The introduction of new Information Technology and Industry 4.0 in the textile and garment industries is growing year by year, yet despite this growth it is still difficult for the consumer to find wearables and smart textiles on the high street. One of the main reasons for this is the fact that the use of automated machinery and IT tools in smart textile manufacturing is still limited.
A smart (or domotic) environment is one that is able to learn from its inhabitants and the surroundings and adapt to them. This definition not only supposes the ability to gather data on the surroundings and inhabitants and act accordingly, but that the environment itself is able to infer appropriate strategies based on observation and a knowledge of the inhabitant’s preferences.
Research in domotics focuses on enhancing the user’s quality of life by employing a range of integrated technologies to provide new services or enhance those already available.
The E-BRODER II project is researching and developing smart textiles using embroidery technology to create domotic applications and the project’s second year has concentrated on continuing the three ongoing lines of research to achieve better performance.
