3. Introduction
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. A
typical example is a mobile phone application in a
shirt sleeve. All of these applications, ranging from
composites to smart textiles and from airbags to fish
nets, are summed up in the term “technical
textiles.”
4. Textiles that can think for themselves! The idea itself is very progressive; in
reality, such textiles are technically possible today and commercially viable
tomorrow. The technology of SMART TEXTILES is an integration of almost
all disciplines of applied sciences:
v Textile chemistry
v Fiber technology
v Cloth manufacturing technology
v Material science
v Structural mechanics and aviation
hydraulics
v Electronics and instrumentation
v Telecommunication
v Artificial intelligence
v Molecular biology and organic chemistry
v Molecular engineering and
nanotechnology
v Biotechnology
v Information technology
v Theory of chaos and randomizations.
5. Classification of Smart Textiles
Smart textiles can be classified into three categories according to their functional
activity. They are as follows:
Passive Smart
Textile
Active Smart
Textile
Ultra Smart
Textile
6. 1. Passive
Smart Textile
Passive smart textile is the
first generation of smart
textiles, which can only
sense environmental
conditions.
7. 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, thermoregulated, vapor
absorbing, and heat evolving
fabric.
8. 3. Ultra Smart
Textile: It is also known as a very smart textile.
It is the third generation of smart
textiles, which can sense, react and
adapt themselves to environmental
conditions. A very smart textile
essentially consists of a unit, which
works like the brain, with cognition,
reasoning, and activating capacities.
9. Some Characteristics of Fibers Used in
Smart Textiles
• It should have high strength
• It should be high chemical and
combustion-resistant organic
fiber
• It should be high-modulus
organic fiber
• It can be Ultra-fine fiber and
novelty fiber
• It should be high-performance
inorganic fiber
11. The smart textile has five functions to
complete its full work. They are-
➢ Sensors– They capture parameters from the
environment
➢ Data Processing– It is required when active
processing is necessary
➢ Actuators– They respond by the resulting
function of the sensor
➢ Stimulation – It is found in the environment
➢ Giving Response– From the actuators it gives a
response
In this way, smart
textile works out
successfully.
12. Application of Smart
Textiles
There are various types of applications of smart textiles
we can see in our daily life. This includes healthcare and
telemedicine, sportswear & leisure, military, police and
emergency services equipment, entertainment, and
fashion wear.
13. Health care:
Smart textile is already used for health care. The
high technology in textiles gives us the opportunity
for Personal Health care. The development of
wearable monitoring systems is already having an
effect on healthcare in the form of Telemedicine.
The concept of personalized healthcare empowers
one for own healthcare. Wearable devices allow
physiological signals. Thus daily life becomes so
much more pain-free.
14. Like life belt life jacket is also a
medical device which always
monitoring blood pressure or the
heart rate. All the information is
transferred to a computer and
which is read by a medical staff.
Hypertension and blood pressure
can be calculated by life jacket.
So it’s a huge effort by smart
textile.
Life Jacket
15. Defense
Smart textile is also used for defense. In extreme conditions or situations, there is a need for
real-time information technology to increase the protection and survivability of the people
working in those conditions. However, smart textile is done it rapidly and safely.
16. Entertainment
Wear
Smart textile plays an important role in entertainment wear. These types of wear have special
color, heat, and light-consuming power. These wears have a special effect when the dancer
moves. So it will make more fabulous to the audiences.
17. Importance of
Smart Textile
for Future
Smart Textiles are becoming
internationally a dynamic
innovation for the textile
sector.
For the textile
sector smart
textiles, is
promoting a
good
strengthening
position
internationally
and creating
new job
opportunities
for poor people.
Smart textile is a new field to
spread knowledge developed
through textile material and
textile processes.
Textile is a
material close
to the human
being and it is a
natural carrier
of technology.
So smart
textiles can
easily
contribute to
the upcoming
textile sector.
18. Now at the end of this article,
we can easily say that smart
textile is so much useful for
human beings. So we should
have proper knowledge in this
field.
Conclusion
