Introduction:

Smart textiles is the modification of fibers, fabrics and special

articals which is produceing day by day in different way and different
techniques. Many intelligent textiles already feature in advanced types of
clothing, principally for protection and safety and for added fashion or
convenience. Smart materials or textiles can be defined as the materials and
structures which have sense or can sense the environmental conditions or
stimuli, whereas intelligent textiles can be defined as textile structures which
not only can sense but can also react and respond to environmental conditions or
stimuli. These stimuli as well as response, could be thermal, chemical,
mechanical, electric, magnetic or from other source.

Classification of Smart Textiles:

According to functional activity smart textiles can be classified in three

categories:

▪ Passive Smart Textiles:

The first generations of smart textiles, which can only sense the
environmental conditions or stimulus, are called Passive Smart Textiles.

▪ Active Smart Textiles:

The second generation has both actuators and sensors. The actuators act
upon the detected signal either directly or from a central control unit. Active
Smart textiles are shape memory, chameleonic, water-resistant and vapour
permeable (hydrophilic/non porous), heat storage, thermo regulated, vapour
absorbing, heat evolving fabric and electrically heated suits.

▪ Ultra Smart Textiles:

Very smart textiles are the third generation of smart textiles, which can
sense, react and adopt themselves to environmental conditions or stimuli. A very
smart or intelligent textile essentially consists of a unit, which works like the
brain, with cognition, reasoning and activating capacities. The production of very
smart textiles is now a reality after a successful marriage of traditional
textiles and clothing technology with other branches of science like material
science, structural mechanics, sensor and actuator technology, advance
processing technology, communication, artificial intelligence, biology etc.

Smart textile in Medicine:

Due to astounding technological developments, technical textiles are extensively

used in the healthcare industry today. In the field of medical application,
technical textiles are not just used in contact with the skin, but also fulfill
important functions within the body (intra-corporal applications like implants).
Technical textiles offer medical and hygiene industry with unparalleled
protection, comfortable.
These highly specialized and bio- compatible technical textiles, used for medical
and hygiene applications are called “MEDTECH.” The characteristics required of
MEDTECH vary depending on the task for which they are to be used. Some
applications demand a protective function, others a high absorptive capacity and
some other others impermeability. characteristic of these textiles
Depending on the nature of application; most of the medical products are
disposable in nature and are made of nonwoven fabrics. In global markets
disposables are fast replacing non-disposable health care textiles.

Some areas of usage are:

 Healthcare/ hygiene products- Include bedding, clothing, surgical clothes,

products for feminine hygiene like sanitary napkins, baby and adult
diapers etc.
 Non-implantable materials- For wound
care that includes absorbent pad (wound
contact layer, base material viscose,
plastic film) and bandages (simple
inelastic/elastic, orthopedic, plasters,
gauzes, lint, padding)
 Textiles in Extracorporeal devices- Like
artificial kidney, liver and lungs.
 Implantable materials- Like sutures
(biodegradable and non-biodegradable),
soft tissue implants, artificial tendon (meshes), artificial ligament,
artificial cartilage, orthopedic implants artificial joint, cardiovascular
implants vascular grafts, heart valves.
Agro Textiles:

Agriculture has been amongst the most primal occupations of the humankind and
is still a major industry, globally. In this era of modernization and high
technological advancements, it has spread its horizons and started using man-
made, non-conventional textiles, called “technical textiles”.

Tapping the potential of technical textiles and putting their vital properties to
an advantage; agriculture, horticulture, forestry and fishing segments (all the
four sectors combined together are popularly called as “Agrotech” sector) are
increasingly using them for equipment development and other applications.

This textile sector comprises of all textiles that are used in growing,
harvesting, protection and storage of either crops or animals. It includes
diverse items such as fishing nets and fish-lines, ropes, shade fabrics, mulch
mats, woven and non-woven covers for crops, bird protection nests, etc. These
textiles are driving the sector profitably by improving the productivity and
reducing the need for chemicals.

Some of the purposes for which these textiles are being increasingly used
are as follows:

 Preventing erosion and paving way for a forestation.

 In greenhouse cover and fishing nets.
 For Layer separation in fields.
 In Nets for plants, rootless plants & protecting grassy areas.
 As sun screens (since they have adjustable screening) and wind shields.
 As packing material and in bags for storing grass (that has been mowed).
 Controlling stretch in knitted nets.
Home Textiles:

Seen as a mightily expanding and changing

sector in the global textile industry, the
presence of technical textiles is not merely
confined to industrial applications and is
becoming a ubiquitous phenomenon in our day
to day activities as well.

The new promise of technical textiles is

generation of products (by combining the
latest developments in advanced flexible
materials with advances in process
technologies) that eventually have a direct
impact upon all sorts of consumer textile
markets, including both clothing and
furnishings. These are called “HOMETECH”.

One of the largest technical textile markets,

this sector comprises household textiles, furnishings (used in contract
applications) and upholstered furniture industry (including fiberfill and wadding
applications in bedding, cushions, sleeping bags and furniture backings).

Some of the highly useful applications of HOMETECH include:

 Woven & knit wipes (cleaning wipes for domestic applications)

 Nonwoven wipes (floor mops)
 Ticking’s (for filled products like pillows, duvets, cushions)
 Mattress components (Flanging and quilt backing, spring wrap)
 Spring insulators Flat fabrics ( used to cover springs in beds or
upholstery)
 Platform cloth (fabrics used as a base for cushions on upholstered
furniture)
 Dust cloths Fabrics attached to base of furniture
 Skirt linings and other fabrics for use in upholstered furniture, bedding
etc
  Carpet backings (used as primary as well as secondary backing for tufted
carpets)

Construction Textiles:

Civil engineering and building industry are an integral part of the development of
human society as they involve the planning, design, building, operation and
maintenance of infrastructure. The venturing of technical textiles or high-
performance textiles in this sector has given a great impetus to the quality of
construction.

These textiles are used in the construction of buildings, dams, bridges, tunnels
and roads and collectively comprise the “Buildtech” sector. They offer
mechanical properties such as lightness, strength and resilience as well as
resistance to many factors such as creep, degradation by chemicals and
pollutants in the air or rain and other construction material as well as the
effects of sunlight and acid. These textiles play an important role in the
modernization of infrastructure.

Some of the major products covered under this sector

are used in;

 Hoardings and Signage’s.

 Scaffolding Nets.
 Awnings and canopies.
 Tarpaulins.
 Architectural membranes.

Transport Textiles

Among other sectors, the automotive industry is one of the largest single
markets for technical textiles and one of the most diverse as well. This market
comprises of automobiles, trains, marine vehicles and planes.
Technical textiles that are used in this automotive or transport sector are
called “MOBILTECH.” The latest developments in aircraft, ship building as well
as motor vehicle and train manufacture, all can be largely attributed to
MOBILTECH, a non apparel textile. Mobiltech today covers not only isolation
and safety aspect but also focuses on comfort and style. The customers look
for aesthetically pleasing interiors, great comfort and fuel economy. Textile
components in automobiles consist of either visible component like upholstery,
carpets, seat belts, headliners etc. or concealed components like tire cords,
hoses, belts, airbags etc.

Military:

One of the main reasons for the rapid development of Smart textiles is the
important investment make by the military industry. This is because they are
used in different projects such as extreme winter condition jackets or uniforms
that change colour so as to improve camouflage effects. Nowadays, the military
industry has become aware of the advantage of sharing
knowledge with the various industrial sectors, because with
joint collaboration far better results can be obtained
through team-work.

Georgia Tech was the pioneering institute for the

development of SFIT that integrates electronics. During a
project funded by the US Naval Department in 1996, they
have developed a "Wearable Motherboard" (GTWM
commercial name is Smart shirt) [38-39], which was
manufactured for use in combat conditions. The garment uses optical fibres to
detect bullet wounds and special sensors that interconnect in order to monitor
vital signs during combat conditions.

Eco Textiles:

Environmental threats loom large on almost every nation in the world today.
With this threat gaining its stature day by day, Eco Textiles gain utmost
importance as one of the most useful resources that help promote new
innovations, in an eco-friendly manner.
OEKTECH is the term used for technical textiles that are used for
environmental protection. It stands for new ideas and interesting concepts in
the area of environmental protection, waste disposal (including innovative
filtration media) and new recycling technologies. It is opening up new avenues
for environmental engineers, safety engineers and personnel in environmental
protection agencies.

These eco- friendly textiles provide a range of environmentally responsible

alternatives to other resource hungry materials. They tap into both post-
consumer and post-industrial waste streams & scrap and reuse them for
manufacturing an extremely durable and eco-friendly textile. They not only lead
to reduction of waste but also more importantly, save the rapidly depleting
natural resources.

Some of the features of these textiles are:

 They utilize ecologically grown fibers.

 They are processed with less damaging inputs.
 The processing units are equipped with good sewage
treatment.
 The fabrics are of good quality and long lasting.

Geotextiles:

Geotextiles are smart textiles that consist of a stable network that

retains its relative structure during handling, placement and long-term service.
A Geotextile can be defined as “permeable geosynthetic comprised solely of
textiles.”

Geotextiles are special fabrics made for use in 'geological' situations. They are
rot-proof and permeable to water. They can be heavy duty or light duty, black,
white or colored. Available in woven and non-woven forms, they apply to a broad
range of civil engineering construction, paving, drainage and other applications.

Geotextiles are extensively used with soil, rock, earth or any other geotechnical
engineering-related material, as an integral part of human-made project,
structure or system. These engineered Geotextiles perform three basic
functions: separation, stabilization and filtration.
Many application areas:

 Roadways, parking lots, loading areas and construction sites

 Prevent drainage systems from clogging with fine particles
 Filtration, Protection and separation function
 Fluid transmission
 For waterway erosion control
 Reduce soil piping and embankment erosion
 Prevention of weed growth (in horticulture applications)
 Moisture conservation (in horticulture applications)

Packaging Textiles:

Packaging textiles include all textiles packing material for industrial,

agricultural and other goods. The demand for packing material is directly
proportional to economic growth, industrial production
and trade as goods are produced and then distributed
both locally and internationally. The growing
(environmental) need for reusable packages and
containers is opening new opportunities for textile
products in this market.

Sacks and bags made of traditional jute, cotton or natural fiber are gradually
casting way for modern synthetic fibers. These technical textiles, used in
packaging and subsequent transportation are called “PACKTECH.”

It is well known that these fabrics are ideal for many kinds of packaging. At one
end, PACKTECH includes heavyweight, dense woven fabrics (used for bags,
sacks, flexible intermediate bulk carriers and wrappings for textile bales and
carpets) and on the other end, it includes lightweight non woven’s used as
durable papers, tea bags and other food and industrial product wrappings.
The use of textile materials in consumer packaging is exhibited in the
following products:

 FIBC big bags (Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers),for powdered and

granular materials
 Laundry bags and other bulk packaging products
 Sacks for storage etc
 Twine and string for tying packages, etc (excludes agricultural
applications)
 Non-paper tea bags and coffee filters
 Food soaker pads
 Net packaging for storing, packing, transporting, retailing foodstuffs,
toys,
 Woven fiber strapping, lightweight mailbags.
 Soft luggage

Sport tech:

Today’s sports demand high performance equipment and apparel. The light
weight and safety features of Sport tech have become important in their
substitution for other materials. These high-functional and smart textiles are
increasingly adding value to the sports and leisure industry by combining
utilitarian functions with wearing comfort that leads to achieving high level of
performance.
A few areas where these textiles are being increasingly used are - Material
technology and design, of equipment, Biomechanics and the engineering aspects
of sports machinery, Surface treatment of equipment, Sportswear, Sports
footwear, Artificial turfs, sleeping bags, ballooning and parachute fabrics.
Solar sale Applicable textile:

The main application of solar cells in textile is the electric alimentation of

integrated electronic devices, e-textile. The alimentation could be made
directly from the solar cell to the devices but the majority of encountered
solutions are using of solar for charging batteries that could deliver energy to
the appropriate device. Example: recharging mobile phone, Mp3 player etc.

Uses of solar cells on textile substrate

Modern Computing:

In our society communication tools, interactivity and portable devices

are one of the largest sources of innovation and represent a tremendous
market. The integration of portable electronics devices in textiles appeared as
a natural market.

The first innovation was a keyboard made in a single layer of fabric

using capacitive sensing, where an array of embroidered or silk-screened
electrodes make up the points of contact. A finger's contact with an electrode
can be sensed by measuring the increase in the electrode's total capacitance. It
is worth noting that this can be done with a single bidirectional digital I/O pin
per electrode, and a leakage resistor sewn in highly resistive yarn. Capacitive
sensing arrays can also be used to tell how well a piece of clothing fits the
wearer, because the signal varies with pressure.
 Several versions of capacitive or flexible keyboards in textile materials

Conductive materials:

There are two strategies to create electrical or thermal conductive

fabrics and two types of materials, the metals and the polymers. The same
materials could be used for the both conductivity (thermal and electric),
because the two processes are similar and results of an electronic
agitation/conduction. The first strategy uses high wicking finishes (ink) with a
high metallic content that still retains the comfort required for clothing. With
the addition of nickel, copper, silver or carbon coatings of varying thickness,
these finishes provide a versatile combination of physical and electrical
properties for a variety of
demanding applications.

Examples of conductive inks used in textiles

The second strategy consists in the direct use of conductive yarns. The
yarn could constitute metal such as silver, copper, etc. or conductive polymer
such as polythiophene, polyaniline, and their derivatives although there are many
different trademarks commercialising these materials, they all have the same
main properties.
 Examples of conductive yarn used in textiles

Conclusions

A few years ago, smart textiles were presented as imaginary products and as a
non competitive market. After scientific efforts and development phases,
nowadays SFIT are an implanted customer interest and are presented as the
future of the textile industry. A lot of commercial products are available and,
as it was presented during this document; a lot of scientist is developing new
solutions, ideas and concrete products. Some approximations announce a market
of 1 billion dollars by 2010 which certainly explains the current passion for
these news topics.