https://www.udel.edu/udaily/2018/august/smart-textiles-nanotube-sensors/

Researchers are developing sensors that could have applications in workers’ comp, by being used in smart textiles and aiding workers in recovering from injuries or even avoiding them in the first place.

A team from the University of Delaware is creating “smart textiles” whose fibers are coated with a flexible carbon nanotube composite. These fibers can detect a wide range of pressure ranging from a human’s touch to being driven over by heavy machinery. By stitching the sensors into clothing or lining the soles of shoes with them, they can then detect human motion.

Erik Thostenson, associate professor in the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering, says that this new technology is superior to the techniques that currently exist to create smart textiles- things like plating fibers with metal, or knitting fiber and metal strands together. That can make fabric uncomfortable and decrease its durability. The nanocomposite coating developed by the team has been tested on a wide range of fibers including Kevlar, wool, nylon, Spandex and polyester and is flexible and comfortable. The coatings would only add a gram of weight to a typical piece of clothing and are thinner than a piece of paper. Thostenson said the films act like a dye that adds electrical sensing functionality and creates a strong and uniform bond over the surface of the fiber. The process developed by the team is industrially scalable.

Clinicians could use the fabric to measure the forces on their patient’s feet as they walk and assess any imbalances or prevent injury. Thostenson said that when patients are being tested using biomechanical techniques like instrumented treadmills, their behavior might be different because they know they are being watched in a lab setting. They hope to understand how their sensor’s results might compare to lab techniques and they could track patient movements in a more natural setting, like walking outside, by utilizing the smart textiles in everyday footwear. In preliminary tests it seems the sensors do collect data that is comparable to a force plate, a much more expensive device.

“Because the low-cost sensor is thin and flexible the possibility exists to create custom footwear and other garments with integrated electronics to store data during their day-to-day lives,” said Sagar Dashi, doctoral student in mechanical engineering at UD and the lead author on the paper. “This data could be analyzed later by researchers or therapists to assess performance and ultimately bring down the cost of healthcare.”

The researchers see other applications in sports medicine, post-surgical recovery, assessing movement disorders in pediatric populations and even for monitoring infrastructure.

Check out the full report from the journal of ACS Sensors and read more from Insurance Journal and UDaily