Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
Starting from smart materials in general, intelligent textiles can be for-
mulated as textile structures that are made of 'smart' materials. They can
have the ability to perform sensing and actuating functions, such as the
ability to mimic living systems (actuator)
2
.They can also measure a signal
related to a specific parameter (pressure, temperature, pH, concentration,
heart beat, respiration rate) or even sense environmental parameters or
stimuli of a mechanical, thermal, chemical, electrical or magnetic nature
3
.
Intrinsically, a textile structure that acts as housing for a conventional
sensor or actuator is not an intelligent textile because the textile structure
itself is not responsible for the measuring/actuating activity. For a similar
reason, advanced textiles, such as those with breathing or fire-retardant
properties, or ultra-strong fabrics, are also not considered as intelligent, no
matter how highly technological they may be
4-6
, because these properties
do not reflect a sensing or actuating activity. Smart textiles are therefore
those textiles with a sensing and/or actuating function, which conventional
textiles do not have. Additionally, very often smart textiles cannot be pro-
duced by conventional methods
7
.
As is the case for smart materials, intelligent textiles have the property
to respond to their environment, sometimes in a clearly perceptible way,
but sometimes at the molecular level, completely invisible to the observer.
They cover a wide range of technologies, from materials with shape-
memory properties or sensing and actuating properties, to entire systems
based on information technology
5
.
In principle, at least two components need to be present in an intelligent
textile structure in order for it to actually be called an intelligent textile:
first, a textile structure that possesses sensing and/or actuating properties
and second, a processing unit that controls the actuating textile or measures
the signals provided by the textile structure
5
.The actuator acts according
to a signal that is applied by the processing unit in a preset way or that is
provided by the processing unit based on measured signals at a 'sensing'
textile structure. This can be the same structure as the actuating one or a
different one. At higher levels of intelligence (predominantly theoretical at
present), another, more intelligent, processing unit, with cognition, reason-
ing and activating capacities awaits development. Such intelligent systems
could be possible through the successful interaction of research and
development activities in traditional textiles/clothing technology, materials
science, structural mechanics, sensor and actuator technology, advanced
processing technology, communication, artificial intelligence and biology.
8.2
Smart materials
Intelligent textiles are frequently based on smart materials that are trans-
formed into the shape of a fibre, yarn and/or textile structure (woven, non-
woven or knitted).
