INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Until now, there have typically been two ways of making clothing conductive: either wrap fibers in fine metallic wire (or stitch it in), or
apply adhesive circuits onto the surface
Both of these work reasonably well, and have been put to use by sportswear companies to create smart garments that monitor your activity and
They can't always be washed at high temperatures (a major drawback for healthcare, where clothes need to be deep-cleaned), they don't
stretch the same way (particularly if the circuits are printed onto the surface), and the handle and drape are different.British startup
Pireta has a solution: a new technique that involves coating each individual fiber with a layer of copper just 2nm thick
It can be done to pretty much any fabric (knitten, woven or non-woven; natural or synthetic) and had barely any effect on the way it flexes,
stretches and bends like a normal fabric.Coat every fiberPireta's CTO and founder Chris Hunt came up with the idea while working at the
This happens at a much lower temperature than the metal would normally melt at, and once they are fused, they won't change until the
material reaches its melting point again."We activate a textile surface, then immerse it in silver nanoparticles in solution," Hunt tells
"They are bound by an electrostatic charge to the fibers
When we dry the garment, we end up with silver attached around every fiber
form a copper sheath around each fiber, around two microns thick."This process can happen at any stage in the manufacture of a garment, and
has no effect on stretch or breathability
You can even solder components straight onto treated textiles."We can carry a 2.4GHz signal," Hunt explains, "so if you made a piece of
apparel for someone in the emergency services, you could put antennas in different places, so there would always be a line of sight between
tech comes down to what the fabric can't take even if it were untreated
done stretch tests," says Hunt
"If you test to 20% extension and the fabric is happy with that, then our tech is happy."Healthcare, sports and beyondHunt sees many more
possibilities for Pireta's process, including healthcare, where a smart garment for an elderly person could detect sudden changes in heart
rate, or a fall, without the need for them to strap on a smart watch
Smart garments could also be used in hospitals to detect pressure points and help prevent patients from developing bed sores.There's also
treated fabrics applications in professional sports
"The athletes are very expensive, and teams want to get the most out of them," says Hunt
"There are lots of sports wearables being used in events like the Tour de France, but they tend to be clunky and modular."A smart jersey and
socks, for example, would be able to detect factors like speed, cadence and heart rate, and feed them back without the need for a separate
chest strap and sensors.The main limitation is the durability of the original textileGarments using Pireta's process aren't yet available to
buy, but Hunt and his team are in talks with several companies about using its process on a commercial scale
The details are under wraps for the time being, but he says it's an exciting time."Many other companies are selling garments like shirts,
but Pireta doesn't really have any competitors in its field
That might be a good thing."viB4wutKEB9KP3H3KXv3rk.jpg#
