Most of us don’t really need to wear special pants that let us know we’re tired. We are good at figuring it all out for ourselves. However, for hardcore athletes, it might be nice to receive alerts when the body begins to move in ways that indicate fatigue. We’ve developed an electronic thread that can be used to alert you that it’s time for a break.
Developed by researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) in Zurich, the thread consists of a stretchable conductive rubber spiral surrounded by a stiff wire covered with a thin layer of plastic. It consists of an inner cord made of
“These two fibers act as electrodes and create an electric field,” says Tyler Cuthbert, a postdoctoral student at ETH Zurich who participated in the research leading to the fibers. “Together they form a capacitor that can hold an electric charge.”
What this means is that if the fibers are incorporated into (for example) pants, the gap between the flexible inner core and the stiff outer stiff part will change as the wearer moves. A difference between the two changes the electric field generated by the thread. Aiding this process is the fact that the thread itself actually expands when stretched, thus providing more surface area for taking measurements.
By tracking changes in electrical current with monitoring devices sewn into the garment, researchers say they can accurately track movement patterns and know when the wearer is beginning to reach a point of fatigue. The monitoring device is equipped with a small antenna that sends information to a smartphone to warn the exerciser that they are reaching a state of fatigue that makes them more prone to injury.
The research team has already collected some data showing how the yarn’s electrical signal changed when the runner reached fatigue, but to ensure that the material performs as accurately as possible, the reliability Still, they have already filed a patent for the system and are now producing consumer-ready yarn from prototypes. We are working to transition to embedded fabrics.
While many sports wearables focus on providing users with data related to improving their performance, this new material could also be used by athletes, such as t-shirts and sports bras that warn the wearer of an impending heart attack. It joins a slightly different category aimed at ensuring the safety of Carlo Menon, professor and principal investigator of mobile health technology, says the material could also have applications in rehabilitation medicine.
The work has been published in peer-reviewed journals, advanced materials.
Source: ETH Zurich
