Name: Maliha Sajid

Student ID: 20-NTU-DD-1265

Question 1: Define smart textiles and its classes,with

providing example.
Smart textile:
Smart textiles are defined as textiles that interact with their surroundings.
Basically smart textiles are referred to as those textiles that are able to react and
adapt to an environment stimulus. The origin of the stimulus and the response
can be either from an electrical, thermal, chemical or magnetic source. In recent
years, smart textiles were developed that combine or integrate electronics and
textiles.

Example:
A typical example is a mobile phone application in a shirt sleeve.

Classification of Smart Textiles:

Smart textiles can be classified in three categories according to its functional
activity. They are as follows:

1. Passive Smart Textile: Passive smart textile is the first generations of

smart textiles, which can only sense the environmental conditions.

Example: UV protecting clothing, conductive fibers, plasma-treated

clothing, and waterproof fabrics are the typical examples of passive smart
textiles.

2. Active Smart Textile: Active Smart Textile is the second generation

which has both actuators and sensors. The actuators act upon the detected
signal either directly or from a central control unit. Active Smart textiles are
shape memory, water-resistant, chameleonic, and vapor permeable heat
storage, thermo regulated, vapor absorbing, and heat evolving fabric.
 Example: Examples of active smart textiles could be shape-memory,
chameleonic, water-resistant, heat-storage or thermo-regulated fabrics .

3. Ultra Smart Textile: It is also known as very smart textile. It is the

third generation of smart textiles, which can sense, react and adopt
themselves to environmental conditions. A very smart textile essentially
consists of a unit, which works like the brain, with cognition, reasoning and
activating capacities.

Example: spacesuits, musical jackets, and wearable computers are ultra

smart materials.

Question 2: Define wearable e-textiles and what are its

categories, in which area first smart textile introduced?
Wearable e-textile:
Wearable e-textiles are able to perform electronic functions and are perceived as
a way to add features into common wearable textiles, building competitive
market advantages. Electronic textiles have been emerging as solutions to serve
humanity in terms of comfort, making life easier, and addressing safety issues.
The main study areas of E-textiles are the electronics industry, communication
systems, military applications, the entertainment sector, and the health industry.

Categories of e-textiles:
There are two main types of e-textiles:

Embedded e-textiles: Embedded e-textiles have their electronic
components woven together with the fabric components. This type is more
like a textile product than an electronic product.

Laminated e-textiles: Laminated e-textiles have their circuitry printed
onto a non-textile material which is then bonded or sewn to the surface of
a textile. This type may more closely resemble an electronic product than a
textile product.
Area first smart textile introduced:
The first thought of Smart textiles or electric textiles was known in Japan, 1989
and were invented by Sundaresan Jayaraman.

Question 3: According to “MarketsAndMarkets” survey what

is predicted about global wearable health care market?
The global wearable healthcare devices market in terms of revenue was
estimated to be worth $16.2 billion in 2021 and is poised to reach $30.1 billion by
2026, growing at a CAGR of 13.2% from 2021 to 2026. Market growth is driven by
growing investments,funds and grants and a growing preference for wireless
connectivity among healthcare providers.

Question 4: What is purpose and features of Hexoskin T-shirt?

Hexoskin is a great product, capable of accurately tracking an array of biometric
data. Hexoskin offers a wearable shirt for inhome rehabilitation. Hexoskin gives
you insights into your Health status,sleep, and personal daily activities. The
hexoskin smart shirts and Connected Health Platform are also used in
Cardiac,Respiratory,Activity,stress,Cognitive and Sleep research and projects.

Heart Rate: Monitor your heartbeats and view your ECG in real time with
great precision.

Heart Rate Variability: HRV is an essential tool to measure stress,load and

training fatigue to prevent overtraining or injuries.

Breathing Rate: Learn to control your breathing,increase your performance

and reduce stress.

Breathing Volume: Learn what your lung ventilation is for each of your
activities. Understand how your breathing is related to your sleep cycles.

Activity(steps, cadence and calories): Your intensity level, steps and

pace are recorded on your dashboard.
Sleep: Hexoskin is an advanced and validated sleep tracking device: measure
your resting heartrate, breathing and sleep positions.

Question 5: Development of Healthcare E-Textiles for

commercial Purposes.
A great deal of progress has been observed in the healthcare system in recent
years, and many lab-scale samples are available from research institutes. Some
prototypes have been launched in the market for customer scale, and some are in
the process of launching. Some examples are presented here.
The smart textile company “Kymira” has developed a prototype of a cardiac
monitoring t-shirt used to detect the risk of heart attack in athletes. It transmits
the heart rhythms to a mobile phone via Bluetooth; hence, an unusual rhythm
that leads to sudden cardiac arrest can be detected. The Xiaomi Mijia cardiogram
t-shirt has integrated ECG sensors to monitor the patient’s physical state. These
shirts have a joint lighting system that can create an alert in the case of dangerous
heart rate values by changing color according to the heart stroke intensity. The
resulting cardiogram can also be downloaded via Bluetooth. These smart shirts
are available on the market for only US $69. However, their major limitation is the
non-availability of machine washing.
“HealthWatch” launched a 15-lead ECG-sensing shirt that allowed doctors and
health workers to track heart conditions remotely. It is prepared with specially
designed electrocardiogram sensors weaved into a synthetic or cotton t-shirt.
These sensors can read vital signs and then transmit them to a monitoring device
through Bluetooth. The manufacturer claims their product is suitable for the
home machine washing process.
AiQ Smart Clothing prepared different variants, including vests, t-shirts, and
sports bras, with five types of electrode structures suitable for various
applications. They can be used for heart monitoring by fitness enthusiasts, as
heart monitoring compression vests for marathons and cycling, for elderly care
units as 1–3 lead ECG monitoring vests physically or remotely, and for cardiac
rehabilitation and fitness. One advantage is their recommendation for machine
washing, which enhances their positive image with customers.
The Emglare smart t-shirt is another example of a smart t-shirt with integrated
ECG and heart rate monitoring sensors attached to a mobile application for data
recording and transfer to medical experts. Their main limitation is minimal
washing instructions, which increases doubts about their lifespan.
Another example is Sensoria fitness products . Their smart sock is prepared with
high-tech fabrics instrumented with textile sensors. Sensoria care
microelectronics are attached externally with a snap button. These socks are
attached with Bluetooth smart cool, which counts footsteps, calories burnt,
altitude, and tracks distance. It can also detect injury-prone running patterns to
reduce harm. The Sensoria fitness smart t-shirt provides consistent heart rate
reading without any additional strap wearing. The information can be stored in
mobile applications through Bluetooth data transfer. It also provides antimicrobial
and moisture evaporation properties. However, the electronic sensors must be
removed before washing. These fitness products are more suitable for athletes
focusing on their fitness at a good price range of US $129.