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Functional electrical stimulation (FES) activates nerves using electrical currents, and is widely used in medical applications to assist movement of patients with central nervous system lesions. The recent emergence of small electrode arrays enables greater muscle selectivity and reduces fatigue compared to the use of traditional large electrodes; however existing fabrication techniques are expensive and have limited flexibility and comfort which limits patient uptake. This work presents a screen printed flexible and breathable fabric electrode array (FEA) which consists of four printed functional layers. Successful operation has been demonstrated by stimulating an optimised selection of electrodes in order to achieve clinically relevant reference postures ('pointing', 'pinch' and 'open hand'). The materials with skin contact used in FEA have been cytotoxicity tested to establish that they are biocompatible. The FEA demonstrates the potential for printable polymer materials to realise comfortable, wearable and cost effective functional systems in healthcare applications.

This paper presents an inkjet printed textile antenna realised using a novel fabrication methodology. Conventionally, it is very difficult to inkjet print onto textiles due to surface roughness. This paper demonstrates how this can be overcome by developing an interface coated layer which bonds to a standard polyester cotton fabric, creating a smooth surface. A planar dipole antenna has been fabricated, simulated and measured. This paper includes DC resistance, RF reflection coefficient results and antenna radiation patterns.Efficiencies of greater than 60% have been achieved with only one layer of conducting ink.The paper demonstrates that the interface layer saves considerable time and cost in terms of the number of inkjet layers needed whilst also improving the printing resolution.

Conductive textiles are fabrics that include conductive yarns woven into or conductive tracks printed on to the textiles. Conductive textiles have attracted significant attention, since they are fundamental for the integration of electronic functions to achieve wearable devices. Screen printing is a well-established and cost-effective fabrication method; it enables a versatile layout of conductive tracks. The limitation of the current screen-printed conductive textiles is low durability to weathering, abrasion and washing. This paper presents a process for producing a waterproof and durable conductive textile using only screen printing. A three functional layer design was used to fabricate the durable conductive tracks. Firstly, an interface layer was printed to provide a smooth surface for subsequent printing, under-side protection and electrical insulation. Next, a silver layer provided the conductive track and finally an encapsulation layer was printed on top to provide upper-side protection and electrical insulation. The printed silver tracks achieved maximum conductivity using a single print. The conductivity of the silver tracks returned to its original value when they were dried after soaking in water continuously for 24 hours.

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Electrotherapy device Highlights • A fabric electrode has been fabricated using the combination of weaving and printing technologies. • The conductive yarn pattern was optimized (2.5mm by 2.5mm grid) to achieve even current distribution of the electrode layer. • Asymmetric centrifugal mixing can breakdown the carbon particles and produce a high density (without voids) electrode. • The wearable electrotherapy was comfortable to wear and easy to use. • The prototype has been tested on six volunteers with osteoarthritis knee joint pain. Four out of six have reported noticeable pain reduction by using the device.

This paper presents research into a user-friendly electronic sleeve (e-sleeve) with integrated electrodes in an array for wearable healthcare. The electrode array was directly printed onto an everyday clothing fabric using screen printing. The fabric properties and designed structures of the e-sleeve were assessed and refined through interaction with end users. Different electrode array layouts were fabricated to optimize the user experience in terms of comfort, effectivity and ease of use. The e-sleeve uses dry electrodes to facilitate ease of use and the electrode array can survive bending a sufficient number of times to ensure an acceptable usage lifetime. Different cleaning methods (washing and wiping) have been identified to enable reuse of the e-sleeve after contamination during use. The application of the e-sleeve has been demonstrated via muscle stimulation on the upper limb to achieve functional tasks (e.g., hand opening, pointing) for eight stroke survivors.