Picture this: Your favourite jacket not only keeping you warm but also recording your every move. Sounds like sci-fi? Well, thanks to the brilliant minds at the Universities of Bristol and Bath, it's becoming a reality.
Here’s the scoop: Researchers have figured out how to weave conductive threads into garment seams, creating tiny electrical circuits that measure body movements. These circuits are powered by harmless low voltages, and their resistance changes as you move. This high-tech stitching could lead to digital clothing that tracks your movements more accurately than your current smartwatch or smartphone.
The groundbreaking research was unveiled at the Designing Interactive Systems (DIS) conference in Copenhagen on July 3rd. This innovation lays the groundwork for e-textile designers and clothing manufacturers to craft next-gen garments.
Think gym clothes that help you perfect your yoga poses or rehab wear that tracks your recovery exercises with precision.
We see a big opportunity for clothing manufacturers to incorporate our designs into sleeves and seams. Our approach uses common overlocked seams found in standard garments, so there's no need for major changes to existing manufacturing processes.Professor Mike Fraser from the University of Bristol's School of Computer Science
What’s even cooler? These smart seams can draw power wirelessly from a mobile phone in your pocket, eliminating the need for separate power sources. Plus, advanced AI in smartphone apps can interpret the movement data to recognise specific postures or gestures, like those needed for physiotherapy.
To top it off, the team has created a short film to showcase their technique. Check it out and get ready to embrace the future of smart clothing!
Paper: 'SeamSleeve: Robust Arm Movement Sensing through Powered Stitching' by Olivia Ruston, Adwait Sharma, and Mike Fraser in the Proceedings of the Conference on Designing Interactive Systems 2024, Copenhagen, Denmark.
(Newswise/AP)