Archives

Smart textiles for health care and reducing accidents

May 1st, 2023

Knitted textile designs by Cassie Henderson address the need for functionality, comfort and strong aesthetic qualities in wearables. Photo: Cassie Henderson Smart textiles for health and well-being are becoming both more diverse and interconnected. Three key market segments—home health care, health care facilities and work environments—are especially worth noting. Home health care has come to […]

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A look back at 2022 Smart Fabrics Summit

June 1st, 2022

NC State’s Zeis Textiles Extension director Dr. Andre West says the ability to grow cotton in colors, such as brown, could eliminate the need for polluting dye processes in cotton textiles. Photo: NC State Zeis Textiles Extension IFAI’s Smart Fabric Summit returned to an in-person event with a new location at North Carolina State University […]

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Forecast for smart fabrics in fashion and entertainment

April 12th, 2021

According to the report “Smart Fabrics in Fashion and Entertainment Market—Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021-2026)” by ResearchAndMarkets.com, the smart fabrics market is estimated to record a CAGR of 31.29% over the forecast period. The smart fabrics market in the fashion and entertainment industry is primarily driven through innovation by designers to develop new […]

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Understanding intelligent textiles

November 4th, 2020

The Advanced Textiles Conference of IFAI’s Virtual Expo 2020 continued Nov. 4 with a detailed presentation by Justine Decaens on “Smart Textiles: From Lab Prototypes to Commercial Products.” Decaens is R&D director with CTT Group, a testing laboratory and R&D facility specialized in technical textiles, headquartered in Quebec, Canada.  Decaens first offered to define “smart […]

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Smart fabrics market outlook

April 3rd, 2020

According to the “Smart Fabrics Market—Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2020-2025” report by ResearchAndMarkets.com, the smart fabrics market was valued at USD 2.16 billion in 2019 and is expected to reach USD 5.93 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 19.89 percent over the forecast period 2020-2025. The trend of using miniaturized electronics in the fabrics […]

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Washable, weavable sensors

September 1st, 2019

UBC doctoral student Hossein Montazerian takes a look at a tiny sensor embedded into a fiber. The stretchable sensor—woven into fabric—can detect human movement and has the potential to alert individuals about their health, including when to hydrate or when to rest. Photo: UBC. Smart textiles continue to advance into more sophisticated and wearable options. […]

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Textiles team up with technology for smart medical products

August 1st, 2019

Technological advances in the medical field are nothing short of mind-blowing. by Pamela Mills-Senn Take operating room (OR) technology. In today’s ORs, one might find an array of smart surgical tools, augmented reality devices and precision robotics that assist surgeons in performing the most complex and exacting of procedures. Patients are greatly benefiting from these […]

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E-textiles in health monitoring

July 1st, 2019

Progress, potential and challenges for next-generation applications.  by Debra Cobb Among the many benefits promised by the smart fabric revolution has been the “consumerization of health care.” Wearables are enabling the remote monitoring of a wide range of chronic medical conditions, from diabetes, high blood pressure and congestive heart failure (CHF) to symptoms of disease, […]

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New smart fabrics and protective gear innovations keep first responders safer

December 1st, 2018

First responders—from firefighters to law enforcement to emergency medical services technicians—need to be ready to handle any situation they encounter, and they need the appropriate gear to respond quickly to emergencies. Responders draw on their experience to make sound decisions in the chaos of a crime or accident scene, or in the heat of a […]

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A market overview of developments, successes and standards for electronic fabrics

August 1st, 2018

Smart fabrics are still so new to the textile world, relatively speaking, that it’s necessary to start with a working definition. That’s what the first presenter, IFAI’s market research director Jeffrey Rasmussen, did at IFAI’s Smart Fabrics Summit in Washington, D.C. In his overview of the smart fabrics market, Rasmussen said that smart fabrics are […]

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