Built In Sensing, Wireless Communication Or Health Monitoring Technology Provides Power For The Next Generation Of Wearable Technology And Smart Clothing.

In recent years, smart wearable devices have developed rapidly. As an important part of smart fabrics, smart fabrics have been developing rapidly. They play an increasingly prominent role in biomedical monitoring, defense, military and other fields. However, smart fabrics often use sensors, conductive fibers and nanoparticles as an important part of intelligent transmission. The complexity of processing and the difficulty of processing become one of the factors that restrict their large-scale application.

Scientists from the Royal University of science and Technology (RMIT) in Melbourne, Australia have developed an economical and efficient laser printing technology for the rapid manufacture of textiles embedded in energy storage devices. In just 3 min, the technology can produce 10 cm x 10 cm smart textile patches. The patch is waterproof, stretchable, and easy to combine with solar cells or other power supplies. It is a powerful and durable energy storage device that can be directly printed by laser. It overcomes the main shortcomings of the existing electronic textile energy storage technology.

Litty Thekkakara, a researcher at RMIT School of science, said that smart textiles with built-in sensing, wireless communication or health monitoring technology need strong and reliable energy solutions. At present, the preparation of smart energy storage textiles, such as sewing batteries on clothing or using electronic fibers, may be cumbersome and heavy, and there is also capacity problem. Moreover, when electronic components are exposed to sweat or moisture in the environment, they will also suffer short circuit and mechanical failure. Our super capacitors based on graphene can not only be completely cleaned, but also can store energy needed for smart clothing power supply, and can accomplish mass production in a few minutes.

This study analyzed the performance of the concept verification smart textiles in various mechanical conditions, temperature and washability tests, and found that it was stable and efficient. This study aims to provide power for the next generation of wearable technology and smart clothing by addressing the challenges related to energy storage related to performance and preparation.

Gu Min, an honorary professor and professor at University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, said that the technology can realize real-time storage of electronic textiles and renewable energy. By using advanced laser printing based on multi focus manufacturing and machine learning technology, it also provides a possibility for faster volume to roll manufacturing of RMIT.