Electric Fabric for Really Soft-Touch Controls
New Material Creates Clothes That Control Electronics
By PAUL ENG of ABC News
In the world of fashion, some outfits are destined to be sharp, “smart” or maybe even electrifying. But what if one day you can have an outfit that is literally all three?
For years, researchers have been working on the promise of so-called “smart fabrics.” Using nanotechnology, these advanced textiles would allow clothing makers to design outfits that would do much more than cover the human body.
A British company called Eleksen Ltd. may be delivering the latest stitch in the advanced fabric yarn by developing an innovative fabric called ElekTex. Like other man-made fibers, it is completely flexible and can be stretched, folded, tucked, washed and sewn onto other fabrics.
A Fabric That Says, ‘Touch Me’
But unlike other textiles, ElekTex is “touch-sensitve,” allowing designers to incorporate electronic devices — mobile phones, digital music players — into clothes, remote controls into upholstery, or perhaps even light switches into drapes and curtains.
The secret, says Eleksen’s product design manager Miles Jordan, is that the “fabric” is actually made of five layers of thin proprietary materials. The two outer layers are similar to woven nylon to give the fabric durability. Meanwhile, the two inner layers are composed of a “carbon-loaded” knitted material that sandwiches another specially made, electrically conductive, knitted textile.
“It’s essentially a touchscreen made of fabric,” says Jordan. “When you press on the material, it conducts electricity through the layers from front to back. And when you make the connection, the harder you press, the more electrical current flows through … so the fabric can differentiate from a light to hard touches.”
Sphere: Related ContentSubscribe to Malaysian Fabric Heritage by Email
