The Hindu Business Line : `Smartwear' on the way

Not too far away in the future, you'll walk into the showroom and pick a `smart' shirt that listens to your body. It will have chips/sensors embedded into the fabric that help you stay fresh as a lily at the end of a workout. In this issue, eW orld tracks gear for Gen-Next.

IN a couple of years, the jacket that you are wearing might be able to take your blood pressure, play your favourite song and even ward off extra-friendly strangers trying to act smart. And, for the lazy-bones, you will never have to bother about washing or ironing your clothes as they would be self-cleaning and self-conditioning. Welcome to the world of `smart clothes' that promise to revolutionise what we wear. Design and retail houses may not be able to tell you exactly when to expect such garments, but there is enough research on to sew your computer into your shirt.

These new-age garments will boast of features like temperature control, drug administration and even serve as navigational aides for the blind. "The concept of smart clothing is just about moving from the realm of fiction to reality. We are at the threshold of products that would be more than simple garments," according to Prof Asha Baxi, Dean (Academics) at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in Delhi.

In India, we do not have enough facilities for research in smart clothing. But the interest is strong enough to take a NIFT student to Italy to study `interactivity' in clothing, Prof Baxi says. "We find a large number of our graduates are keen to take up such projects. The possibilities are limitless if we can get the product right. Once that happens, mass production and marketing is not a problem, as we have seen with `lycra' (the DuPont invention that found widespread acceptance among garment makers) or wrinkle-free clothes," she says.

At the Sydney Olympics, a need was felt for clothes that could keep athletes cool between events. Taking the cue, leading sports goods maker Nike developed clothes that had a small condenser-based cooling system that kept athletes cool in the intense Athenian heat at the recent Olympics. Rival German manufacturer Adidas also launched an "intelligent shoe". Called `1', the shoe has a sensor, microprocessor and even a small computer built into it. All this computing power helps the shoe sense the cushioning level through the sensor, which transmits the information to a motor and magnet-driven cable system that continuously adjusts the shoe to provide the right cushioning to the wearer. The computer is located under the shoe arch and can process about 1,000 readings every second. It has a software specially created for the equipment. Adidas worked secretly on the project and unveiled the hi-tech shoe only this year.

The `smart bra' developed by the Intelligent Polymer Research Institute at the University of Wollongong in Australia might not be an answer to `silicone' enhancements. But it does promise the wearer the right kind of support. For example, the wearer need not switch to a sports bra before a workout as the smart bra would automatically adjust the supports to offset the extra strain on the straps and bra cups. A tiny computer chip embedded in the strap monitors the stress and sends a signal to a special polymer. This causes the fabric to contract and provide the support needed. Odd as it might sound, scientists are the new players in the fashion arena. However, scientists are more concerned with making clothes smarter rather than mere statements of fashion. Don't worry about the colours and styles yet. Once the right technology is in place, a thousand designs will bloom. According to an article in the inflight magazine of Virgin Atlantic, research is currently under way in the UK on clothes that can make you look and smell good. We would soon have garments that emit pheromones at the appropriate time in the evening, maternity wear that release therapeutic aromas to assist in delivery or help the baby relax and a night shirt that massages your back.

The French are known to be fashion connoisseurs. Their designers are working on micro-capsules containing heat-sensitive dyes that change colour according to body temperature, and garments capable of releasing sunscreens, moisturisers and perfume... a great boon for those who aspireto sweat it out at the gym or at the disc and still stay fresh as a lily. When it comes to technical innovation, the Japanese cannot be far behind. Scientists at Kanebo, a manufacturing firm, are developing a special kind of nylon thread that is embedded with capsules capable of releasing THA — a compound used to treat cellulite. And, hey presto! You have flawless skin. The capsules work even after several washes. You might wonder how all these expensive gadgetry would survive the merciless churn of a washing machine. And, won't they zap you with an electric shock? The trick is to replaceseveral warp threads in the fabric with copper wires coated with polyester and silver. A combination of such warp threads forms a lead. A thin, flexible printed circuit board (PCB) is then soldered to the polyester fabric. This module is encapsulated for mechanical protection and the entire unit is hermetically sealed in a casing that can withstand mechanical and chemical damages. And, yes, you will not need to lug around batteries to power the gadgets. Scientists are working on miniature thermoelectric generators that can convert body heat into electric power.

And while research around the world is focused on making sure your smart shirt does not zap you with all the electric currents floating on its surface, a couple of NIFT students at Kolkata are working in just the opposite direction.

Smart clothes cannot really be smart if they cannot protect you. The NIFT students are working on a jacket that would jolt any roadside romeo trying to get too close for comfort.

Collage: K.B. Jawaharr

eworld@thehindu.co.in

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