Creating a broad impact: Smart textiles on the rise

Anyone wanting to create more than only prototypes in the smart textile sector will find themselves facing many challenges. ADRESYS has faced them and is going into series production with the ANGEL shirt.

If you want to focus on innovation in areas such as automotive, sports, or health, one cannot but talk about intelligent textiles, so-called smart textiles. They set completely new standards: they react to the environment, possess a certain intelligence, and operate body monitoring.

The ANGEL system by ADRESYS, for example, works likes this: electrodes on the upper arms collect data, the Genius analyzes them and passes them on, and the ANGEL app calls for help if an electrical accident, fall, or medical emergency had been detected.

Getting started

The term smart textiles has been on everyone’s lips for years. That’s why ADRESYS thought that it would be easy to find suitable material for the ANGEL system. But far from it! The smart textile industry is still in its infancy in many respects.

The market indeed offered some smart shirts, which the experts from ADRESYS tried to work with. But in addition to technical difficulties, there were also problems with suitability for everyday use. For example, the synthetic material and long sleeves originally planned were not designed for an average workday under often strenuous and sweaty conditions. Silke, the textile engineer at ADRESYS, therefore had to find solutions specifically for ANGEL.

Silke during smart textile production
© ADRESYS

Proving every day

Silke defines: To be suitable for everyday use, the ANGEL shirt must have a comfortable cut and be made from cotton. This material is usually required in the electrical industry because one can wear it well under flame-resistant protective clothing. The cuffs on the upper arms of the ANGEL shirt must not cut in, but the electrodes must still be well-positioned. That’s why different upper arm sizes for the shirts are necessary. Besides, the ANGEL shirt’s built-in electrodes and sensitive connection points must withstand at least 50 washes. “Washing combines several challenges at the same time. Temperature, chemicals, and mechanical effects — and all of this over a long period,” explains Silke. ANGEL is nevertheless a smart textile shirt that does not need a gentle cycle.

Going into series production

There are many and exciting prototypes in the smart textile industry. But it quickly becomes apparent that they cannot yet step into series production because they are too complex to manufacture, not washable, or are simply too expensive. The customers are willing to pay a certain price for a smart textile shirt, but not an infinite amount.

To offer the ANGEL shirts at a reasonable price, we had to optimize the production processes. “Our electronic components require electrical interconnections in some places and absolute isolation in others. This is a challenge in series production,” says Silke. Smart components can be easily attached to the shirts with thermal presses, but these presses have been used and tested primarily for logo printing. There, it’s all about looks, “whereas for us, it’s about electrical functionality, everything has to be connected in a stable and process-safe way.”

So far, everything has worked out, and the first almost 2000 ANGEL shirts have rolled off the production line as planned: “Made in Europe” — that is important to ADRESYS.

Pioneering

Silke contributes the knowledge about smart textiles generated during the development of the ANGEL system to the Textile Committee of Austrian Standards and the Working Group for Smart Textiles at CEN, the European Committee for Standardization. ADRESYS’ PATCH project also aims to bring new knowledge to the outside world. “Our methods are also interesting for other systems,” explains Silke. “How do you insulate a textile conductor? How do you ensure that electrodes have the best possible skin contact, regardless of the nature of the skin or body hair?” For the medical sector, for example, knowing how to best attach a data processing unit to a smart textile shirt could be well of interest.

Looking into the future

The launch of the ANGEL system is scheduled for September, and ideas for new developments are already on the horizon. Long sleeves are mandatory in the high-voltage sector, for example. How and where should the electrodes be attached to such a shirt? And can the ANGEL system also be built into flame-resistant fabric?

The smart textile sector is only just beginning — and ANGEL is now also part of it.

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Effective Emergency Detection during Work: Here’s How!

Securing lone work is a crucial aspect of modern work life. Emergency detection systems play a central role in ensuring that help can be provided quickly in the event of an accident. But what should you look for in such emergency systems?

Detection of motionlessness

A key feature of emergency detection is the detection of motionlessness. This is particularly important because serious emergencies often end with immobility. Good systems use sensitive accelerometers to distinguish between motionlessness and quiet work, such as reading emails. The sensors of such a system can detect even the slightest movements, minimizing false alarms. A multi-stage alarm process, starting with quiet warnings, ensures that only real emergencies are reported.

Fall detection

Another essential element of emergency detection is fall detection. Although the focus is on detecting motionlessness, fall detection can help shorten response time after an accident. A fall is typically detected in three phases: free fall, impact, and subsequent motionlessness. Systems that reliably detect these phases can call for help faster, minimizing the consequences of an accident.

Communication channels

Effective emergency detection systems should also enable seamless communication. Ideally, they notify emergency services and employees who can provide first aid on-site. The selection of emergency contacts must be flexible and adapted to the respective work situation. Various communication channels increase the likelihood that the alarm will be received quickly and reliably.

And now, the most crucial thing: Test the system!

If you are looking for a suitable emergency detection system for yourself and/or your employees, we recommend testing it before buying! Reputable sales outlets offer test options. If they don’t, you might ask yourself why they do not want to offer their system for trial. For example, a test will quickly show you that a device will be unusable in everyday life if it triggers too many alarms. Such a device will get on your nerves in no time. Usually, such emergency detection systems end up in the back of a desk drawer or the glove compartment of your car very quickly.

You can find out what other criteria you should consider when buying an emergency detection system in our paper “Deep Dive: Emergency Detection”. Feel free to download the paper and browse through it to get more information about emergency detection and the functionalities of emergency detection systems.

In the end, you will realize that ANGEL React is undoubtedly not the only helpful emergency detection system on the market. But it is the one that strikes the right balance: It is hardly noticeable during daily work, yet it helps you comprehensively and reliably in all emergency situations. It does what it is supposed to: Call for help as quickly and loudly as possible when needed – and avoid false alarms.

By the way, our systems can, of course, be tested! Just try our “Try and Buy” offer.