Over the years, the textile industry has undergone major changes, as new technologies are employed in the manufacturing of various garment. Smart technology is has been around for about 1000years but in the recent times, it has taken a new turn as sophisticated garments are made for the various purpose. The smart textile embraces the digital and electronic components such as sensors, color detectors, temperature detectors among others, to be used in the manufacturing of these garments like vests, jackets and pants. Therefore, this essay will focus on smart textile shirt as a product of smart textile technologies.

Manufacturing and function of smart textile product shirt

(Cityzen Sciences 2013)

To manufacture wearable computer in from smart textile product shirt, physics, chemistry, material science, computer science and technology has been combined with the manufacturing their garments such as the smart shirts. The sensors embedded in the jackets, the sensors, therefore, able to transform one type of signal into another type depending on the nature of the signal in question. There is a different type of sensors mused such as thermal sensors will be able to detect the thermal changes in the body hence an appropriate corrective mechanism is employed. When a stimuli-responsive hydrogels are embedded into the smart shirts, they will swell in response to a change in thermal conditions of the body. On the other hand, humidity sensors in the shirts will measure the relative or absolute humidity as the pressure sensors will convert the pressure to electrical signals that can be interpreted by various machines.

When actuator materials are embedded in these shirts, they will respond to signals from the surrounding hence make things change color, change shape and release substance. The chromic materials upon reception of stimuli will change the optical properties of these materials. The stimuli like temperature, chemical stress, and light will change optical properties of the smart shirts hence change color. In response to stimuli such as the temperature changes, electric field and pH will cause the stimuli-responsive hydrogel will swell.  Other materials embedded into the jackets are the conductive materials. They act to transfer data information and help in the creation of actuators and sensors.  Carbon has a good conductivity and enhances the performance of materials such as silicon

The reason as to why the product shirts as a product were selected

It was selected to elaborate the incorporation of smart textile technologies in the medical industry, in the medical field, electromyography sensors are also used hence embedded into the shirts with the primary aim of assessing the health of the muscles. In assessing the muscles health, of importance is the nerve cells that motions of the muscles. An EMG sensor will be embedded into the shirt and the skin and will measure the strength and speed of the signals travelling between two points. In monitoring the nerves and muscles, EMG will reveal dysfunctions and the various problems connected with those organs, with the nerve to muscles signal transmission. The EMG sensors are as shown below.

 

Fig 2 (geertlangereis,2007)

Figure 2 shows a folded substrate having a first embroidery layer; the capacity disk is connected to conductive yarn to transmit signals from the body via the device to the sensor and for interpretation

Fig 3, (geertlangereis,2007)

Figure 3 shows the second, third and fourth layers to be non-conducting hence isolate the sensor disk from the guard cap.

Fig 4 (geertlangereis,2007)

Figure 4 shows the Fifth layer with conductive yarn for the guard cap from which the signals from the nerves cells and muscles travels for interpretation.

 

Importance to human beings

The use of smart technology in textile industry and to be very specific in the medical field, benefits the clinicians and doctors in diagnosing of certain dysfunction on muscles and nerves, not only used by doctors but also individuals who wish to monitor various changes that take place in their body system, especially functioning of the muscles. When these sensors embedded in the shirts, the corrective measure can be taken in record dysfunctions time hence save the lives of individuals in time. This gas brought big improvements in the medical industry and textile industry as a whole. This technology also benefits the manufacturers since it is a source of capital and finances