Data Transfer Requirements in Smart Textiles

A potential alternative to plastic shielded wires is to replace them with electrically conductive fibers. Conductive yams twisted from fibers form a soft cable that naturally integrates in the clothing s stmeture keeping the system as clothing-like as possible. Fiber yams provide durable, flexible and washable solutions. Also lightweight optical fibers are used in wearable applications, but their function has been closer to a sensor than a communication medium [60, 61], The problem of conductive fibers is due to the reliable connections of them. Ordinary wires can be soldered directly to printed circuit boards, but the stmeture of the fiber yam is more sensitive to breakage near the solder connections. 

Protection materials that prevent the movement of the fiber yam at the interface of the hard solder and the soft yam must be used. Optical fibers 

Low-power wireless connections provide increased flexibility and also enable external data transfer within the personal space. Different existing and emerging WLAN and WPAN t5 es of technologies are general purpose solutions for the external communications, providing both high speed transfer and low costs. For wider area communications and full mobility, cellular data networks are currently the only practical possibility [62]. 

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