In the near future, all clothes will become intelligent. Benefited from its microelectronic circuit and sensor, these intelligent clothes will surpass traditional clothes by a seamless link from you and your clothes to mobile phone, computer, automobile and other machines. These intelligent clothes can not only improve the efficiency of people's lives, but also can detect health status and even call for help in the case of an accident. However, it's quite challenging making these intelligent clothes because that clothes need regular cleaning and the electronic devices cannot be contacted with water.

Engineers of American Purdue University have developed a new spraying and sewing method, it can transform any traditional clothes to wearable devices without using battery and can be cleaned in the washing machine. The pliable and tough silk coils are sewn on an intelligent textile and can obtain energy from radio and Wi-Fi signals in the environment. Unlike ordinary wearable devices, the intelligent clothes of Purdue University do not need the battery for power supply. These clothes can supply power to the circuits sewn on the textiles simply through obtaining energy from radio and Wi-Fi signals in the environment. For instance, whenever the users get close to live wires, the fingertip of the battery-free gloves will light up to warn a possible electric shock. The other one is a miniaturized cardiac monitoring system, which is sewn on a washable sweatband and can monitor the health status of the wearer. In addition, the fluorinated molecular coating on the breathable and waterproof intelligent clothes can prevent stains and bear the cleaning of traditional washing machine.

At present, the commercial development of the intelligent clothes is hampered by major challenges, such as, depending on battery, reducing in washability and being difficult to integrate into the current technology of large-scale textile manufacturing. This technology transforms traditional clothes into intelligent textiles---wireless powered omniphobic silk coils (OSCs). OSCs are scalable and light-weighted power receiving coils, which can be sewn on any textile and will not affect the comfort of users. OSCs are made of superfine fibers, which are made from a new type of silk nano carbon-composite materials. This kind composite materials benefit from the stretchability of silk fibroin and the high conductivity of multi-walled nanotube and chitin carbon nanosheet. In a high humidity environment and mechanical deformation conditions, OSCs show excellent stability, which allows withstanding 50 times of standard washing in machine without degrading performance. This technology can be used in conventional and large-scale sewing facilities and is expected to accelerate the development and commercialization of intelligent clothes in the future.

Source: sensoro.com