Embedded Electronics in Textiles and Wearable Technology

Vol. 3  Issue 4
Year:2015
Issue:Nov-Jan
Title:Embedded Electronics in Textiles and Wearable Technology
Author Name:Tom Page 
Synopsis:
This paper aims to investigate into the applications and technology behind embedded electronics within wearable textiles in order to determine what direction it should take in order to thrive in the future. Wearable technology is a term that is highly ill-defined whose name and meaning has continued to evolve since the first abacus necklace in the early 1600's. A literature review will be used to analyse trends within wearable technology from its origin to its current state of the art. The comparing and contrasting of different papers will allow the current key technological barriers that could affect the future growth of electronic textiles within clothing to be identified, to aid the prediction of its future. As a result of the rapid growth of the internet of things, it will be found that wireless communication technology within electronics textiles is a fundamental piece of technology that will determine how e-textiles could expand in the future. Further interviews with experts and analysis of wearable antenna case studies will highlight the key technical challenges that are currently faced and a prediction will be made regarding whether wireless communications within electronic wearable textiles should develop to allow it to thrive in the future. The results show that within the next decade, wireless electronic wearable textile devices will not breach into mass production, will be used as an attachable accessory rather than being combined on a fibre level and will have to be used only on rigid thick items of clothing. This is due to limitations in washing electronics, under-researched mass manufacturing processes and a lack of a solution to a large reduction in wireless signal strength due to close proximity with the human body.