Integrating Wearable Textiles Sensors and IoT for Continuous sEMG Monitoring.

Surface electromyography is a technique used to measure the electrical activity of muscles. sEMG can be used to assess muscle function in various settings, including clinical, academic/industrial research, and sports medicine. The aim of this study is to develop a wearable textile sensor for continuous sEMG monitoring. Here, we have developed an integrated biomedical monitoring system that records sEMG signals through a textile electrode embroidered within a smart sleeve bandage for telemetric assessment of muscle activities and fatigue. We have taken an "Internet of Things"-based approach to acquire the sEMG, using a Myoware sensor and transmit the signal wirelessly through a WiFi-enabled microcontroller unit (NodeMCU; ESP8266). Using a wireless router as an access point, the data transmitted from ESP8266 was received and routed to the webserver-cum-database (Xampp local server) installed on a mobile phone or PC for processing and visualization. The textile electrode integrated with IoT enabled us to measure sEMG, whose quality is similar to that of conventional methods. To verify the performance of our developed prototype, we compared the sEMG signal recorded from the biceps, triceps, and tibialis muscles, using both the smart textile electrode and the gelled electrode. The root mean square and average rectified values of the sEMG measured using our prototype for the three muscle types were within the range of 1.001 ± 0.091 mV to 1.025 ± 0.060 mV and 0.291 ± 0.00 mV to 0.65 ± 0.09 mV, respectively. Further, we also performed the principal component analysis for a total of 18 features (15 time domain and 3 frequency domain) for the same muscle position signals. On the basis on the hierarchical clustering analysis of the PCA's score, as well as the one-way MANOVA of the 18 features, we conclude that the differences observed in the data for the different muscle types as well as the electrode types are statistically insignificant.

Hook Fabric Electroencephalography Electrode for Brain Activity Measurement without Shaving the Head.

In this research, novel electroencephalogram (EEG) electrodes were developed to detect high-quality EEG signals without the requirement of conductive gels, skin treatments, or head shaving. These electrodes were created using electrically conductive hook fabric with a resistance of 1 Ω/sq. The pointed hooks of the conductive fabric establish direct contact with the skin and can penetrate through hair. To ensure excellent contact between the hook fabric electrode and the scalp, a knitted-net EEG bridge cap with a bridging effect was employed. The results showed that the hook fabric electrode exhibited lower skin-to-electrode impedance compared to the dry Ag/AgCl comb electrode. Additionally, it collected high-quality signals on par with the standard wet gold cups and commercial dry Ag/AgCl comb electrodes. Moreover, the hook fabric electrode displayed a higher signal-to-noise ratio (33.6 dB) with a 4.2% advantage over the standard wet gold cup electrode. This innovative electrode design eliminates the need for conductive gel and head shaving, offering enhanced flexibility and lightweight characteristics, making it ideal for integration into textile structures and facilitating convenient long-term monitoring.

Validation of a Textile Material's Electrostatic Characterization Device for Different Parameters and Their Effect on the Electrostatic Charge Generation.

This research aims to validate an electrostatics characterization device to better understand the process of static charge generation in textile materials and to see how different factors affect it. This electrostatic device offers a variety of settings for controlling sample electrostatic activation and has a sample size range of up to one square meter. It can move in both horizontal and vertical directions in a controlled manner, providing a variety of possibilities for testing the effect of various movement features on electrostatic charge formation. Not only the textile polymer but also the motion characterizations influence the generation of electrostatic charges in textiles. The influence of frequency, pressure, dwell time between moves, test duration, effect of different sample sizes, and amplitude of movement on electrostatic charge generation was studied in greater detail. Two different parameters of the electrostatic waveform (peak voltage and peak-to-peak voltage) were investigated. The generation of electrostatic charges is proportional to the peak voltage and peak-to-peak voltage of the electrostatic waveform. Overall electrostatic charge generation increases with increasing frequency, stepping height, applied pressure at the same frequency, and sample size, but decreases with increasing dwell time between moves at the same frequency. The charge also increases with test duration until a saturation point is reached.

Binocular Vision-Based Yarn Orientation Measurement of Biaxial Weft-Knitted Composites.

The mechanical properties of fiber-reinforced composites are highly dependent on the local fiber orientation. In this study, a low-cost yarn orientation reconstruction approach for the composite components' surface was built, utilizing binocular structured light detection technology to accomplish the effective fiber orientation detection of composite surfaces. It enables the quick acquisition of samples of the revolving body shape without blind spots with an electric turntable. Four collecting operations may completely cover the sample surface, the trajectory recognition coverage rate reached 80%, and the manual verification of the yarn space deviation showed good agreement with the automated technique. The results demonstrated that the developed system based on the proposed method can achieve the automatic recognition of yarn paths of views with different angles, which mostly satisfied quality control criteria in actual manufacturing processes.

Development of Stainless Steel Yarn with Embedded Surface Mounted Light Emitting Diodes.

The integration of electronic components in/onto conductive textile yarns without compromising textile qualities such as flexibility, conformability, heat and moisture transfer, and wash resistance is essential to ensuring acceptance of electronic textiles. One solution is creating flexible and stretchable conductive yarns that contain tiny surface-mounted electronic elements embedded at the fiber level. The purpose of this work was to manufacture and subsequently evaluate the physical features and electromechanical properties of stainless steel yarn with light-emitting surface mounted devices (SMDs) embedded in it. The SMDs were successfully integrated into a conductive stainless steel yarn (SS) by inserting crimp beads and creating a bond through hot air soldering machines, resulting in what we call an E-yarn. The relationship curves between gauge length and electrical resistance, and the relationship curves between conductive yarn elongation and electrical resistance, were explored experimentally. The results of the analysis demonstrated that E-yarn had a lower tensile strength than the original electrically-conductive SS yarn. The effects of the washing cycle on the conductivity of the E-yarn were also investigated and studied. The results showed that E-yarns encapsulated at the solder pad by heat shrink tube still functioned well after ten machine wash cycles, after which they degraded greatly.

Validating Poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene) Polystyrene Sulfonate-Based Textile Electroencephalography Electrodes by a Textile-Based Head Phantom.

It is important to go through a validation process when developing new electroencephalography (EEG) electrodes, but it is impossible to keep the human mind constant, making the process difficult. It is also very difficult to identify noise and signals as the input signal is unknown. In this work, we have validated textile-based EEG electrodes constructed from a poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate:/polydimethylsiloxane coated cotton fabric using a textile-based head phantom. The performance of the textile-based electrode has also been compared against a commercial dry electrode. The textile electrodes collected a signal to a smaller skin-to-electrode impedance (-18.9%) and a higher signal-to-noise ratio (+3.45%) than Ag/AgCl dry electrodes. From an EEGLAB, it was observed that the inter-trial coherence and event-related spectral perturbation graphs of the textile-based electrodes were identical to the Ag/AgCl electrodes. Thus, these textile-based electrodes can be a potential alternative to monitor brain activity.

Review on the Integration of Microelectronics for E-Textile.

Modern electronic textiles are moving towards flexible wearable textiles, so-called e-textiles that have micro-electronic elements embedded onto the textile fabric that can be used for varied classes of functionalities. There are different methods of integrating rigid microelectronic components into/onto textiles for the development of smart textiles, which include, but are not limited to, physical, mechanical, and chemical approaches. The integration systems must satisfy being flexible, lightweight, stretchable, and washable to offer a superior usability, comfortability, and non-intrusiveness. Furthermore, the resulting wearable garment needs to be breathable. In this review work, three levels of integration of the microelectronics into/onto the textile structures are discussed, the textile-adapted, the textile-integrated, and the textile-based integration. The textile-integrated and the textile-adapted e-textiles have failed to efficiently meet being flexible and washable. To overcome the above problems, researchers studied the integration of microelectronics into/onto textile at fiber or yarn level applying various mechanisms. Hence, a new method of integration, textile-based, has risen to the challenge due to the flexibility and washability advantages of the ultimate product. In general, the aim of this review is to provide a complete overview of the different interconnection methods of electronic components into/onto textile substrate.

Introducing Deep Eutectic Solvents as a Water-Free Dyeing Medium for Poly (1,4-cYclohexane Dimethylene Isosorbide Terephthalate) PICT Nanofibers.

Water, one of the most priceless sources of life, is becoming dangerously threatened and contaminated due to population growth, industrial development, and climatic variations. The drainage of industrial, farming, and municipal sewage into drinking water sources pollutes the water. The textile processing industry is one of the major consumers of water. Herein, the idea of water-free dyeing of electrospun poly (1, 4-cyclohexane dimethylene isosorbide terephthalate) PICT nanofibers is proposed. For this, two different deep eutectic solvents (DE solvents) were introduced as an alternative to water for the dyeing of PICT nanofibers in order to develop a water-free dyeing medium. For this, C.I. disperse red 167 was used as a model dye to improve the aesthetic properties of PICT nanofibers. PICT nanofibers were dyed by conventional batch dyeing and ultrasonic dyeing methods to investigate the effect of the dyeing technique on color buildup characteristics. Dyeing conditions such as dyeing time, temperature and, dye-concentration were optimized. Morphological and chemical characterization observations revealed a smooth morphology of dyed and undyed PICT nanofibers. The ultrasonically dyed nanofibers showed higher color strength and increased tensile strength compared to conventionally dyed nanofibers. Further, the consumption of electrical and thermal energy was also calculated for both processes. The results confirmed that the ultrasonic dyeing method can save 58% on electrical energy and 25% on thermal energy as compared to conventional dyeing.

Predicting Compression Pressure of Knitted Fabric Using a Modified Laplace's Law.

The aim of this study is to develop a mathematical model for the prediction of compression pressure based on fabric parameters, such as engineering stress, engineering strain and engineering modulus of elasticity. Four knitted compression fabrics with different fibrous compositions and knit structures were used. Rectangular-cut strips were employed for the force-elongation characterization of the fabrics. The experimental pressure values between the fabric and rigid cylinder were assessed using a Picopress pressure measuring device. The mechanical and physical parameters of the fabric that influence the interface pressure, such as strain, elasticity modulus/stress and thickness, were determined and integrated into Laplace's law. A good correlation was observed between the experimental and calculated pressure values for all combinations of fabrics, mounted with variable tension on the cylinder. Over the considered range of pressures, the difference between the two datasets was generally less than 0.5 mmHg. The effect of washing after five, ten and fifteen washing cycles on the fabric-cylinder interface pressure was found to be significant.

A Long-Lasting Textile-Based Anatomically Realistic Head Phantom for Validation of EEG Electrodes.

During the development of new electroencephalography electrodes, it is important to surpass the validation process. However, maintaining the human mind in a constant state is impossible which in turn makes the validation process very difficult. Besides, it is also extremely difficult to identify noise and signals as the input signals are not known. For that reason, many researchers have developed head phantoms predominantly from ballistic gelatin. Gelatin-based material can be used in phantom applications, but unfortunately, this type of phantom has a short lifespan and is relatively heavyweight. Therefore, this article explores a long-lasting and lightweight (-91.17%) textile-based anatomically realistic head phantom that provides comparable functional performance to a gelatin-based head phantom. The result proved that the textile-based head phantom can accurately mimic body-electrode frequency responses which make it suitable for the controlled validation of new electrodes. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the textile-based head phantom was found to be significantly better than the ballistic gelatin-based head providing a 15.95 dB ± 1.666 (±10.45%) SNR at a 95% confidence interval.

Breathable Textile Rectangular Ring Microstrip Patch Antenna at 2.45 GHz for Wearable Applications.

A textile patch antenna is an attractive package for wearable applications as it offers flexibility, less weight, easy integration into the garment and better comfort to the wearer. When it comes to wearability, above all, comfort comes ahead of the rest of the properties. The air permeability and the water vapor permeability of textiles are linked to the thermophysiological comfort of the wearer as they help to improve the breathability of textiles. This paper includes the construction of a breathable textile rectangular ring microstrip patch antenna with improved water vapor permeability. A selection of high air permeable conductive fabrics and 3-dimensional knitted spacer dielectric substrates was made to ensure better water vapor permeability of the breathable textile rectangular ring microstrip patch antenna. To further improve the water vapor permeability of the breathable textile rectangular ring microstrip patch antenna, a novel approach of inserting a large number of small-sized holes of 1 mm diameter in the conductive layers (the patch and the ground plane) of the antenna was adopted. Besides this, the insertion of a large number of small-sized holes improved the flexibility of the rectangular ring microstrip patch antenna. The result was a breathable perforated (with small-sized holes) textile rectangular ring microstrip patch antenna with the water vapor permeability as high as 5296.70 g/m2 per day, an air permeability as high as 510 mm/s, and with radiation gains being 4.2 dBi and 5.4 dBi in the E-plane and H-plane, respectively. The antenna was designed to resonate for the Industrial, Scientific and Medical band at a specific 2.45 GHz frequency.

Study the Electrical Properties of Surface Mount Device Integrated Silver Coated Vectran Yarn.

Smart textiles have attracted huge attention due to their potential applications for ease of life. Recently, smart textiles have been produced by means of incorporation of electronic components onto/into conductive metallic yarns. The development, characterizations, and electro-mechanical testing of surface mounted electronic device (SMD) integrated E-yarns is still limited. There is a vulnerability to short circuits as non-filament conductive yarns have protruding fibers. It is important to determine the best construction method and study the factors that influence the textile properties of the base yarn. This paper investigated the effects of different external factors, namely, strain, solder pad size, temperature, abrasion, and washing on the electrical resistance of SMD integrated silver-coated Vectran (SCV) yarn. For this, a Vectran E-yarn was fabricated by integrating the SMD resistor into a SCV yarn by applying a vapor phase reflow soldering method. The results showed that the conductive gauge length, strain, overlap solder pad size, temperature, abrasion, and washing had a significant effect on the electrical resistance property of the SCV E-yarn. In addition, based on the experiment, the E-yarn made from SCV conductive thread and 68 Ω SMD resistor had the maximum electrical resistance and power of 72.16 Ω and 0.29 W per 0.31 m length. Therefore, the structure of this E-yarn is also expected to bring great benefits to manufacturing wearable conductive tracks and sensors.

Integration of Conductive Materials with Textile Structures, an Overview.

In the last three decades, the development of new kinds of textiles, so-called smart and interactive textiles, has continued unabated. Smart textile materials and their applications are set to drastically boom as the demand for these textiles has been increasing by the emergence of new fibers, new fabrics, and innovative processing technologies. Moreover, people are eagerly demanding washable, flexible, lightweight, and robust e-textiles. These features depend on the properties of the starting material, the post-treatment, and the integration techniques. In this work, a comprehensive review has been conducted on the integration techniques of conductive materials in and onto a textile structure. The review showed that an e-textile can be developed by applying a conductive component on the surface of a textile substrate via plating, printing, coating, and other surface techniques, or by producing a textile substrate from metals and inherently conductive polymers via the creation of fibers and construction of yarns and fabrics with these. In addition, conductive filament fibers or yarns can be also integrated into conventional textile substrates during the fabrication like braiding, weaving, and knitting or as a post-fabrication of the textile fabric via embroidering. Additionally, layer-by-layer 3D printing of the entire smart textile components is possible, and the concept of 4D could play a significant role in advancing the status of smart textiles to a new level.

Development of Washable Silver Printed Textile Electrodes for Long-Term ECG Monitoring.

Long-term electrocardiography (ECG) monitoring is very essential for the early detection and treatment of cardiovascular disorders. However, commercially used silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) electrodes have drawbacks, and these become more obvious during long-term signal monitoring, making them inconvenient for this use. In this study, we developed silver printed textile electrodes from knitted cotton and polyester fabric for ECG monitoring. The surface resistance of printed electrodes was 1.64 Ω/sq for cotton and 1.78 Ω/sq for polyester electrodes. The ECG detection performance of the electrodes was studied by placing three electrodes around the wrist where the electrodes were embedded on an elastic strap with Velcro. The ECG signals collected using textile electrodes had a comparable waveform to those acquired using standard Ag/AgCl electrodes with a signal to noise ratio (SNR) of 33.10, 30.17, and 33.52 dB for signals collected from cotton, polyester, and Ag/AgCl electrodes, respectively. The signal quality increased as the tightness of the elastic strap increased. Signals acquired at 15 mmHg pressure level with the textile electrodes provided a similar quality to those acquired using standard electrodes. Interestingly, the textile electrodes gave acceptable signal quality even after ten washing cycles.

Textile Based Electrochromic Cells Prepared with PEDOT: PSS and Gelled Electrolyte.

Electrochromic devices can act as passive displays. They change their color when a low voltage is applied. Flexible and bendable hybrid textile-film electrochromic devices with poly-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) were prepared on polyethylene polyethylene terephthalate (PEPES) membranes using a spray coating technique. The electrolyte consisted of a gelatin glycerol mixture as host matrix and calcium chloride. Titanium dioxide was used as an ion storage layer and a carbon containing dispersion was used for the counter electrode on a polyester rip-stop fabric. The sheet resistance of PEDOT:PSS on PEPES was 500 Ohm/sq. A 5 × 5 electrochromic matrix with individually addressable pixels was successfully designed and assembled. The switching time of the pixels was 2 s at a voltage of 2.0 V directly after assembling. The use of titanium dioxide as ion storage also increased the contrast of the dark-blue reduced electrochromic layer. Coloration was not self-sustaining. The PEDOT:PSS layer needed a constant low voltage of at least 0.5 V to sustain in the dark-blue reduced state. The switching time increased with time. After 12 months the switching time was ~4 s at a voltage of 2.8 V. The addition of glycerol into the electrolyte extended the lifetime of a non-encapsulated textile electrochromic cell, because moisture is retained in the electrolyte. Charge carriers can be transported into and out of the electrochromic layer.

Comparative Analysis of Thermophysiological Comfort-Related Properties of Elastic Knitted Fabrics for Cycling Sportswear.

This research focused on the investigation of the thermophysiological comfort properties of four selected knitted fabrics of different fiber blend ratios suitable for cycling wear. Comfort-related properties of the fabrics were determined and compared including air permeability, moisture management properties, drying time, thermal conductivity, and water vapor permeability. For those comfort properties of the fabric to be correlated, fabric structural properties, fabric density, fabric weight, and fabric thickness have been considered. Suited fabrics should have good air permeability, thermal conductivity, moisture management properties, and a short drying time. According to the measurement results, the fabric polyamide/elasane (58/42 PA6.6/EL) with good air permeability, thermal conductivity, moisture management properties, and short drying time was more suited for summer cycling clothing. Furthermore, this paper provides a new understanding of considerations that are needed for several end uses involving specific activity levels.

PEDOT:PSS-Based Conductive Textiles and Their Applications.

The conductive polymer complex poly (3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) is the most explored conductive polymer for conductive textiles applications. Since PEDOT:PSS is readily available in water dispersion form, it is convenient for roll-to-roll processing which is compatible with the current textile processing applications. In this work, we have made a comprehensive review on the PEDOT:PSS-based conductive textiles, methods of application onto textiles and their applications. The conductivity of PEDOT:PSS can be enhanced by several orders of magnitude using processing agents. However, neat PEDOT:PSS lacks flexibility and strechability for wearable electronics applications. One way to improve the mechanical flexibility of conductive polymers is making a composite with commodity polymers such as polyurethane which have high flexibility and stretchability. The conductive polymer composites also increase attachment of the conductive polymer to the textile, thereby increasing durability to washing and mechanical actions. Pure PEDOT:PSS conductive fibers have been produced by solution spinning or electrospinning methods. Application of PEDOT:PSS can be carried out by polymerization of the monomer on the fabric, coating/dyeing and printing methods. PEDOT:PSS-based conductive textiles have been used for the development of sensors, actuators, antenna, interconnections, energy harvesting, and storage devices. In this review, the application methods of PEDOT:SS-based conductive polymers in/on to a textile substrate structure and their application thereof are discussed.

Development of a Flex and Stretchy Conductive Cotton Fabric Via Flat Screen Printing of PEDOT:PSS/PDMS Conductive Polymer Composite.

In this work, we have successfully produced a conductive and stretchable knitted cotton fabric by screen printing of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) and poly(dimethylsiloxane-b-ethylene oxide)(PDMS-b-PEO) conductive polymer composite. It was observed that the mechanical and electrical properties highly depend on the proportion of the polymers, which opens a new window to produce PEDOT:PSS-based conductive fabric with distinctive properties for different application areas. The bending length analysis proved that the flexural rigidity was lower with higher PDMS-b-PEO to PEDOT:PSS ratio while tensile strength was increased. The SEM test showed that the smoothness of the fabric was better when PDMS-b-PEO is added compared to PEDOT:PSS alone. Fabrics with electrical resistance from 24.8 to 90.8 kΩ/sq have been obtained by varying the PDMS-b-PEO to PEDOT:PSS ratio. Moreover, the resistance increased with extension and washing. However, the change in surface resistance drops linearly at higher PDMS-b-PEO to PEDOT:PSS ratio. The conductive fabrics were used to construct textile-based strain, moisture and biopotential sensors depending upon their respective surface resistance.

A Fabric-Based Textile Stretch Sensor for Optimized Measurement of Strain in Clothing.

Fabric stretch sensors are available as planar fabrics, but their reliability and reproducibility are low. To find a good working setup for use in an elastic sports garment, the design of such sensors must be optimized. The main purpose of this study was to develop resistive strain sensors from stretchable conductive fabric and investigating the influence of stretchability on conductivity/resistivity. The influence of using the sensor in a sweat rich environment was also determined, in order to evaluate the potential use of the sensor in sporting garments. The sensor resistivity performance was analyzed for its sensitivity, working range, and repeatability and it was determined what makes the sensitivity when elongated or stretched. The resistivity was found to decrease with elongation if no sweat is present, this can be due to molecular rearrangement and a higher degree of orientation that improves the conductivity of a material. The result from this finding also shows that for wearable applications the commercial EeonTexTM conductive stretchable fabric did not show a considerable resistivity increase, nor a good sensitivity. The sensitivity of the sensor was between 0.97 and 1.28 and varies with different elongation %. This may be due to the mechanical deformation characteristics of knitted samples that lead to changes in conductivity. We advise that the testing performed in this paper is done by default on new stretch sensitive textile materials, so practical use of the material can be correctly estimated.

Electrospinning repellents in polyvinyl alcohol-nanofibres for obtaining mosquito-repelling fabrics.

Recently, the use of repellents for preventing the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases is getting increasingly more attention. However, most of the current repellents are volatile in nature and must be frequently re-applied as their efficacy is only limited to a short period of time. Therefore, a slow release and abrasion-resistant mechanism is needed for prolonging the protection time of the repellents. The focus of this study is on the direct micro-encapsulation of repellents from an emulsion and integration of already encapsulated repellents into nanofibres via electrospinning. Different repellents were electrospun in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibrous structures, namely p-menthane-3,8-diol micro-capsules, permethrin, chilli and catnip oil. The repellents were successfully incorporated in the nanofibres and the tensile properties of the resulting samples did not have a significant change. This means that the newly created textiles were identical to current PVA nanofibrous textiles with the added benefit of being mosquito repellent. Principally, all incorporated repellents in the nanofibrous structures showed a significantly reduced number of mosquito landings compared to the control. Consequently, the currently described method resulted in a new and very effective repelling textile material that can be used in the prevention against mosquito-associated diseases.