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FAB Textiles |
Smart and Modern Fabrics
What are they?
Smart materials respond to differences in temperature or light and will change in some way. They are smart because they sense changes in their environment and respond.
Smart and modern materials are being used in many applications such as:
Medical
Fashion Wear
Sorts wear
Military/government
In the Medical area smart fabrics are used for a number of reasons. Using Thermochromic colouring's which are heat sensitive the nurses can be alerted to blood weeping out of cuts.
Fabrics can be layered in antibiotics and allergy control fabrics can be used for people who suffer from dust mite allergies.
Thermochromic dyes are also used in fashion. T-shirts were designed that changed colour when you perspired.
These colour changing dyes are reactive to heat. I'm sure you have probably owned a mug that when hot water is added the picture appears or or changes in some way or the ironing board cover that had an image of Jordan the glamour model fully clothed on. When the iron heated up the cover the image of Jordan changes and her clothes come off leaving her naked. These are both quirky uses for smart materials.
Fashion is developing Smart fabrics all the time. Sony designed a Jacket which combined a mp3 player in the sleeve of the jacket. Examples of these electrical combinations, interior furnishings and children's toys can be seen at http://www.softswitch.co.uk/
Other web site I have looked at that I think are very informative are as follows:
http://www.design-technology.info/alevelsubsite/page11.htm
http://www.gorix.com/smart%20materials.htm
http://www.woodhead-publishing.com/textiles/furtherinfo/techtext/medtex99.html
http://www.inteletex.com/FeatureDetail.asp?PubID=3&NewsId=1859