Our Clothes are Getting Smarter

from Wearable Electronics (114 articles)

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Clothes have done much more than serve as protection from the weather for tens of thousands of years. Over the last few millennia they've been worn as statements of rank and fashion, adapted for countless specialised uses from military combat to surfing and bee-keeping, cut and tailored in every conceivable shape, colour, size and fabric, and become signposts for entire cultures.

Along the way clothing manufacture has embraced and developed many new innovations, and it seems a natural progression for micro-electronics and other emerging 21st century technologies to find their way into our wardrobes next to the zip-off tracksuit pants and the Moon-boots. The result: clothes are getting smarter.Smart clothing will both enhance its primary role as body covering and extend its functionality to keep us connected, entertained, relaxed, safe and healthy. Fabrics and designs with built in temperature control mechanisms will merge with invisible add-ons like mobile phones and MP3 players, sophisticated medical monitoring systems integrated into shirts will save lives and clothes may even provide us with our daily vitamin supplement.

Keeping us warmer

Developments in temperature control technology include Airvantage Adjustable Insulation from Gore. This system utilises the exceptional insulation properties of trapped air by including a layer of inflatable chambers within the fabric that can be filled with air when its cold or deflated when less insulation is needed. It takes about three breaths to inflate the Airvantage vest via the adjustment valve and there's a psychological benefit in wearing a thicker garment despite its lightweight. The downside is the danger of tears or punctures. There's a repair kit available just in case.In an example of the crossover between traditional streetwear and high-tech applications, Gore, best known through their Goretex waterproof camping products, also utilise fluoropolymer materials for surgical implants, industrial filtration, dental floss and as an insulator for high-speed wire and cable. In terms of high-tech fabric, Gores latest light-weight "Wind Stopper" line is designed to be worn next to the skin and uses four distinct layers to draw moisture away from the skin and promotes quick evaporation - another step towards a Star Trek inspired future where everyone wears jumpsuits all year round.Adidas have also launched a new moisture management system based on a layering principle that draws moisture away from the skin.

The Clima Apparel range includes different grades of weather protection and temperature management. Microfibre garments keep the wearer cool while exercising by dispersing heat away from the body's critical heat zones and highly insulated garments use the same system but also trap the heat in for extreme conditions. Nike's approach to the issue is slightly different. Their Sphere technology uses a series of circular indents in the fabric to create the air cavity critical to the design of garments for a variety of purposes.Another tact is taken by the North Face - their MET5 Jacket integrates a heater into the clothing.

Though never released in Australia, the MET5 has been on the market in the US since January 2001 and utilises a battery driven heat source to generate warmth through a network of microscopic conductive fibre elements woven into the jacket. The control unit is located in the chest pocket so it can be adjusted without unzipping the jacket. The system can be recharged via maintain a 12-volt car cigarette lighter or solar charger and once the battery is removed, the jacket is fully washable.

Health conscious gear

Clothes are also starting to address health issues. Levi Strauss plan to launch anti-handset radiation trousers - aimed at protecting the wearer from the possible health risks of EMF radiation from mobile phones - under their "Dockers" label in the UK next year. In Germany scientists at the Hohenstein Institute Textile Research Center have developed shirts that ease rheumatism pain via a built-in balm along with tights that feed vitamins A, B and C directly into the legs (complete with replaceable vitamin tablets) and a fabric that combats dermatitis.

In Japan, scientists are investigating possible applications for an inflatable muscle suit that could be used to improve limited movement and, according to Annanova, researchers at Texas A&M University and Penn State Chemical Engineering are going to the next level of adornment with a smart "tattoo" capable of warning diabetics of low glucose levels.

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