| Can you believe this, that a fabric you are | | | | electronic textile is just 0.6 mm thick and used in |
| wearing can monitor your health, guard you in | | | | handheld PCs, personal digital assistants and smart |
| case of any danger, measure the chemical | | | | phones. This cloth is light in weight, wearable and |
| mixture of your body fluids and do many more | | | | washable. |
| such things? But of course it is possible in today's | | | | Another efficient e-textile has been developed by |
| world of technology. Here we are taking about | | | | Virginia Tech (VT) researchers. This electronic |
| none other than the electronic textile, which is the | | | | textile can observe your movements that include |
| commendable invention in the category of smart | | | | walking, running, sitting or standing. The e-textile is |
| textile. E textile is used in numerous industries and | | | | called Hokie Suit and has the capability of |
| purposes that are useful not only for human | | | | detecting any change in the direction and speed |
| beings but for the entire living beings on the Earth. | | | | of motion of a person as it has interwoven wires |
| Electronic textiles or more often called e textiles | | | | and sensors. To wash this fabric just remove the |
| are the textiles that have electronics and | | | | sensors and wash it with wires. The data collected |
| interconnections. These electronics are woven into | | | | by sensors can then be transferred to computers |
| the fabric to make e textile wearable. With | | | | to monitor your health during movements. |
| advancement in this sector you can get from a | | | | Smart Fabrics and Interactive Textiles (SFIT) has |
| very simple computing devices to large and | | | | a dedicated team and many projects related to |
| complex sensing and protective textiles. | | | | smart fabrics. These include Biotex (Bio-Sensing |
| Definition of Electronic Textile by E-Textile | | | | Textiles to Support Health Management), |
| Research Group | | | | PROETEX (Protection e-Textiles: |
| "Electronic textiles (e-textiles) are fabrics that | | | | MicroNanostructured fibre systems for |
| have electronics and interconnections woven into | | | | Emergency-Disaster Wear), OFSETH (Optical Fibre |
| them, with physical flexibility and size that cannot | | | | Sensors Embedded into technical Textile for |
| be achieved with existing electronic manufacturing | | | | Healthcare). Under the OFSETH project the optical |
| techniques. Components and interconnections are | | | | fibers are used that can use light both as carrier |
| intrinsic to the fabric and thus are less visible and | | | | and sensor. By this the oxygen content of the |
| not susceptible to becoming tangled together or | | | | blood can be measured. This smart fabric can be |
| snagged by the surroundings. An e-textile can be | | | | wore around the neck. |
| worn in everyday situations where currently | | | | E-textile has large application in narrow fabric |
| available wearable computers would hinder the | | | | industry. Electronic textile webbings are used |
| user. E-textiles can also more easily adapt to | | | | extensively to transfer data, power and as input |
| changes in the computational and sensing | | | | device. This e textile has been developed by |
| requirements of an application, a useful feature | | | | Foster Miller Inc in combination with Chester. |
| for power management and context awareness." | | | | So e-textiles or electronic textiles are indeed a |
| Advancements in Electronic Textiles | | | | bless as this technologically advanced fabric is |
| Scientist have developed the wireless key board | | | | used and potential of being used in medical and |
| fabric called 'Eleck Tex' a form of e textile. This is | | | | safety industry. |
| the patented accomplishment of Eleksen. This | | | | |