I + D / Textiles inteligentes y soluciones TIC 

E-BRODER. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF SMART TEXTILES USING EMBROIDERY FOR TEXTILE APPLICATIONS FOR UPHOLSTERY, DECORATION AND CONTRACT FURNISHING

Year: 2018

MOTIVATION

The implementation of new Information and Industry 4.0 Technologies in the textile and garment sectors increases year after year, although despite this gradual increase, some barriers still exist which prevent wearables and textiles from being readily available commercially. The use of specialised plant and processes designed for the automation of the smart-textile manufacturing process is, even today, rare and therefore one of the main barriers.

This research project aims to reduce this fact by using embroidery technology to develop smart fabrics: embroidery is an effective method of integrating sensors, actuators, interconnection and energy management systems in all kinds of fabrics, as well as for the development of new technical textile structures with a high added-value factor.

There are now several electronic systems that enable functions to be developed, but the integration of these types of sensors in textiles, with applications for both the user’s own clothing and to other elements in their surroundings, is at a much lower level of development. The miniaturisation of electronic components and wireless communication allows the design of small, easy-to-hide sensors in textile articles, but as regards their integration into the fabrics themselves, only proof-of-concept work has been carried out.

OBJECTIVES

An intelligent environment, or automated home, is one capable of acquiring and applying knowledge about its inhabitants and what surrounds them and adapt to them. This definition presupposes not only the ability to collect information about the environment and its inhabitants and to act on the conditions, but also the capacity of the environment to infer adequate operating strategies based on observation and knowledge of the preferences of the users.

Research in home automation focuses on improving the quality of life of the users through the integrated use of several complementary technologies to provide new services and improve those already used.

It is not about filling our homes with new devices, but rather that those we already use are smarter and easier to use; to use this intelligence and communication capability to perform daily tasks easier and adapt them more closely to our needs. Home automation must be friendly, easy to use, install and maintain, ubiquitous but discreet and respect our privacy.
The main objective of the E-BRODER project is to carry out research aimed at developing smart textiles with a high added-value factor using embroidery technology for home automation applications intended for use in the following textile sub-sectors: home textiles, upholstery, decoration and contract furnishing.

To achieve this goal, three lines of separate but complementary research are proposed to develop the smart textiles:

• Research into the development of textile systems for wireless energy transmission by the embroidery of conductive threads.
• Research into the development of multilayer touch sensors to be integrated into textiles through conventional embroidery technology.
• Research into the development of sequins with built-in environmental sensors in order to fully automate the development of intelligent textiles.

EXPECTED RESULTS

The e-BRODER project addresses the research and development of smart textiles using embroidery technology for home automation applications, including:

• Decoration fabrics such as curtains with the ability to sensorise environmental parameters in homes and offices.
• Upholstery fabrics that act as a sensor capable of detecting different hand gestures to interact with the home-automation system.
• Upholstery and decorative fabrics that incorporate embroidered induction elements to power the domotic textile articles or to charge a mobile phone.

The resulting prototypes of the project will be provided with a high added-value factor, using a highly-automated process that allows companies working in the sectors of home textiles, decoration, upholstery and contract furnishings to increase their product portfolio, and therefore become more competitive.

This Project is supported by the Conselleria d’Economia Sostenible, Sectors Productius i Treball, through the IVACE (Instituto Valenciano de Competitividad Empresarial) and is co-financed by ERDF from the EU within the framework of the Operational Programme FEDER for the Comunitat Valenciana 2014-2020.

GRANT NUMBER: IMDEEA/2018/108

AMOUNT: 127.361,18 €

Información adicional

• Año: 2018

• Estado: finished

• Entidad: IVACE

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