Textile electronics for wearable applications

Abstract

Textile electronics have become an indispensable part of wearable applications because of their large flexibility, light-weight, comfort and electronic functionality upon the merge of textiles and microelectronics. As a result, the fabrication of functional fibrous materials and the integration of textile electronic devices have attracted increasing interest in the wearable electronic community. Challenges are encountered in the development of textile electronics in a way that is electrically reliable and durable, without compromising on the deformability and comfort of a garment, including processing multiple materials with great mismatches in mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties and assembling various structures with the disparity in dimensional scales and surface roughness. Equal challenges lie in high-quality and cost-effective processes facilitated by high-level digital technology enabled design and manufacturing methods. This work reviews the manufacturing of textile-shaped electronics via the processing of functional fibrous materials from the perspective of hierarchical architectures, and discusses the heterogeneous integration of microelectronics into normal textiles upon the fabric circuit board and adapted electrical connections, broadly covering both conventional and advanced textile electronic production processes. We summarize the applications of textile electronics explored so far in sensors, actuators, thermal management, energy fields, and displays. Finally, the main conclusions and outlook are provided while the fabrication and application of textile electronics are emphasized.

Multi-Electrode EMG Spatial-Filter Implementation Based on Current Conveyors

“…For experimental biopotential measurements, the electrode contacts were connected using a flexible printed circuit board (PCB), allowing the NDD geometry to be maintained while adapting to the curved shapes of the body, thus helping to avoid artifacts, as shown in Figure 5b,c. While advanced methods are actively being developed in the literature to achieve high-quality wearable electronics [32], this simple method was employed to overcome the limitation of mounting electrodes on a rigid support and to validate the proposed amplifier. However, no specific evidence was collected to assess the accuracy and stability of this electrode structure.…”

Smart E-textiles: A review of their aspects and applications

“…Electronic textiles are classified into two main types which are new textile electronic (nano- or submicron structures inside or on the surface of textiles), or the integration of microelectronic or MEMS devices (hybrid electronics), 17 regarding the materials used to make flexible conductors, one of the main challenges in the creation of fabric circuits is material selection.…”

“…A novel, scalable, and economical manufacturing method is required to effectively integrate parts of textile electronic systems; Table 1 shows the manufacturing methods of functional textiles 17 such as 1D spinning, 2D modification, and 3D construction which are derived from electronic joining and packaging technologies. 18–22 To design electronic devices with developed capabilities for specific applications, the integration are crucial; as a result the electronic devices with the same function or various functionalities should be integrated to make products more manageable and portable.…”

Experimental Analyses and Predictive Modelling of Ultrasonic Welding Parameters for Enhancing Smart Textile Fabrication

“…Excessive heat can damage sensitive electronic components or the textile substrate itself, reducing the functionality and longevity of the smart textile. Moreover, ensuring the uniformity of the welds across large textile surfaces is another pressing challenge, as non-uniformity can lead to weak spots and reduced performance [ 21 ].…”