A glove that works as a cell phone, a vest that senses danger and a tank top that measures heart rate. It seems that the hi-tech textiles by Swedish School of Textiles researcher Lena Berglin could turn anyone into a superhero.
The electrocardiogram (ECG) tank top developed by Lena Berglin may soon hit the US health care market. Photo: Jan Berg
A few years ago Lena Berglin started her new research project by dismantling her earlier invention, the cell phone glove. By putting the parts together with another interactive product, a whole new textile product was created: the electrocardiogram (ECG) tank top. It has sensors that measure your heart rate and breathing frequency while you’re out jogging, for example.
“I wanted to do something that gave a positive health effect and made life easier,” Berglin says. Her idea is not to create superheroes, though, but to help normal people with health problems. “Someone who has had a heart attack and is worried about getting back into exercising may find it easier with a tank top like this.”
Berglin has recently finished the first ever dissertation on interactive textile structures at Chalmers University of Technology.
A commercial success?
In cooperation with the Swedish National Institute for Working Life (now closed) and the Centre for Biomedical Engineering and Physics at Umeå University, Berglin has developed a whole range of garments for health monitoring — apart from the tank top, it also includes a cardigan and a belt. They all measure heart rate, muscular activity and breathing frequency.
The cardigan was developed because it is so easy to wear on top of other clothes. In this garment it is the cuffs that measure the wearer’s body functions, and a box with the battery and the transmitter can be stored in the cardigan pocket.
For the ECG tank top, the future looks bright. It may be launched commercially before the end of 2009.
“The US market is very interested,” Berglin says. “The Americans want the technology and have customers that are used to paying for health care.”
To continue the development of smart textiles, Lena Berglin must delve deeper into the technology. Photo: Ulf Nilsson
She has also developed a vest together with the Swedish army. The vest has tiny motors embedded in silicon and through radar communication, the wearer can be alerted to danger before the eyes or ears have even managed to record it. Did you know that your skin reacts faster than your eyes and ears?
Smart textiles make life easier
In her dissertation Berglin defines smart textiles, as well as what new methods there are for developing work with smart textiles. She talks about textiles that react to their surroundings based on special scenarios.
The unifying theme of Berglin's projects is electroactive textiles. Using metals, she creates surfaces on the textiles that transmit a current. The breathing monitoring textiles she has developed can, for example, be used to help children born prematurely.
“My research has always been very applicable,” Berglin says. “I combine technology and design.”
She explains the advantages of incorporating function into a garment. “You don't need a lot of extra equipment. You’re wearing the garment, and fabrics are good to work with. They are functional.”
These traditional-style Swedish mittens, Lovikavantar, were an early experiment in Berglin’s interactive textile research. Photo: Lena Berglin
The smart textile concept is used in several fields: health care uniforms, sportswear and protective garments, but also interior decorating, construction, cars and biomedical implants.
“Smart textiles have attracted a lot of attention lately, and you might even say they are at their peak right now,” Berglin says. “That's why it's important to live up to the demands. We still have a few problems that we need to find solutions to.”
Like science fiction
Berglin’s next step is so-called resource-smart textiles; they don't even have to touch the body to give measurable results.
“This is where I want to continue with my research,” she says. “The new generation of multifunctional fibers makes it possible to create resource-efficient, smart products, where everything is integrated into the fabric.”
Among other things, she is interested in a development project with other researchers in organic electronics at Linköping University.
“We are looking at how textiles can be used to purify saltwater to make it drinkable, to clean air and to keep fabric cold on the outside and warm on the inside,” Berglin says.
And then she gives us a glimpse of the future: “In the hospital environment of the future you might not have to wear the ECG tank top, it might be positioned somewhere in the room and measure body functions from there.”
So, to all you superheroes out there: don’t worry, our super-researchers will keep inventing super-smart textiles to help you make the world a better place.
Ann-Christine Andréasson
Ann-Christine Andréasson is responsible for press and media at the University of Borås. This is an edited version of her original text.
The author alone is responsible for the opinions expressed in this article.
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