A new era of clothing, the intelligent fabric will be sold in the markets. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have created a new era for the garments of the future by incorporating high-speed optoelectronic diodes into fibers and then weaving them with washable fabrics.
The optoelectronic semiconductors used by the researchers to develop this technology include light emitting diodes (LEDs) and diode photodetectors that were later incorporated into fibers that were fused with soft tissues and converted into a communication system within the tissue.
What are the core features of intelligent fabric?
According to the experts, semiconductor components are a key component in modern electronics for producing materials with sophisticated functionality. In fact, his study speaks of a new “Moore’s law” applied to fibers, which is a rapid development that could increase the capacity of fibers exponentially and rapidly, as well as the capacity of microchips.
Until now, the production of optical fibers has been based on the production of a cylindrical object called a “preform”, which is nothing more than a model of the fiber that is heated. The softened material is then stretched and the resulting fiber is collected on a roll.
A new feature of MIT’s new technology is that researchers have added granular premolded light emitters to the semiconductor diodes in addition to a pair of hair-size copper wires.
In this way, when a furnace is heated during the fiber drawing process, part of the polymer preform is liquefied, resulting in a long fiber whose diodes are centered and connected by the copper wires.
Furthermore, the team mixed the equipment in the form of particles with the wires instead of collecting all the material in a liquid state. This was another advantage, as the resulting fiber is naturally waterproof, and in order to test it, they immersed it in a tank for weeks and producing light that seemed constant to the naked eye.
Researchers concluded their report by stating that the first commercial products using this technology will be on the market from 2019, indicating a relatively short path from research to commercialization. With regard to the function of these products, they will consist of communication and safety systems through the fabrics of clothing as well as sensors for healing and monitoring the health condition of people.