Hong Kong, China -- Students at the Institute of Textiles and Clothing at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University have developed a highly stretchable smart fabric that can withstand multiple machine washes.
The electrical wiring-embedded textile has been described as a "fabric circuit board" and is based on multiple filaments of polyurethane-coated copper fibres entwined in a pre-stretched elastic yarn.
Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s professor in textile technology Xiao-Ming Tao believes the innovation could be used to create a smart bullet-proof vest that notifies the wearer’s military base if the fabric is penetrated by a bullet.
The team says that microchips and other components can be incorporated into it, and they remain connected when flexed.
The team's tests show the material can be stretched by 20% about a million times before any of the fibres fail. Tao said: “Like a regular circuit board, the fabric can be used in multiple layers thanks to the polyurethane insulation surrounding the copper.
“Currents can be carried just like in regular circuit boards,” she added.
The New Scientist journal published an online article about the innovation today.
