Smart textiles concept

Initially, and from a purely technical point of view, the smart textile concept may be perceived as the result of a convergence between two industries textiles and electronics. The miniaturization of electronics makes it possible for people to carry with them all kinds of devices, qualified as portables , that have functions ranging from leisure (Walkman, MP3, portable television) to communication and information management (mobile phones, personal digital assistants) to health (pacemakers, physiological sensors of parameters). 

The electrical resistance of a material is determined by the material itself and the geometric shape of the conductor. In general. Ohm s law is applied to calculate the electrical resistance. This principle can be applied to measure pressure by applying conductive yams in textiles that are bent and deformed when a mechanical load is applied on them. Measuring elongation using electrical resistance is a well-known concept in the world of smart textiles. 

A new type of smart medical textile embedding optical fibres for monitoring anesthetized or sedated patients under MRI examination is presented. Preliminaiy results of the behaviour of optical fibres onbedded into elastic and non-elastic fabrics are given. In addition, a preliminary proof of concept of an elastic fiibric cqrable of monitoring respiratory movements is reported. The fiirfher development of fire smart textile incorporating sensors for the acquisition of ECG, plethysmographic waveform... 

This book highlights aU the main fields of applications of smart textiles. The scientific issues and proposed solutions regarding various results, prototypes and achievements obtained in the best academic and industrial laboratories worldwide are discussed in a rigorous scientific manner. At the same time practical solutions and realization, intended to be of interest to industrial partners, are presented and explained in the second part of chapters. Therefore, the book should be useful for researchers and students in academia as well as also for existing companies and start-ups that are developing products using the concept of smart textiles. 

In this chapter we have chosen not to focus on specific examples of smart textiles application in order to avoid narrowing the field of smart implantable fibrous medical devices to a few innovative textile properties. Contrariwise, fiber characteristics are pointed out to show that all of them, in a prospective designing approach, could achieve smart features in the implantable device area. However, we are limited in exploratory areas using new materials because a decline is needed to be certain that a material is accepted by the body. Given the diversity of appreciation of smart appearance, as well as the implantable medical device aspect, we have focused on the biocompatibility and biointegration of substitutes in their environment. This theme therefore needs to be complemented by other approaches such as the concepts of smart attitude and implantable device as related in Fig. 13.1. 

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