Communications of the ACM
Woven Electronics
ETH Zurich researchers have embedded conductors and electronic parts such as temperature sensors into woven fabric.
Credit: Peter Regg / ETH Zurich
ETH Zurich researchers have developed intelligent textiles that have electronic components such as sensors and conductive filaments woven into the fabric. The researchers first developed technology that attaches thin-film electronics and miniature chips to plastic fibers. The fibers were then integrated into the material's architecture using customary textile machines.
The researchers say that despite the woven-in electronic components, the fabric looks good and is foldable. It also feels like normal material, and because the microchips are encapsulated, the material can be washed several times in a washing machine using a mild detergent without damaging the e-fibers.
The researchers have already produced a tablecloth with temperature and humidity sensors and an undershirt that measures body temperature.
From ETH Life
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