Washable PEDOT:PSS Coated Polyester with Submicron Sized Fibers for Wearable Technologies.

The use of non-metallic conductive yarns in wearable technologies like smart textiles requires compliant washable fibers that can withstand domestic washing without losing their conductive properties. A one-pot coating with PEDOT:PSS conductive polymers was applied to polyester submicron fibers, increasing the water resistance and washability under various domestic washing conditions. Plasma treatment of the untreated samples improved the anchoring of the coating to the fibers, producing smooth and homogeneous coatings. The primary doping of PEDOT:PSS with ethylene glycol (EG), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and a non-ionic surfactant as well as the secondary doping of the composite fibers improved the sheet resistance at room temperature. The as-obtained composite materials showed similar mechanical properties as the parent fibers, indicating that the coating and post-treatment do not affect the overall mechanical property of the composite. The performance of the composites under different temperature and humidity conditions and washability using the standardized ISO 6330:2012 procedure for domestic washing and drying showed that the obtained composites are good candidates for reliable washable wearable technologies, such as all-organic washable Joule heaters in functional textiles.

Edge extraction using a time-varying vortex beam in incoherent digital holography.

Edge extraction using a time-varying vortex beam (TV-VB) is demonstrated in optical scanning holography (OSH) operating in an incoherent mode. OSH is a two-pupil heterodyne scanning optical system. We propose that one of the pupil functions used is a delta function and the other pupil function is a spiral phase plate (SPP). The interference of these pupils creates a TV-VB to scan over an object to record the edge-only information of an object holographically. We also find that a reconstructed edge with better contrast is achieved by translating the SPP away from the pupil plane. Experimental results are compared with computer simulations and found to be in good agreement.

Deviation influences on sectional image reconstruction in optical scanning holography using a random-phase pupil.

In this paper, we analyze the influence of two kinds of deviation errors on sectional image reconstruction for an optical scanning holography system using a random-phase pupil. The first deviation occurs in the lateral pixel position while the second occurs in the pixel value of the decoding function. Theoretical analysis and numerical simulation show that these two deviations may lead to noise in the reconstructed image. Additional discussions include the signal-to-noise ratio of the reconstructed image.

Three-dimensional complex image coding using a circular Dammann grating.

Recently, optical image coding using a circular Dammann grating (CDG) has been proposed and investigated. However, the proposed technique is intensity based and could not be used for three-dimensional (3D) image coding. In this paper, we investigate an optical image coding technique that is complex-amplitude based. The system can be used for 3D image coding. The complex-amplitude coding is provided by a circular Dammann grating through the use of a digital holographic recording technique called optical scanning holography. To decode the image, along the depth we record a series of pinhole holograms coded by the CDG. The decoded reconstruction of each depth location is extracted by the measured pinhole hologram matched to the desired depth. Computer simulations as well as experimental results are provided.

Sectional image reconstruction in optical scanning holography using a random-phase pupil.

A method is presented for the reconstruction of sectional images without the out-of-focus haze from a hologram generated by optical scanning holography. A random-phase pupil is adopted in the process of recovering individual sections from the hologram. The main idea of this approach is to recover a prescribed section while dispersing the energy from other sections into "specklelike patterns," which can be eliminated subsequently by averaging of multiple section images.

iCalm: wearable sensor and network architecture for wirelessly communicating and logging autonomic activity.

Widespread use of affective sensing in healthcare applications has been limited due to several practical factors, such as lack of comfortable wearable sensors, lack of wireless standards, and lack of low-power affordable hardware. In this paper, we present a new low-cost, low-power wireless sensor platform implemented using the IEEE 802.15.4 wireless standard, and describe the design of compact wearable sensors for long-term measurement of electrodermal activity, temperature, motor activity, and photoplethysmography. We also illustrate the use of this new technology for continuous long-term monitoring of autonomic nervous system and motion data from active infants, children, and adults. We describe several new applications enabled by this system, discuss two specific wearable designs for the wrist and foot, and present sample data.

Optical image coding with a circular Dammann grating.

A circular Dammann grating in the front focal plane of a lens is used to generate an annular beam in the back focal plane to code an object by two-dimensional scanning. The coded image of the object is decoded digitally by convolving it with the same annular beam used to code the object. Simple inverse filtering is subsequently used to improve the contrast of the decoded image.