the health care space and with accessibility. For Specialty Fabrics Review’s Women in Textiles issue, we shine a spotlight on recent work done by several women-led teams in this area of the industry: in biodegradable sensors and related materials, a haptic shirt for people who are hearing-impaired, and a hospital gown and booties that monitor toddlers’ vital signs.
Sustainable sensors
Sofía Guridi and research colleagues at Aalto University in Espoo, Finland, have been addressing the environmental impact of e-textiles in their development of fully bio-based and biodegradable e-textile capacitive sensors. Starting from the premise that renewable and biodegradable materials offer significant sustainability benefits over more commonly used nonrenewable and toxic plastics and metals, the work explores the potential for e-textile capacitive pressure sensors that are biodegradable and offer ease of disassembly at the end of life.
The sensor combines novel cellulose-based conductive and dielectric materials into a wool and cellulose woven fabric substrate with numerous applications anticipated, including health care wearables. The research addresses the development of sensor materials, fabrication techniques, evaluation and studies on final biodegradability.
Guridi presented her work at E-Textiles 2024: International Conference on the Challenges, Opportunities, Innovations and Applications in Electronic Textiles in November in Berlin, Germany. In her first textile sensor prototype, the sensor’s back consists of a carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) layer—a water-soluble polymer based on renewable cellulose—that’s attached to a wool fabric. A second prototype introduces the sensor’s core into a woven wool pocket on the textile. In a third, a combination of wool yarns and CMC films have been woven to create a textile pocket where the sensor’s core has been introduced.
Woamy, a 1-millimeter (0.04-inch) lightweight wood pulp foam, is used as the dielectric material of the sensor. Research is ongoing, but so far there are positive results from the conductive fibers. Further work needs to be done around biodegradability and to explore the potential for design strategies for disassembly. Woamy also comes out of work done at Aalto University.
‘Hearing’ with haptics
Francesca Rosella is one half of the London, England-based CuteCircuit with Ryan Genz. The duo established the brand in 2004 as the first wearable technology fashion brand, with Francesca coming from a heritage in Italy’s fashion. Over the years they have developed wearables with haptic qualities as well as luminous display surfaces. Their work often undergoes many iterations as new technologies become available and in response to creative client briefs.
In 2024 they refined their SoundShirt™ for use by hearing-impaired sports fans during live sporting events. In a commission from entertainment company Sela, a team sports SoundShirt was created for the Newcastle United Football club in the North of England. The shirt works by using conductive textiles and haptic modules that have been integrated into the fabric.
Broadcast microphones capture the sound of the crowd around the soccer pitch, which is then converted from analog to digital format using specialized software. The software transforms the crowd noise into touch data that is wirelessly transmitted to the shirt via an antenna in real time. This allows the hearing-impaired wearer to experience the atmosphere at the same time as all other fans.
Smart garments for children
At the first Wearables Collective Conference and Exhibition, held at the University of California, Davis, in the spring of 2024, researchers Hafsa Akter and Gozde Goncu-Berk from the university presented their research into a smart hospital gown for toddler patients. Ethical considerations of dealing with vulnerable groups unable to voice their consent can often be a barrier to much-needed research in the field. Akter undertook research across a range of stakeholders, including parents, caregivers and health care professionals to improve the traditional tunic design while keeping a toddler patient’s needs and comfort in mind.
With around 4 million young children admitted to hospital care annually in North America, the hospital gown can play an important role in the toddler’s experience and responsiveness in an alien environment. The work brought to light the nuanced interpretation of considerations such as “functionality” that starts with the garment being fit for the purpose but extends to ease of access for regular monitoring without needing to wake the child. Its similarity to regular familiar clothing as well as thermal, aesthetic and sensorial aspects were combined to improve a patient’s physical and emotional well-being during hospital stays.
Akter has designed two apparel items. The first is a novel smart gown that incorporates e-textile-based signal transmission lines to attach devices such as ECG monitoring electrodes. The second is a bootie design for thermal comfort with an embedded polymer-optical-fiber-based sensor pulse oximeter to allow for the nonintrusive monitoring of oxygen saturation levels.
Marie O’Mahony, Ph.D., is an industry consultant, author and academic based in London, England. She is a frequent contributor to ATA publications.