SMART TEXTILE, E-TEXTILE AND THE NEW FRONTIERS OF TRANSFER PRINTING
The world of smart textile is enjoying a time of fast development, especially as regards technological research.
The world of smart textile is enjoying a time of fast development, especially as regards technological research. Smart textile, which means apparel and other wearable items with in-built sensors, are of interest for application in many industries: medical, sportswear and sport devices, infant care and many others. Even high-end fashion has discovered the potential of integrating sensors through e-textile and smart clothing. Use of advanced textiles, with interwoven electronic circuits, or the addition of sensors and other hardware, as well as the possibility to connect with a device via blue tooth or wi-fi are only a few examples of how clothing becomes smart. In some cases, traditional textiles and fibres are combined with electronics to collect and transfer – via electronic sensors - information and data about heat, motion and other conditions both of the person wearing the clothing and/or of the surrounding environment. This is also called “e-textile” and is realized by interweaving electronic components with the cloth threads or by gluing or sewing the non-textile electronic circuit onto the surface of the cloth.