Electronic textiles

Abstract

In the context of Ambient Intelligence the integration of electronics into textiles has gained much interest recently. With the next generation of mobile devices it can be expected that there will be no more separation between local/mobile data processing and data exchange. Along with the improved infrastructure, the mobile devices, e.g., mobile phone, PDA, and MP3 player, have to change to meet the future requirements of mobile communication and computing. This will also lead to a significant change in the construction of these devices. One logical consequence is the integration of the mobile devices in clothing, using the fabric as the circuit board providing bus structures and interconnection between the modules. All devices can share input/output (I/O) modules, such as displays, keyboards, and loudspeakers, thus leading to comfortable ergonomic handling and further miniaturization. The complexity of microelectronic systems in textiles can vary in a broad range. From textile passive transponder systems up to sensor shirts, e.g., ECG, and wearable computers, there are few limits in developing new ideas for integrating electronic function in textiles and clothing. An overview on possible applications and the functionalities that might be included in the future is given in Table 6.1. But a lot of other applications are also possible even if they cannot be realized with the technologies currently available. The highest dynamics in development are currently seen in health care, mobile energy supply, and transponders. Another important driver seems to be automotive industry, which needs electronic textiles for the car interior. Due to the relatively small market, protective and alerting clothes do not appear as very important areas for early application although the products would be very useful. The applications closer to fashion, leisure, and entertainment will probably only face increased interest after the technologies are mature enough for mass production (Strese 2005). © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2006.