I + D / NEW MATERIALS AND SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS. REVALORIZATION STRATEGIES OF INDUSTRIAL AND NATURAL WASTES BASED ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF NON-WOVENS AND COMPOSITES

SENIOR –  Research and development of advanced materials to improve the quality of life of the elderly 

Fecha: 2017

MOTIVATIONS

For the most part of the year, 90% of the body’s surface area is covered by one or more layers of fabric. The fabric we wear on our bodies is what accompanies us everywhere, including while we sleep, as bedding and the decorative fabrics in our homes.
This cocoon of fabric is more important for the more sensitive population groups such as the elderly whose bodies are slowing down, who may already be suffering from conditions many of which may be chronic and who have lower defences as cell regeneration inevitably begins to slow down. The respiratory system, locomotion and the skin are particularly at risk and are also affected by the typical chronic conditions which begin to appear in the elderly.
This physical deterioration is inevitable and unstoppable, although it does not affect everyone to the same degree, and depends on genetic factors, pre-existing chronic conditions and the person’s general state of health.
These and other factors mean that the role that the textile we wear close to our skin is on the one hand to provide the properties that the skin is slowly losing to prevent the appearance of ulcers and sores that will further affect the quality of life and mobility of the elderly and on the other will directly impact on the elderly person’s surroundings by ensuring a healthy home environment that will not harm their breathing, movement or cell regeneration.

OBJECTIVES

The SENIOR project’s core goal is the development of multifunctional textile solutions to enhance the quality of life of the elderly, and to achieve this the focus of the project has been on two main areas:
1. Maintaining and improving skin health and the conditions which prevent deterioration by keeping the skin:

• Fresh by allowing greater ventilation
• Dry by wicking perspiration and moisture to prevent softening
• Prevention of rubbing
• Prevention of continuous friction
• Avoiding pressure points which may rupture the skin
• Asceptic conditions to provide optimum regeneration conditions in the case of skin damage

2. Improving the quality of the surroundings of the person so that the normal ageing process is not compounded by other environmental conditions. This has required work to be undertaken in three fields:

• Environmental cleansing
• Electromagnetic waves
• Magnetic fields

The project is seeking to develop different functional formats of the product, from orthopaedic clothing and home textiles to footwear, upholstery and furniture.

EXPECTED RESULTS

AITEX’s role in SENIOR is to undertake the study of different functional materials which can be used to improve the elderly user’s skin quality:

• Functional textile solutions using synthetic clothing fibre.
• Functional laminated textile solutions (fabric-foam and fabric-fabric) to develop technical footwear, orthopaedic components, sleep products and hospital articles such as wheelchairs and beds, etc.).

SENIOR’s line of products to improve the elderly user’s surroundings will include the following product categories:

• Home textile solutions which can remove harmful particles from the environment and differentiate between different contaminants which may be present, depending on the environment.
• Home textile solutions which have been woven or coated with metals designed to reduce the electromagnetic waves generated by wireless communication devices and WIFI.
• Home textile and clothing solutions producing their own magnetic field which interacts with the user allowing the fabric itself to generate electrical stimulation to promote improved rates of cell regeneration.

This project is funded by the Conselleria d’Economia Sostenible, Sectors Productius, Comerç i Treball de la Generalitat Valenciana, through IVACE, and is cofunded by ERDF from the European Commission within the framework of the Operational Programme FEDER for the Comunitat Valenciana 2014-2020.

EXPEDIENTE: IMDEEA/2017/33

IMPORTE: 147.007,20 €

Información adicional

• Year: 2017

• Status: finished

• Entity: IVACE

¿Desea más información sobre este proyecto? Rellene el siguiente formulario.

Error: Contact form not found.