Smart clothes are a little closer today. A group of Asian scientists has developed a fiber capable of receiving and transmitting electrical signals without a cable, without the need to be connected to any battery or chip. This type of thread, which can be incorporated into clothing, includes inside all the electronic components necessary to function, and uses the human body as part of the circuit.
When pressure is applied, the fiber emits electrical signals that can be detected at a distance of 30 meters, which allows the tactile and remote control of electronic devices. That is why its applications are almost countless: from communication and video games, to scientific research, home automation or the monitoring of physiological variables.
The fiber, presented on Thursday by Science magazine, is resistant, flexible and comfortable to wear, the authors point out. In fact, it is so similar to the yarn commonly used by the textile industry that it can be subjected without loss of properties to the industrial processes of clothing manufacturing used today. The resulting garments are washable (keep their properties intact after 25 washes upside down), and withstand exposure to humidity, sweat and temperature changes, typical day-to-day variables.
“The application scenarios that we foresee will determine the way in which we will integrate our technology” into clothing, says Weifeng Yang, researcher at Donghua University in Shanghai (China), and author of the study, in statements to La Vanguardia. “The fibers can be embroidered on existing textiles to allow tactile detection”, but also “can be screen printed on pixelated fabrics to create panels and touch screens”, he details.
“The key advantage of our innovation over current smart fabrics is the elimination of rigid electronic components [such as chips and batteries], which aligns our technology with everyday clothing,” he explains . Scientists have designed a tissue that uses the human body itself as a key piece of the electrical circuit. Its source of energy is the residual electricity released by electronic devices such as mobile phones, or that produced by the friction between fabrics (when we take off our coat, for example).
The fiber consists of three layers. The central unit is made of nylon and silver, and acts as a kind of antenna that generates an electromagnetic field from the energy it captures from the environment. This core is wrapped by a resin coating that accumulates energy and by a second layer of fabric that emits light when it detects the electric field generated by the system. Although the idea is for the fabric to run on ambient electricity alone, “the background electromagnetic energy commonly present in our everyday environment is insufficient for standard operation” of the fiber, Yang emphasizes. “It requires the presence of an additional wireless electromagnetic transmitter to function optimally”, he concludes.
That is why the researchers rule out that their fiber can immediately reach the market. “The next phase of research will be to develop a fiber that works optimally in everyday electromagnetic environments,” explains the expert, something his team is already working on.
However, the researchers have tested, aided by the transmitters, some of the potential applications of their fiber. For example, to mount a touch panel connected to a kind of textile screen made of the same material, which can be incorporated into a piece of clothing. If we slide our finger on the touch panel, the route is illuminated on the screen. The resource can facilitate communication with hearing impaired people.
