International Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology (IJETT) – Volume 16 Number 8 – Oct 2014
E-Textiles Technology
Dhaval Gandhi#1, Deepak Gadodia#2, Sahil Kadam#3, Harish Narula*4
#
Undergraduate Student, Electronics and Telecommunication Department,D.J.Sanghvi College of Engineering
Mumbai, India
*Senior Lecturer, Computer Engineering Department, D.J. Sanghvi College of Engineering, Mumbai, India.
Abstract—In this paper, we aim to study the most challenging
aspects faced during the production and integration of
ubiquitous electronic and computational elements into
fabric. In the near future, textile products including what
one wears will transform from their present to
multifunctional, adaptive and responsive systems. The
functions may include communication, computation and
entertainment, as well as health care. Textiles used in nonapparel applications may perform surveillance and detection
functions. This paper presents three new techniques for
attaching off-the-shelf electrical hardware to e-textiles: (a)
the design of fabric PCBs or iron-on circuits to attach
electronics directly to a fabric substrate; (b) the use of
electronic sequins to create wearable displays and other
artefacts; and(c) the use of socket buttons to facilitate
connecting pluggable devices to textiles
and hand-cut fabric PCBs. These PCBs are created using
conductive fabric and an iron-on adhesive.
 Laser-cut fabric PCBs
Laser cutters can cut a wide range of materials with
astonishing precision and speed. The first step is to create a
laser-cut fabric PCB; a heat activated adhesive is attached to a
conductive fabric. A piece of conductive fabric that has a layer
of adhesive covered with a layer of paper on one side. This
fabric is passed through a laser cutter where a circuit pattern is
etched into the fabric. The settings on the laser cutter should
be adjusted so that the adhesive and paper backing are cut, but
the fabric is only scored. Once the circuit is cut, the backing
paper is removed from underneath the circuit—only where the
conductive cloth should adhere to the baking fabric (Fig. 1c).
Keywords—: : Laser-cut fabric PCBs, Electronic sequins, Socket
Buttons, Military and defense, Fashion Nanowire thread,
Integrating electronics devices.
Introduction
Textile materials are generally lightweight, flexible and
unique in many ways compared to other materials. E-textiles,
also known as electronic textiles, smart textiles, or smart
fabrics, are fabrics that enable digital components (including
small computers), and electronics to be embedded in them.
Electronic
textiles
are
distinct
from wearable
computing because emphasis is placed on the seamless
integration of textiles with electronic elements like
microcontrollers, sensors, and actuators.
E-textile, also termed as a smart fabric gains its reputation
because of the human effort eliminated in the process. There
are three techniques for embedding hardware to fabric: (a) the
design of fabric PCBs or iron-on circuits to attach electronics
directly to a fabric substrate; (b) the use of electronic sequins
to create wearable displays and other artefacts; and (c) the use
of socket buttons to facilitate connecting pluggable devices to
textiles.
I.
i.
TECHNNIQUES
Fabric PCBs
The circuit is designed by careful alignment on its fabric
substrate and ironed into place (Fig. 1d). Finally, as is shown
in Fig. 1e, the circuit is separated from the rest of the
conductive fabric. Note how the laser cutter scored the
conductive fabric so that it comes apart easily at this stage, but
remained together beforehand so that the circuit could be
accurately placed. Figure 1f shows the completed circuit.
Once created, a fabric PCB—with generous applications of
flux—can be soldered like a traditional PCB.
 Hand-cut fabric PCBs
Printed circuit boards (PCBs) enable us to precisely place
electronic components into small space. There are two
techniques under fabric PCBs namely laser-cut fabric PCBs
ISSN: 2231-5381
Fig 1: The completed etched circuit and its companion substrate of
blue fabric.
Laser-cut fabric circuits are powerful tools for production of etextiles, but they are challenging to build and require access to
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International Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology (IJETT) – Volume 16 Number 8 – Oct 2014
expensive equipment. In fact, iron-on traces, can also be cut
by hand.
The first step is to attach an iron-on adhesive to a piece
of conductive fabric. Then, one can draw out a design on
the adhesive’s paper backing, cut the design out with
scissors and iron it onto a backing fabric. Again,
electrical components can be soldered or stitched to
these traces. Hand-cut traces (and laser-cut ones) can
function as lovely decorative elements in e-textiles.
ii.
Electronic sequins
Electronic sequins are sewable LED package. To create
these we attach silver crimping beads to the leads of
surface mount LEDs with lead free solder. The resulting
‘‘LED sequins’’ could be stitched to fabric with
conductive thread in much the same manner as
traditional beads.
iii.
Socket Buttons
Socket button has been developed as another means to attach
IC sockets, and thus microcontrollers and other pluggable
components, to fabric sockets with through holes can be sewn
onto fabric like buttons to create what we have dubbed socket
buttons. Each hole in a socket can be stitched onto a fabric
backing with conductive thread. This thread can be used to
continue a trace across the fabric. When a microcontroller or
other device is plugged into the socket, it makes contact with
the traces on the textile via the stitching on the socket. We can
effectively reprogram the display by inserting a new
microcontroller into its socket button. Socket buttons might
also serve as different types of plugs, facilitating connections
to devices like power-supplies and computers.
III. ADVANTAGES & DISADVANAGES
Figure 3 shows LED sequins before and after being stitched.
This sequin package allows almost all of the stress of flexing
fabric is and forgiven by the thread moving inside the bead.
Very little strain is forced onto the solder joints and these
joints remain intact as hence it is stable.
Fig. 2: A hand-cut iron-on circuit. The LED and power supply were
stitched to the traces with stainless steel thread
Any other electrical components in addition to LEDs can also
be used to make these sequins. Almost any two-lead
component can be attached to beads or devices that achieve
the same effect.
Fabric PCBs are subject to abuses that traditional PCBs are
not—the twisting, folding and stretching of cloth and solder
joints inevitably break under this strain. To resolve this issue,
each solder joint needs to be covered with an inflexible
coating before the fabric PCB can be worn or washed. Handcut traces (and laser-cut ones) can function as lovely
decorative elements in e-textiles.
While the socket button technique has the disadvantage of
being time-consuming, it provides a powerful and important
benefit: it allows users to build sophisticated e-textile
prototypes using only a needle and thread. A circuit can be
sewn in conductive thread; stitchable electronics can be
stitched to these traces for decorative or other purposes; and
finally, socket buttons allow designers to attach controlling
computer chips to their textiles.
IV. APPLICATIONS
Integrating shrinking technology with your daily wear to keep
a check on your body vitals is one of the most successful
applications of E-textiles. Similar to traditional textiles,
interactive electronic textiles are finding opportunities in
fashion and industrial apparel, residential and commercial
interiors (upholstery, curtains, and carpets), military
intelligence, and medical and industrial textiles.
 Military and defense
Fig. 3: A stitchable LED, An LED sequin, An LED sequin stitched
into fabric
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Electronic textiles are in research to have strong and efficient
soldiers which include the development of integrated sensor
arrays and several other embedded sensing technologies
which can be integrated into the soldier’s vehicles, clothing,
backpacks or tents. Biofeedback can track a soldier’s vital
signs to enhance endurance and overall health, such as socks
with pressure sensors that alert you to put your feet up to
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International Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology (IJETT) – Volume 16 Number 8 – Oct 2014
lower blood pressure. Environmental sensing can detect
enemies or potential biochemical threats, such as a woven
conductive fabric with embedded button-size microphones
that detect the sound of remote objects such as approaching
vehicles.
Another active research area involves smart, dynamic,
responsive, or interactive camouflage: uniforms that possess
chameleon-like qualities and can change color when a soldier
moves from a desert environment to an urban one.
LED fashion garments which have now become commercially
available and also other applications of smart textiles within
fashion lines are being designed which incorporate inbuilt
solar panels for charging technology on-the-go.
V. FUTURE ADVANCEMENTS
It has been anticipated that batteries or memory storages could
be woven directly into textiles. In the future, it might be
 Telemedicine and sports health
possible that people can enjoy the freedom not to carry any
electronic device, but, instead, to wear it. Fashion, health, and
There have been strong estimations for the growth of telecommunication industries are also pursuing the vision of
telemedicine, but the production of smart garment medical clothing that can express aspects of people’s personalities,
devices to supplant these predictions is developing much needs, and desires or augment social dynamics through the use
slowly than would be expected. Multi-sensor garments which
and display of aggregate social information have developed a
have been underway for several years are now becoming new flexible memory fabric woven together from interlocking
commercially available.
strands of copper and copper-oxide wires. At each juncture, or
stitch along the fabric, a nanoscale dab of platinum is placed
The heart rate monitor: The medical heart rate sensor,
between the fibers. This "sandwich structure" at each crossing
mounted on a textile conductive strap, is developed by
forms a resistive memory circuit. Resistive memory has
Clothing+ in Finland. Today heart rate monitors typically
received much attention due to the simplicity of its design. In
allow for measurement of heart rate, acceleration, deceleration,
practical applications, e-textiles would need to integrate a
speed and distance. The next generation of heart rate monitor
is where the sensors are integrated into T-shirts as a more battery or power generator, sensors, and a computational
comfortable alternative to wearing a strap whilst exercising, element, as well as a memory structure. Taken together, an ewith data captured and transmitted wirelessly in a removable textile could potentially detect biomarkers for various
diseases, monitor vital signs of the elderly or individuals in
electronic device attached to the shirt.
hostile environments, and then transmit that information to
Multi-sensor physiological monitoring: heart rate, doctors.
respiration, temperature, oxygenation, plantar pressure.
Developments in multi-sensor garments which have been Nanowire thread is another possible application of E-textiles.
underway for several years are now becoming commercially Integration of minute metal nanowires into other materials and
available. The products can be differentiated by the biometrics making their surfaces conductive is practically possible.
that they measure, their smart phone and blue tooth
Simple cotton thread is dipped into a solution of nanowires.
compatibility (i.e. which smart phones) and the quality of the
data monitoring platforms supporting them (apps and These wires then look just like regular wire, except they are
less than 100 nanometers in diameter and you need an electron
software).
microscope to see them.
Owlet baby monitor: smart sock measuring heart rate,
oxygen levels, skin temperature and sleep quality. The sensor Integrating electronic devices into textile and apparel
is waterproof, but is removed from the sock for washing.
products provides wireless freedom for communication,
Stretch sense sensors: monitoring volume and muscle entertainment, and health/safety purposes. Computers, cellular
activity. Textile strain gauge or stretch sensors measure phones, personal data assistants, beepers, and pagers are
increases or decreases in a fabric as it is stretched. These can common devices used today for mobile communication. Users
be used to measure muscle activity during exercise or changes of these technologies are carrying around a separate display,
in volume as a result of increased fluid in a part of the body.
battery, keypad, speaker, and ringer for each of these devices.
Interactive electronic textile technologies can potentially
 Fashion
integrate these items directly into textile and apparel products
A number of designers are continuing to make their mark with shared resources. This would eliminate the need to carry
within wearable technology fashion, using LED light and such devices and increase mobility, comfort, and convenience.
color to enhance garments for many stage performances and
high profile events and occasions. The special effects for these The applications and opportunities for electronic textile
performances are becoming increasingly advanced as the LED communications are endless.
lights are being programmed with increasing sophistication.
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International Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology (IJETT) – Volume 16 Number 8 – Oct 2014
CONCLUSION
Over the past decade, electronics have been shrinking in size
and increasing in functionality. The idea for the most wearable
system is to attach technological components to the textile in
which transmission lines and connectors are embedded.
Because the electronics are attached and detached freely, they
can be protected from the physical stresses of laundering. As
many different electrics can be connected to any clothing, a
wearable system becomes more versatile, and the user can
change its look depending on environmental and situational
changes and individual preference. Current advances in new
materials, textile technologies, and miniaturized electronics
make wearable systems more feasible. Open-end survey
responses suggested that as development progresses in the
area of conductive polymer materials, this technology may
become increasingly important for future development of
interactive electronic textiles.
In the area of potential applications and market success, health
and safety was perceived to have the greatest potential for
niche and mass market success. Care and maintenance and
safety were perceived as the most important attributes that
will affect the success of interactive electronic textiles.
Though product development is still faced with many
challenges, the future for interactive electronic textiles looks
promising. Experts are convinced interactive electronic
textiles will succeed and the field will expand in the near
future. Present and future research and development efforts
will enable product developers to overcome the hurdles and
challenges necessary to advance this field.
REFERENCES
[1] Leah Buechley Æ Michael Eisenberg, Fabric PCBs, electronic
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[3] Christian Dalsgaard and Rachael Sterrett, White paper on smart
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wearable technologies.
[4] Electronic-Textile System for the Evaluation of Wearable
Technology, Rebeccah Pailes-Friedman.
[5] Sigurd Wagner, Eitan Bonderover, William B. Jordan and James
C. Strum, Electrotextiles: Concepts and Challenges
[6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-textiles
[7]https://uwaterloo.ca/stories/waterloo-scientist-advances-researche-textiles
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