Conductive Fibers: Latest Trend In Wearable Tech

ECONOMIST - Mar 11 - Developments in the use of conductive fibres mean fabric itself can now become an electronic device, allowing wearables to be incorporated into the most stylish clothing. Intelligent Textiles has worked with the British and Canadian armed forces to produce combat fatigues with pathways of conductive fibres to deliver power to the equipment which soldiers wear. The Advanced Textiles Research Group at Nottingham Trent University have embroidered antennae onto shirts using silver-coated thread. It can be used to transmit and receive radio signals. Researchers have also used conductive yarn to embroider alphanumeric and musical keyboards into fabric. Adidas has started knitting conductive fibres into stretchy garments to produce “textile electrodes”. These are only a few square centimetres in size and can pick up signals from the heart and other muscles.

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