Introduction & general function of Smart Clothing.

Smart Clothes

OUTLINE:

Ø  What is Smart Clothes?

Ø  Current Development

Ø  Transition from research to marketplace

Ø  Trends

Ø  References

What is Smart Clothes?

Definition: Smart Clothes are smart textile-based wearable  systems. 

Beginning: 1990s.

Related Technologies: Wireless sensor networks (WSN), GPRS, Bluetooth, Micro-processing, etc.

Current Development:

1. Healthcare Monitoring
2. Communications
3. Device Control
4. Haptics

Healthcare Monitoring:

Foundations:

Ø  Smart textile or sensors embedded in textile

Ø  Microprocessor

Ø  Signal Processing

Wireless Communication                                    

                            

Process of Healthcare Monitoring :

Communications :

With wireless communication devices in the smart clothes, we can easily realize communications by adding microphone, earphone, screen and keyboard on the sleeve to control the “cell-phone”.

    Thus, we can achieve other functions which can be done by cell-phones, like locating, calculating, playing games, and the like.

Device Control:

We can add a special button on keyboard of the sleeve to order the micro-controller to search and build connection with certain devices through Bluetooth. Then we can still use the keyboard to control other devices. 

Haptics:

By adding vibrators and accelermeters in to the smart clothes, we can realize functions like “Hugme” haptic jacket.

    Also, if we want to have a relax, we can use the keyboard to active certain vibrators to have a massage.

Transition from research to marketplace :

Technology Success Factors

The success of any product in the marketplace depends on:

Ø  Effectiveness

Ø  Cost

Ø  Quality

Ø  Convenience

             

Effectiveness :

Effectiveness means the products can successfully understand the user’s needs and meet them.

Ø  Continuous monitoring. Heart disease,  Diabetes,  and Influenza

Ø  No discomfort and irritation.

Ø  Can be fashionable

Cost-Benefit Analysis :

u Monitoring of individual will indeed increase the cost.

Ø  However, “investment in prevention is a lot less than the total cost of treatment”. For chronic diseases, systematic intervention would save on expensive treatments.

Ø  What’s more, life is priceless.

Quality :

Smart clothes will improve the quality of care dramatically.

Ø  Real time

Ø  Deal with emergency

              Ø Automation of  data processing can eliminate any potential errors from manually recording the data.

Trends:

1. Medical care T-shirt
2. Clothes used for special profession
3. Remote Device Control
4. More accurate feedback

Medical care T-shirt

•       Made of regular fabric, can be easily folded, washed, looks and feels familiar as a normal T-shirt

•       It has implemented a whole sensor & processing system, this system can sense user’s heart beat rates, blood pressure et al.

•       Can implement emergency measures like electrical CPR when heart beat rates become zero

Clothes of special profession:

•       Fireman clothes:

Fireproof, Vibrator

and GPS system,  

communication system.

•       Diving cloth:

Depth indicator, auxiliary equipment, Internal pressure adjustable

•       Pilot clothes:

Height indicator, Physical sign monitor, communication system

•       DIY the clothes you need:

You can design a clothes with any function you want

Remote device control:

•       Control the electrical devices of our house, office et al.

•       Using WiFi  or bluetooth to build up the connection

•       Highly integrated, one button can control all the necessary facilities

More accurate feedback:

•       Sensors can be more sensitive

•       The smart clothes gives users a feedback in forms of pressure, sound, heat or any other sense-perception so that it can provide the user more information

•       The feedback can be more accurate and reliable, so that it can be used in some special or emergency usages.