Scientist Receives Government Funding to Make 'Smart' Textiles

A scientist from the University of Central Florida is playing an important role in a United States Department of Defense program in bringing clothing to digital age. Funded with $317 million, this program could increase the function of textiles to include sensing the environment, monitoring the wearer's health, and harvesting energy.

The idea behind it is embedding semiconductors and sensors into the textiles that can communicate, see, hear, cool or warm a person or monitor his health, The New York Times reported. Textiles that have been embedded can presumably monitor blood pressure, sense the wearer's and environment's temperature, or accumulate and convert thermal energy.

Creating textiles that can function as a fully networked system will make a blend of materials not usually connected to optical fibers, such as semiconductor materials, metals, glasses, and plastics. These multi-material fibers can provide the function of electronic devices in a cheap package that is slightly thicker than a hair strand.

Universities, including the MIT and University of Central Florida, is joining the Department of Defense along with companies ranging from Bose and Intel to Warwick Mills and FibeRio, for revolutionizing textiles. The Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) will also be participating in the partnership which currently includes 16 members of the industry, 32 universities, 72 manufacturing groups, and 26 startup incubators, Ecouterre reported.

UCF has pledged $29 million to the project for five years. The money will include hiring supporting staff for the AFFOA and its use of facilities and equipment. The $317 million funds for the project include federal funding. The headquarters will be situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts near MIT and most of the sensor-based research will be executed in the International Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing Research (ICAMR) in Osceola Country.

Partnerships with colleges and universities will help develop workforce for positions in this new era of seamless integration on electronics and textiles.