Do you all remember the Star Trek episode "Is There No Truth In Beauty" in the original series with Diana Muldaur as the blind Miranda Jones who wore a cape over her that served as a sensor net that allowed her to see? Real life is starting to catch up with science fiction:
The aim of STRETCH (not an acronym) is to develop large e-textile fabrics that will look like typical military equipment, such as tents or camouflage nets. The electronic wires and sensors woven into the fabric will perform the complex procedure of listening for the faint sounds of distant vehicles being deployed by the enemy.
Within the fabric, the sensors and their connecting wires will communicate with one another to create patterns of information. This information can then be translated by computer software into images that will enable soldiers to determine the location of detected sounds.
"We're designing and constructing a 30-foot-long prototype for the STRETCH fabric," Jones said. "The goal of the project is to develop a low-cost, flexibly deployable e-textile system that has low power requirements and doesn't rely on radio waves." The Virginia Tech and ISI researchers plan to test the prototype in November.
The military already has sound detection systems that rely on radio waves, but communication via radio waves can alert an adversary to a military unit's location. The e-textiles system being developed as part of STRETCH produces no detectable energy and also requires less power than radio-wave-operated systems.
"Cloth has properties that can be useful for certain electronic applications," said Robert Parker, director of ISI and co-principal investigator on the STRETCH project. "We can easily and cheaply make large pieces of cloth, light and strong, that can be stretched over frames into any desired shape."
Sound detection is not the only potential use for the STRETCH e-textile system. Fabrics can be woven with sensors that can detect chemicals, pick up satellite signals, and perform other feats. Jones and his colleagues also foresee numerous industrial uses.
Jones and Martin also have received a $400,000 National Science Foundation Information Technology Research (ITR) grant to design wearable computers made of e-textiles.
The generic concept of wearable computers is a small CPU in a fanny-pack connected to a cumbersome head gear that holds a display screen at eye-level. The Virginia Tech ITR project is something completely different.
Because the wires and sensors in e-textiles are woven into the fabric, wearable computers could be constructed much like normal-looking shirts or hats or other types of cloth apparel. These computers wouldn't connect users to the internet or send and receive e-mail, but would perform specific functions necessary to the wearers.
"Wearable computers constructed of e-textiles offer context awareness," Martin said. "They can be designed to be aware of the user's motions and of his surroundings."
For example, sensors called accelerometers -- which are used to cue airbags to deploy -- can detect changes in speed and direction. There are visual sensors that can project images to tiny displays clipped to eye glasses. An e-textile shirt for a blind user might include tiny vibrating motors that would provide cues about approaching objects.
Of course this opens up some interesting possibilities. These textiles will eventually become very advanced. You could leave your jacket in your chair in a business meeting, step out temporarily, and be able to come back and ask your jacket later what people said while you were gone. Or of you were trying to leave the house and couldn't figure out where you left your jacket you could yell out and ask it where it was. If it was smart enough it could recognize your voice (you'd have to give it a name too in order to call to it) and respond. Plus, you could have an artificially intelligent talking couch. It could warn someone if they were falling asleep with a lit cigarette in their hand: "Wake up you idiot, you're about to burn me!".
There would also be the erotic talking towel that would go ooh and aah as a person toweled off after a shower. Then there'd be the hat that could tell you that someone was coming up on you from behind. Or how about the computer chair that a man's wife might get him that would tell him he's spending too much time in front of the computer and to get out and work on the yard?
By Randall Parker at 2002 November 11 04:33 PM Nanotech AdvancesHello,
I´m working on an essay about neuronal networks and particularly about camouflage, so instead of a comment I leave you with a few questions.
I´m not realy sure if this website is frequently actualized, or if it is some kind of forum at all
Is there any more knowledge about the aspect of camouflage within the topic textile research?
is it possible to let the surface of a cloth change dynamically with changes of environment?
is all of the american militarys research classified or can you acquire information from public parts of their web appearence or so?...
Thank you very much
Fabian stueckrath
I am working on INTELLIGENT SENSORS IN SMART TEXTILES, and I need info about sensor chips or circuits that can be used in smart garments.
Kindly reply me as early as possible.
Thanking you,
Savita
Respected Sir,
I am a engineering student doing TEXTILE TECHNOLOGY as major.Sir,There is an technical exhibition to be held on 30,31 (jan)
in our college , HEre i want to exhibit about E-Textiles.So i am collected some details from Net.
I need some more technical information & photographs of the products,so please send(to my mail)the details
Thanking You,
Yours Sincerly,
M.Ganesh
Dear Sir,
I am a MSc student in Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester and doing my dissertation on "Intelligent clothing usage in biomedical and monitoring".
I need some informtaion and product specifications for the same.
Thanking you
Sujeet k Dutta
One way in which camouflage textiles could function would be through tmeprature and heat sensitive dyes.
respectd sir,
I am Raviraj Palashikar student of final year textile engineering from JDIET, YAVATMAL(MAHARASHTRA STATE). I have selected "smart textile" as a topic of seminar so i want more information regarding my SMART TEXTILES.I will be very thankful if u do the same.
Thanking you,
yours sincerly,
Raviraj Palashikar
Respected Sir,
I am final year engineering student of TEXTILE TECHNOLOGY at SASMIRA,Mumbai(INDIA).I am making a project on "COMPUTERS IN TEXTILES" and would like to have more technical information and photographs.Kindly e-mail me as early as possible.
Thanking you,
Yours sincerely,
Manuj Saraf.
IS THERE ANY KNOWLEDGE ABOUT SENSORS THAT DETECT CLOTH TYPES.
i am doing a research on smart textiles that could react based on the hormonal secretion from the body during sexual arousal, fabrics that can make your sex drive more crazy. sensors that can initaite your sex drive once the fabric comes in touch with a opposite sex , will be very helpful for people who are impotent or cant initiate on their own
thanks
Respected Sir,
I am student of TEXTILE TECHNOLOGY engineering in helwan university
at egypt ,I am search about new properties using fabric structures
and the new technology structures in (multy layer woven fabrics)
I need some more technical information & photographs of the products
so please send(to my mail)the details
Thanking You,
ahmedkamal
RESPECTED SIR,
I AM A STUDENT OF SNDT COLLEGE MUMBAI AND I AM DOIN A PROJECT PRESENTATION ON 'SMART TEXTILES' AN THEREFORE I NEED SOME SAMPLES OF FABRICS WITH SOME SPECIAL FINISHES IF U COULD PROVIDE ME WITH OR IF U COULD ONLY PROVIDE ME SOME INFORMATION MORE BOUT SMART TEXTILES.IT WILL REALLY BE VERY HELPFUL.
THANKING YOU,
YOURS SINCERLY
SANA KAZI
Sir/Madam,
I am doing my dissertation on future of sensors in clothing. Please supply me some relevant information.
Best rgds
Sujeet
Sir/Madam,
I am doing my dissertation on future of sensors in clothing. Please supply me some relevant information.
Best rgds
Sujeet
i am student of vjti college .
we are having a exhibition on SMART TEXTILES.
SO I NEEDED SOME INFORMATION ON IT & ALSO SOME SAMPLES IF POSSIBLE.
PLEASE IF YUO CAN HELP ME
THANK YOU!
respected sir,
i am a final year computer application under graduate student . i am intrested to do my project in textiles. The goal of my project is to be applied in textiles & also it should be useful . so please give me more details about textiles.it will be more helpfull for me if you give wide information about textile designing.
thanking you
m.azra
trichy-18
sir ...i want some information about smart textiles and there use garment industry as well as other industreis
dear sir,
i am doing research work in annauniversity, india. As a part of my research work i have to submit the paper on "Intelligent sensors in smart textile" in this week. i need technical information and produt specification about the same. if u send it to me asoonas possible it will be great helpful for me.
thanks a lot
P.kalaivani