Researchers at Ohio State University are developing antennas and circuits that measure just 0.1mm, small enough to be “woven” into the clothing we wear every day.
This electronic fabric can be sewn on standard sewing machines.
The result is that we can embed sensors and computer memory devices into clothing. It’s not hard to imagine that one day, a shirt we wear every day could function as an antenna for a smartphone or tablet, or even track our daily workout levels or monitor brain activity.
This capability is quickly becoming a reality as researchers are testing wearable electronic devices that can weave microchips into the fabric with very high precision. This is an important step towards designing clothing that can collect, store, or transmit digital information.
“A new revolution is taking place in the textile industry. We believe that functional fabrics will offer many new applications in healthcare and medical fields,” said John Volakis, the lead researcher at Ohio State University.
Volakis’s team has created a functional fabric called “electronic fabric,” which can be sewn on standard sewing machines. In the near future, we will see the emergence of a whole new range of materials – that is “electronic clothing.”
