New products are constantly being worked on in the modern textile and apparel industry too. On the one hand, newly developed environmental alternatives can render products made of animal or fossil raw materials, e.g., silk, leather or polyester, increasingly superfluous. On the other hand, the materials of the future being developed by the industry right now interact much closer with their wearers and the environment than in the past and the present. They are becoming “smart”.

Electronic components are literally woven into these “smart textiles” in a variety of ways. This opens completely new uses. In the medical sector, for instance, sensors can be systematically used in dressings to continuously monitor the healing process of chronic wounds. Other garments are able to record vital signs, such as heartbeat or oxygen saturation, thus making it possible to monitor patients continuously. Scientists are already working on textile energy storage systems, which can be woven right into a textile, to be able to use such “smart textiles” anywhere.

“Smart textiles” can be used for monitoring in more than just the medical sector, though. Textile sensor networks make it possible to monitor different components, such as wind turbine rotor blades, actively. This enables detecting and repairing damage early and eliminates expensive and environmentally unsound oversizing of individual elements, which has been commonplace. Solar modules based on glass textile fibres, on the other hand, are significantly lighter than conventional solar panels and can be attached to different surfaces, such as awnings, patio roofs or even clothing, thanks to their low weight and flexibility.

Textiles of the future will be used very differently in our daily lives more than ever. To this end, they will have to meet certain conditions, though. Resource-efficient manufacturing methods and design for durability, repairability and recycling right from the start will have to become standard. Consumers’ acceptance will ultimately decide which textiles they want interwoven in their lives in the future.

TPL (textileprototypinglab.com)

Leibniz-Institut für Photonische Technologien e.V.